Like the bumper sticker says, “Historic Preservation is the Ultimate Recycling,” or as the National Trust for Historic Preservation puts it, “recycling on a grand scale.” It’s easy to see the green advantages to be derived from rehabilitating a historic structure. To quote the National Trust again, “reusing existing buildings is itself a green building practice. Preservation conserves building materials and embodied energy.”

But even new construction in historic neighborhoods can yield dramatic sustainability benefits. First, existing neighborhoods do not require the deployment of new utilities, streets, parks and other civic amenities. Second, neighborhoods created prior to the WWII often feature the kind of density that provides traction to sustainable transportation solutions like bicycle commuting and transit oriented development. In a very real sense, Infill is the opposite of sprawl. Maybe even antidote to it. The trick, of course, is to make all this happen without gentrifying neighborhoods.

On Dec. 1, from 8:30 a.m. until noon, the Metropolitan Community Organization is sponsoring a seminar on investment opportunities in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard/Montgomery Street corridor, south of Gwinnett Street. Participants are invited to:

“Come and learn from experts how to invest, develop and identify commercial and/or residential properties on this historic corridor. Hear successful developers talk about how they did it! Learn about the three historic neighborhoods in the corridor, the unique characteristics of the neighborhoods and crime prevention strategies.”

Representatives from the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority, Historic Savannah Foundation, Community Housing Association, Small Business Assistance Corporation, the Entrepreneurial Center, realtors and lenders will be on hand. The $25 fee is tax deductible.For more information, call (912) 447-5590. Seating is limited.