While finishing my Eco Broker certification I thought I should expand my green contacts outside of Pasadena and the Pasadena Eco House. This led me to the Green Real Estate 2008 conference in Denver. It took place July 16th and 17th and was a wealth of information backing the claim that Green = Value. There were many vendors at the conference supporting the fact that Green not only makes sense, but dollars too!

I was eager to find out more about Energy Efficient Mortgages, water conservation, wind power, solar power, rebate programs and energy raters. These subjects have been spoken of for some time but have seemed off limits to people of average means.

This is what Eco Broker encompasses. It pertains to informing and educating home buyers and sellers about home energy usage. The more competitive the “Green” field becomes the more affordable “Green” products become. Bottom line is “It’s Easy Being Green”. I was amazed that with some education and effort you can make your existing home more energy efficient.  The US Building Council has even set new guidelines (LEED) for certifying existing homes, not just new construction. This is great news to the people of Pasadena since the majority of homeowners live in homes built in the 1920’s to 1960’s.

This is important because I believe selling your home in the near future will include the Energy Ratings, which will become as ubiquitous as the square feet and lot size measurements. Just two moths ago a bill authorized by former speaker Fabio Nunez was in front of the state assembly requiring an energy rating on each home sold. It was not passed at this time but other states are also claiming to be taking an energy conscious approach such as Colorado & Arizona, and possibly Texas. I believe we will see it is on the verge of passing in our near future. With the rise of energy costs, it will not be mandated by law, but by necessity. In the Pasadena Star News, So Cal Edison may possibly increase rates by 30% in the next year alone. This enforces my motto for selling your home “Go Green 2 Be Seen”.

This is a fascinating field. It will explode over the next  year and my job is to learn about all Green aspects and keep you Up2date. I will be writing a series of articles about Green technology, so stay tuned….

Pictured: Top, Dr. John Beldock, President & CEO of Eco Broker International with Deena Willis, Broker & Contributing author of up2date. Bottom picture: manning the booth at Vibrant Solar

Tags: green housing, greening your california home, pasadena eco broker, pasadena green realtor

Pasadena residents by most accounts, are conscientious about making this city a better place to live. Regardless of your position on global warming or your political leanings, I think you would have to agree that conserving energy, and reducing waste are subjects we all can generally agree on. If you haven’t signed on to this you may be a member of the immediate gratification club.

Your reluctance stemming from what you perceive as no immediate benefit or change. It is analogous to taking a multi vitamin everyday; you know it’s good for you, however you just do not feel any different. Unlike the new shampoo that will make your hair shine or that pain reliever that will get rid of your throbbing headache.

If we are to embrace a new green lifestyle we must move away from the present short term thinking many of us have and begin to think about the long term benefit and reward. It is my understanding that our current air quality here in the LA area is much better today than it was 25 to 30 years ago. The changes that were implemented to clean up the atmosphere were surely met with resistance. People sometimes just don’t like change. As you can see however, there has been a tremendous benefit. Our job here is to expand on issues related to real estate, not get caught up in the hot potato issues of the day with regards to fossil fuels and offshore drilling. We will leave that to the political bloggers.

With many major retailers and manufacturers realizing there is green to be made with green, its significance in real estate will become more and more predominant. A market is beginning to develop in this area, but to date it’s nothing more than just the infancy stages of development. As we continue to bring you the latest technologies with the construction of the Pasadena Eco House, our goal is to also provide you with thoughts and ideas on how you can incorporate a green lifestyle into your own home.

Last week Deena Willis, a Pasadena Real Estate Broker attended the Green Real Estate Conference held in Denver, Colorado. This two day event focused on technologies and applications in real estate. Eco friendly solutions in real estate will create a burgeoning new industry, creating products that will be innovative and state of the art as well as vendors and manufacturers that will play on consumer’s desires with misrepresentation and deceit. Our purpose will be to provide the necessary information and research to help you make informed decisions.

Tags: eco friendly housing, green housing, pasadena green housing

The housing and construction industry is in the preliminary stages of having a profound and positive impact on the environment and how we live our lives. There are many new materials and procedures available or in development to meet the changing consumer needs and lifestyle’s. Many of these ideas have been brought about by social, economical and environmental change while others have come about due to new processes and innovations.

We are now seeing the huge impact that hybrid cars and trucks are having on the automobile industry, with helping to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. These changes did not happen over night. It takes people a while to learn and understand that new technologies may enhance their lives with increased efficiency, savings, greater comfort or better quality of life.

Housing is no exception. So many of the technologies are new and have yet to hit the mass market, they are not household names. Plus here in the Pasadena area we are not over run with new construction, the primary source for much of these innovative products. Using these new innovations into our everyday life will take some time. Consumers will begin to embrace and adopt new methods and materials as they become more mainstream and when they can see it being utilized by their neighbor. Remember how long it took for cell phones to become affordable? Now everybody has one.

New Construction Processes

One of the early adopters of green building was the NormThompson Company. You may recognize their product if not the name. Next time your on an airplane reach into the seat pocket in front of you. The in-flight shopping guide will probably feature the Solutions Catalog. The building features some unique products including Philippine Wood in the lobby floor which came from decommissioned railroad boxcars. Most of the floors and walls came from recycled beer bottles and windshield glass, mixed with cement powder.

Looking for an example a little closer to home. Try the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Some of the rebar in the building was melted down guns collected by the City of Los Angeles. Also according to the site, more than 97% of the debris accumulated during construction was recycled.

Green Housing, Its Time Has Come

Anytime a discussion concerns environmental issues. it can usually be supplanted with political undertones. This is not one of those times. Using recyclable, sustainable, eco-friendly products in the manufacturing of housing should become the rule, not the exception. If the technology exists to build a stronger structure that is more energy efficient and saves on our natural resources, why not use it? If xeriscaping can replace the water thirsty lawns and shrubs we have in our yards, why not do it? Water is going to become a more precious commodity to us in the future. The City of Pasadena has begun to ask its citizens to be more conscience of the water they use.

As individuals and communities become more versed in the benefits that “green” construction offers, we will gradually see these become routine and standard procedures. There are many things people can begin doing now that will provide an immediate an ongoing benefit. We will take a look at some of these in our next article.

Tags: eco friendly housing, Going Green, green housing, housing trends, pasadena's green initiative