The U.S. Green Building Council is working closely with the Bank of America Corp in an effort to release a new grant program that will serve to encourage neighborhood projects that are environmentally friendly.

If you're a tree hugger or latent hippie, and care about the environment, you can express that by the type of home you buy. Green real estate options are among the fastest growing propositions in the real estate market. Consumers want Earth-friendly, ecologically sound, sustainable home buying options. The reasons vary from household to household. Some folks have allergies. Some want expense reduction in electric or gas bills. Others still just want their home to reflect a holistic lifestyle. All of these situations represent great reasons to hook up with a real estate agent that focuses on green properties.
 
In considering a green home, it’s vital to compare the characteristics each one offers. Properties are going to be different in their building materials and the way in which they’ve chosen to lessen the home’s carbon footprint. For example, while dual-pane windows aren’t particularly green in their manufacturing process, they ARE green in the way they reduce energy use in the home. This particular example is one that you will need to remember from the get-go. There is no such thing as a perfectly green building materials. Be prepared to trade off function against environmental impacts either in the products manufacture or end use.

Some of the characteristics that makes a specific real estate property “green” include:

- Energy reducing components (like good insulation and Energy Star appliances)

- Energy production systems (solar panels)

- Water conservation (like special shower heads, re-using grey water, etc.)

- Paints, calking, carpeting, and stains that have no VOCs, and do not produce pollutants

- Air filtering systems

- Flooring, carpet or wallboard made using post-consumer recycled goods (or made from sustainable, renewable material like cork and bamboo)

And that’s just the tip of the ice berg. If you want to get a feel for how many components in a home could be green, just swing by your local hardware store and walk the isles. There’s everything from light bulbs and untreated wood to gardening products.

Corporate America is jumping on the Green Real Estate bandwagon too. Bank of America has plans to build an environmentally-friendly skyscraper in New York City, for example. Additionally, currently about 10 percent of all commercial construction projects are focused on sustainability (according to Smart Market reports). This isn’t just because Corporate America has become ecologically minded – Green building increases a property’s value by over 7 percent!

So if your mantra is, “reuse, recycle, renovate” then looking for a Green Home makes perfect sense both financially and philosophically. Most green real estate will continue to improve in value, particularly as green product technology becomes more and more efficient. HINT: find a real estate agent who really knows the green market. They should be able to tell you what adaptations have been made to any property, and the resulting benefits with authority. You want to choose a home that meets your needs and lifestyle, and that means being an informed consumer.

Its time to get down and dirty with a thorough spring cleaning. Our homes have been shut up all winter and are in need of some freshinging. This year  try spring clean with the avoidance of dangerous chemicals and harsh cleaners. Did you know that air pollution in our homes can be as much as 100 times worse than the air outside? Most of that pollution comes from the evaporation of volitile organic compounds "off gas" from cleaning supplies, air freshners, and home decorating items like paint, wall paper and carpeting.  While we think we are cleaning and disenfecting our homes we are really loading the air with toxic chemicals.

Here are 10 Tips for a GREEN SPRING CLEANING:
1. Open the windows Feel the breeze
2. Skip the airfreshners, Open a box of baking soda, cedar blocks and dried flowers instead,
3. use vegtable based cleaning products like those made with coconut oil
4. Vinegar, Vinegar, and more Vinegar this is natures cleaning miricle
5. Get some baking soda Multi-purpose baking soda can be used for everything from freshening the air to carpet and furniture to scrubbing the toilet and tub
6. Don't use bleach or cleaners with chlorine. Bleach burns skin and eyes and is fatal if swallowed, when it goes down the drain it becomes toxic to the natural world.
7.  Skip harsh cehmical cleaners in the bathroom vinegar and baking soda will do the job.

8. Use fiber sponges and rags instead of paper towels and one time use tools
9.  Skip the antibacterial soap it is not necessary and leads to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria
10. Please dispose of harsh chemicals properly Do not pour them down the drain or into the trash or on the ground

As environmental awareness grows,  homeowners are taking action on green issues and are willing to spend their money on going green.  Sellers will often spend up to $5000 to go green in order to make their home more attractive to buyers.

Some helpful hints to go green are: replacing carpet or using paint that is environmentally friendly, using water conserving toilets and showers, solar heating systems for pools and home water usage, also adding more insulation to a R-30 rating and replacing windows that are double pane or UV reflecting.

Since buyers today are interested in anything that saves a dollar going Green will save them money every month.

Florida is the natural choice for solar power homes. There was a whole National Solar Tour yesterday. If you want to see a solar experimental home, Florida State University has a home that they open to the public from 2 to 5 the first and third Friday of each month. It is in "Cracker style" and has thirty solar panels.

This is the third year of the tour and they are trying to raise awareness of solar energy. If you need more information on solar energy, there is a Largo company, Florida's largest solar contractor, who will answer questions. Their number is 727-572-4257.

Have a great day and enjoy!

La mayor parte de las casas y edificios en los estados del norte son preferidos con techos oscuros o negros (tejas o cubiertas) con el proposito de obtener maxima retencion del calor durante los meses de invierno. Sin embargo, esto es una falacia, pues se ha encontrado que los efectos de los techos oscuros sobre la calefaccion de los edificios es nula o muy poca debido a las leyes fisicas (el aire caliente siempre subira), asi que el calor efectivo se pierde por el mismo techo hacia el exterior, proveyendo un minimo de economia.
Al mudarse a los estados del sur, como Florida, usted necesita la ayuda de la de la cubierta de los techos para mantener la casa mas fria. Se considera que un techo con eficiencia de energia puede ser un factor para reducir el consumo de energia. Por lo tanto, la combinacion de un techo claro o blanco,
con buena aislacion para el espacio sobre el plafon (atico) proveera conservacion de energia y un efecto de enfriamiento para el plafon y la casa, con hasta un 20% o 25% de economia en energia.

Homes and buildings in northern states show a preference by builders and most people for black or dark roof covering, whether asphalt layers or shingles with the purpose of obtaining maximun heat retention during the cold or winter months. However, it has been found that the effect of the black roofs on the heating of buildings is nil or very little due to the laws of physical sciences - hot air will always rise - thus the heating effect is lost through the top of the structure.
When people move to the southern states , like Florida, you need the help of the roof covering to maintain the houses cooler. It is considered that an energy efficient roof can be an asset to reduce energy consumption, thus the combination of a white or light roof with good insulation in the air space above the ceiling (attic space) will provide energy conservation (up to 20% or 25%) and a cooling effect for the building or houses.

We almost all want green lush lawns for our homes. What is the cost of this in terms of the environment? Florida is semi arid for more than half the year and yet many plants thrive on much less water than the ubiquitous flora-tam sod that most folks favor. The fertilizers and pesticides have had and are having a terrible effect on the land and in the water that surrounds us which has led the stunting and death of native species and blooms of algae leading to the devastating red tide. It is time for all of us to start looking into plants and grasses (xeriscape) that help our Florida environment instead of adding to the problem.

As a realtor I have the pleasure of dealing with quite a few first time home buyers and helping them with their first purchase. I have become increasingly concerned with some of the homes they are wanting to see. Quite often the first choice is the large square foot home with the low price. Even in today's market older homes can appear to be a bargain but are they? I know as a professional realtor there are many factors in determining what is a good buy and what really isn't. Energy costs have skyrocketed in the last few years and will only continue to do so in the future. What will your heating and cooling bills be every month in that grand old home? Even though the home is affordable and large there is more than the mortgage bill that comes due every month. That smaller newer home with the higher price tag can be the bargain you have been waiting for in the long run. Take some time and talk with your realtor about what he or she feels might be better suited to your needs. Going green, Think Green, it's becoming a way of life.
 

If everyone in the U.S said "no thanks" to ATM reciepts, it would save a roll of paper so long it could circle the equator fifteen times. If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100% recylcled ones, we could save 544,000 trees.