"Latest Green Tip" 

Consider buying rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. Most rechargeable batteries can be recharged up to 1,000 times! 

APRIL 17-18, 2010: Global Days of Service for the 40th Anniversary of EARTH DAY! Check out all the events and theme on the Earth Day Network Website at www.earthday.net/earthday2010 EARTH DAY!! 

Who's Who and What's What in the "Green" World 

AEEREP: The Association of Energy and Environmental Real Estate Professionals (www.aeerep.org) is a non-profit organization committed to providing accurate, timely and relevant green market education to the real estate community. Also, this professional association is the catalyst for the EcoBroker (www.ecobroker.com). 

Apollo Alliance: This is a coalition of business, labor, environmental and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution in America to reduce our nations dependence on foreign oil, cut the carbon emissions that are destabilizing our climate and expand opportunities for American businesses and workers. Visit www.apolloalliance.org for more information. 

Architecture for Humanity: A volunteer non-profit organization set up to promote architecture and design to seek solutions to global social and humanitarian crisis. Many of the designs have an incredible minimalist beauty while being fiscally and green responsible. For more information on this cutting edge group visit www.architectureforhumanity.org. 

Energy Star: Best known for appliance ratings, Energy Star is a voluntary program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that identifies energy-efficient products, homes and buildings. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov. 

GreenHomesForSale.com: The brainchild of Santa Barbara, CA, architect Roy Prince, www.greenhomesforsale.com is one of the few, if not the only, websites for green-home listings. Best of all, the site has a number of search parameters including type of house, which means that in addition to typical geographic searches you can also look specifically for home types such as off-the-grid homes or straw bale homes or just simply green homes. 

NAHB National Green Building Program: Launched in February 2008 by the National Association of Home Builders, this voluntary program establishes guidelines for energy-efficient buildings including residential and multi-family as well as provides for a third-party verification and certification (www.nahbgreen.org). The site also includes a rating system that will enable homeowners, builders and real estate professionals to estimate how green a home is. 

PATH Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing: This public-private partnership between private industry and federal agencies is concerned with how housing works to develop new technologies to improve the durability, energy efficiency and environmental performance of America's housing. The interactive website includes tools for homeowners who want to renovate and for real estate professionals. Visit www.pathnet.org for more information. 

REGREEN - Residential Remodeling Guidelines: Sustainable residential remodeling guidelines developed through a collaboration of American Society of Interior Designers and U.S. Green Building Council that includes best practices, learning programs and resources for those looking to green up an existing home. For more information, go to www.regreenprogram.org. 

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): A non-profit, nongovernmental organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices whose members include building owners and end users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies and non-profits. USGBC also developed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Rating systems have been developed or are in the process of being developed for new and existing residential and commercial buildings as well as schools, retail and health care. Click on the LEED link on www.USGBC.org for additional information. 

U.S. Green Real Estate Council: This fledgling organization was formed by Kerry Mitchell, founder of Green Real Estate Education, and another expert in sustainable practices, John Dougel, to be a green resource for Realtors and others. Mitchell also hopes to eventually include listings of green properties on her website, www.USGREC.org. 

Green Granny: For 64-year old Joyce Emery, gray is the new green. The Ames, Iowa, grandmother of six began a personal enviromental crusade by often swapping her car for a bike. But when Joyce hit the web to find out how she could do more, she couldn't find a site that allowed easy access to like minded people. So she co-founded an online community: www.greenseniors.org. Now thousands know her by her blogosphere name-Green Granny- and they visit the site for news and stories of 50+ "green heros".  

Minnesota GreenStar, Certified Green Homes and Remodeling: This is the cutting edge new program that has different levels of certification for both new and existing homes. These building standards guarantee more energy efficient, durable, healthy, and environmentally sensitive construction. The program is well thought out in order to make "green" construction certification for all price ranges of homes. In addition it keeps in mind our special climate considerations of over 100 degrees variance in temperatures. Visit www.mngreenstar.org for the details. 

We Can Solve It: There are 1,477,174 people speaking up for solutions. We can solve the climate crisis if we take action now. Visit www.wecansolveit.org.  

The above information and definitions were supplied by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Real Estate Executive, May 2008 edition. 

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