“Green” Cleaning Options

Many of the products that are used for common household cleaning are toxic and bad for the health of your family.  The Oregon Environmental Council has published a pamphlet (down-loadable at their site) with common solutions to household cleaning that are “biodegradable and non-toxic”.  Here are a few of the solutions, with the rest online: Read more

February 16, 2008 · Filed Under Green Building and Living

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Earth Advantage

On the sixth of February I started a 16 hour course with Earth Advantage to learn about Sustainable and “green” building.  At the end of the course I tested and was certified as an EA S.T.A.R agent.  S.T.A.R stands for Sustainability Read more

February 13, 2008 · Filed Under Clients, Green Building and Living

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Safer Plastics

Last week while taking the Earth Advantage EA S.T.A.R course, I picked up a little bit of information regarding safeer plastics Read more

February 11, 2008 · Filed Under Green Building and Living

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Sustainability and Green Niche in Portland, OR

I was recently interviewed for an article that appeared in the Portland Tribune entitled “Niche Market has Agents Seeing Green“.  My interest in Green Real Estate and homes in Portland, OR is well-known and documented here on this blog and Read more

December 24, 2007 · Filed Under Green Building and Living, Matt in the Media

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Excellent and Efficient Design, Portland Looks Forward

Vargas Greenan designed home in NE Portland, OR

 I recently finished working on a transaction for one of the first Vargas Greenan homes in Portland, OR.  Why is this so special?  Well, sustainability is a big buzzword in home construction these days.  Read more

December 20, 2007 · Filed Under Green Building and Living, Portland Real Estate Listings

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Earth Advantage Certification

Another certification that is being used for green building is through Earth Advantage, a non-profit organization promoting sustainable building practices in the Northwest.  Earth Advantage also has a certification process for new and remodeled homes, much like the LEED Certification process described in an earlier blog.  Homes that are certified through Earth Advantage  have to meet standards in the 5 categories that include energy efficiency, indoor air quality, environmental responsibility, and resource efficiency.

The energy efficiency category includes the usual suspects of energy efficient windows, lights, appliances, etc.  These are all examples of items that people do desire because of the fact that they end up saving the homeowner money in the future. Read more

October 12, 2007 · Filed Under Green Building and Living, Portland Real Estate Listings

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LEED Certification

Green building is a recent addition to the new home market and a slightly older addition to the remodeling market.  What does it entail?  How do you know it is green?  I get the above questions from my clients all of the time.  The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit that is interested in sustainable building design and construction.  They have developed a rating system that assigns points in the categories of site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor air quality.  LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.  In order to receive a LEED certification a project must go through an extensive process to amass enough credits in each of the categories.  If a project has acquired these points, they may be designated as either LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, or LEED Platinum. 

The best part about LEED certification is that it sets a standard for builders.  It also educates the construction industry and public about ways to make your home or project more Green.  People do care about the energy efficiency of their homes and the water conservation aspects of their home because it hits them right in the wallet.  On the other hand, establishing and maintaining air quality in your home is a topic that most people would be interested in, but few people actively think about.  The fact that organizations such as the USGBC do establish a benchmark and do care about the discussion really helps to bring these topics into the minds of the people making homes or remodeling homes.  Read more

October 9, 2007 · Filed Under Green Building and Living

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