Biggest MLS system in the country is going green!!

I have been working on getting the biggest MLS system in the country greened for several years now. I have partnered with another Realtor in Virginia, Adam Gallegos. I will keep this updated!!

greening MLS's another Realtor contacted me about greening the biggest MLS system in the county

I am excited to announce that the biggest MLS system may soon be greening their system. I have been trying to do this for several years. Now is the time. I am hoping that the east coast will soon have a greened MLS. I have looked at their listing from a few times and have offered a proposal several times.



I would love to see all the MLS's in the country become greened, but it is slow moving and there is a lot of resistance to it.



I am hoping that NAR adopts the best practices for greening MLS's that I will be presenting in Portland at the MLS provider's conference connections2009.



If these changes are adopted it might be possible to package loans for homes that are greened or are greener together. We will see what happens. My belief is that greened homes are worth more and I also believe those buyers are more responsible

The EPA is asking for advice

The midwestern portion of the EPA has been asking about my favorite topic- "green listings and how to enable buyers and sellers to get the applicable info". I am excited about this because if my idea spreads all over the US then the banking industry will have to "get it" too. They are the most conservative part of the chain. A few years ago I was trying to get banks to package green home loans together. I have a belief that green buyers are more conscientous and would be less likely to default. Banks now are getting more interested in this factor now that we have all had to pick them up. So now might be the right time to have these changes take place.

Trees in Portland

There have been another 300 plus trees planted in north portland this year. SE Portland had a planting by bike! I applaud that planting! From my perspective as a neigborhood coordinator and someone who cuts out the car as she can, I see this a a specialty planting. Not everyone is able to bike. But I love the idea!!



Trees make a big difference to a neighborhood. They filter our air and make it cooler in the summer. For an individual house: if you plant a diciduous tree to the south or the west of your house, it will decrease your need for cooling. Coneferiuos trees are needed to in urban canopies to decrease the winds in the winter. The other thing they do is they are active in cleaning our air all year. I have noticed that coniferous trees are the types of trees we are needing most in portland.

Colorado Pikes peak area to green their MLS!!

I just got off the phone with Art a concerned Realtor in Colorado. He and I are going to colaborate on greening their MLS system! I commend Art and Virginia for their dedication in taking this on.

drafty windows?

If you have an old house like I do chances are you don't have new windows or storm windows on all your windows. In cold weather it can be miserable to have drafty windows. There are two quick fix things to do that cost very little to do. My favorite method is the cord weather stripping. It is a clay like substance that comes off easily and it easy to apply. It also stops the window rattling. The other is the plastic window sheet that is taped and blowdried to finish. This method is less easy to take out and often the tape will take off the paint.

High performance Green Building policy~ public comments wanted

The High Performance Green Building Policy proposal will be posted for public comment starting tomorrow and continuing through January 20th, 2009:

www.portlandonline.com/osd/gbpolicy

Please contact Vinh Mason vinh.mason@ci.portland.or.us
or Michael Armstrong marmstrong@ci.portland.or.us if you have any questions regarding the policy proposal or supporting materials. Also, on Tuesday, January 6th, from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, we will present the policy proposal to the general public in The Portland Building Auditorium, 2nd floor, 1120 SW 5th Avenue , Portland .


http://www.sustainableportland.org