After attending a workshop in Baltimore MD, Green Doc Cindy, is now officially a Green Certified Real Estate Professional GCREP-G.L.  Visit Green Real Estate Education to find out more about Green Doc Cindy.  With this certification, Cindy Tant will be able to assist sellers in upgrading their homes with “Green” products and systems for better efficiency and a healthier environment.  Green Doc Cindy will also be able to assist buyers in looking for a “Green” or “Energy Star” rated home. 

Cindy Tant will be joining Kerry Mitchell as an instructor with Green Real Estate Education.  Mitchell said green branding can help revitalize sluggish real estate markets. Underscoring the need for REALTORS® to become knowledgeable about sustainability, Mitchell cited a Consumer Energy Study by http://www.energypulse.org/ that found:

• 86 percent of Americans would choose one home over another based on energy efficiency.
• 78 percent of Americans who have bought property say nobody talked to them about energy efficiency.
• 62 percent of people want energy efficient dwellings.
• 63 percent say energy prices have increased enough to make them consider changing their consumption habits

“Actually, 95 percent of the consumers have no clue what is available for them,” sites Mitchell”.

If you are interested in receiving additional information about “Green Building” please contact me. Give me a call 850-393-5134 or email DocCindy@GreenRealEstateEducation.com. Also, look for my upcoming “Green Real Estate Tips”.

The CAN House – Pensacola, FL – July 4th Sertoma Celebration

Deep Green Technologies llc, PleaseLitter.com, Green Doc Cindy, Compass Solar Energy and Dempsey Welding Corp. brought The CAN House to life on July 4th. Thousands of people stopped by to contribute their cans. Thanks to all the people who dropped by to talk with us about recycling, Green Gone Wild projects and creating a Green Economy.

Make sure to check all our posts about The CAN House during July 4th. Please make comments below, especially if you stopped by and saw us.

Duane and I attended the “Go Green Workshop” Friday, June 20 on Pensacola Beach.

The lead Sponsor was Bay Area Resource Council.

Participating sponsors were BES, ESP, GreenBlock, FoamSeal and Nicholas, Parker & Associates.

The workshop was for builders, architects, remodelers, homeowners, elected officials, community planners, facility planners and other green building enthusiasts. Click Here to see the workshop agenda.

Why Build Green?

• Healthier, more comfortable buildings
• Lower utility bills
• Reduced maintenance and operating expense
• Increased durability and increased value
• Improved quality of life
• Environmental benefits – energy and water conservation.

Check back for more details about each session and participating sponsors.

Building Materials

Technology Snapshot & Benefits:
You can save a lot of money and avoid future headaches by choosing and installing building materials that are safe and appropriate. There is no specific cookbook path to success with building materials. However, your decisions may be usefully guided by asking the following questions:

How well do the alternatives stack up in terms of performance? How well do they do the job for which they are intended? [Recall the sort of discussion found in the roofing industry about sheathing materials the lower cost of particle-board vs. the superior nail-holding ability of more costly plywood]

What unexpected result might occur from each alternative building material? Consider safety issues such as off-gassing of glues from composite building materials and potential radon-emissions of some rock- or earth-based materials.

What toxic effects might be associated with each alternative? Remember that lead in paint was great as an inhibitor of mildew (before its use was banned), but also that lead is linked with blood and bone cancers and other maladies and that a primary exposure pathway to humans was via lead in paint.

What waste streams are associated with the manufacture of alternative building materials?

How recyclable will the material be at the end of its useful life? For example, steel or tin (terne) roofing may be easily recycled into other uses, while asphalt shingles are usually landfilled because recycling is difficult.

To the maximum extent possible, you should think through design options and be mindful of potential consequences (both good and bad) of the choices that you make with building materials.

(Information provided by Eco-Broker, 2007)