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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Renovation and Retrofitting to be core of Obama Real Estate Rally

Think about all those foreclosed homes, about the USA energy crisis, about the $15 billion for clean renewable energy, and get ready for another decade-long real estate boom. REO flips may just require a coat of paint and a bit of landscaping, but to generate true value in renovating and modernizing a house for sale, retro-fitting for energy effiency and self-sufficiency will be sure to add value, with a variety of existing and proposed conservation and clean energy grants available to help with conversions.

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Thursday, October 9, 2008

5 Best Stocks for Greening of America Rally

Five Green Stocks to benefit from Obama Election Victory

Everything is faling into place for one massive green stocks Obama Rally, and the biggest, fastest economic turnaround in world history!

A few positive signs for the stock market:

 - Oil prices have fallen dramatically in recent months, lessening their devastating economic impact and improving margins for many companies with high fleet and fuel expenses.

 - The US dollar has been under pressure for years, allowing for global competitiveness now and in the coming months and years, a sustained longterm rise in the value of the currency versus other major currencies, such as the yen, euro and pound.

- Equity prices have been spooked by the liquidity crunch in credit markets and the overwhelming psychology in the world of stocks is fear and capitulation. Very few people understand that the time to go long is when downward momentum slows ... and in our scenario it may reverse altogether on the morning of the final US Presidential debate, as it dawns on Americans and investors globally that Obama is essentialy already the President of the USA, as the Republicans have failed in every area of governance.

The next and final debate of the election will take place on Wednesday October 15th at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY; my call is that the rally begins around 11AM that day (six days from now, evening of 09OCT08), or even sooner. If I had to pick the exact moment, I'd opt for something around 1.25 / 1.30PM Eastern on Tuesday, 14OCT08. None of that is important. What is more crucial is that buying opportunities like this come along perhaps a few times per century.

These are NOT buy recommendations, but rather suggestions to begin your research, and consider dollar-cost-averaging into mutual funds that hold large positions in quality companies such as these:



Their recent move to normalize the 1.4 million faulty mortgages inherited from Countrywide showed savvy, timeliness and willingness to move boldy to preserve assets and relationships and avoid costly forays into massive foreclosure and REOs. At 19.63 (down from >$52) the stock trades at a PE of 17 and yields 13%.



Home Depot (HD)

The coming economic recovery in the USA has got to benefit HD via busy Home Depot stores; housing stock will get retrofitted and renovated as "fix-er-uppers" will be back and homes get made energy self-sufficient for the emerging green real estate market. At 19.93, HD is now priced at 10.4 times earnings and yields 4.5%.


Applied Materials (AMAT)

USA tech firm 
solutions for the semiconductor, flat panel display, solar and related industries. Their SunFab line of thin-film photovoltaic solar modules is one of FSLR's more serious competitors. Up 0.33 today to 12.80 ( still a long way from its high of 21.87) AMAT trades at 15.4 times earnings and yields almost 1.9%.


Ormat Technologies (ORA)

A pioneer and ambassador of quality American technology, at 24.38, ORA stock is down over 55% from a high of 57.93. Based in Reno NV, ORA develops, builds and operates wholly-owned and partnered geothermal and recovered energy-based power plants in the United States and geothermal power plants around the world, and sells electricity generated from these plants. The leading geothermal power stock on the planet ...



First Solar (FSLR)

The world photovoltaic industry's undisputed market leader, FSLR makes solar panels using thin film semiconductor solar power technology; basically, a layer of cadmium telluride used for converting sunlight into electricity. The outstanding fear is tellurium supply, but with the shares at 118.10 (off from a year high of 317), the PE is about 43 but only 20x next years forecasted earnings. A high risk play but also potentially an opportunity to own the next Google.








Saturday, September 20, 2008

Clean Energy Stocks may benefit from Green Realtor trend

If this cyclical low in real estate has produced six straight years of declining house prices in the USA, and an estimated 5 to 6 million foreclosures, is there a silver lining anywhere? Well, for one, the price of entry to home ownership for young couples with children has dropped dramatically, especially compared with Canada and Europe.

From a green perspective, one is reminded of the Chinese symbol for crisis - a combination of the characters for danger and opportunity. In coming months the American real estate market will see the re-emergence of the income property investor, presenting a tremendous opening for upgrading existing housing stock. One can imagine an investor picking up an REO from a bank for 30 to 40k, investing 10 to 15k in solar panels, insulation, new windows, paint and landscaping, and offering the spruced up ultra-efficient gem for 79 to 89k.

Out of 5 million forecolosures, perhaps 2 to 3 million will sit empty for some time. This presents a great time for renovators, energy-efficiency experts and home-powered energy systems installers to get busy.

Oil price volatility and continued downward pressure may create even greater bargains in the renewable energy sector in coming months, and buying an individual stock near its low is far, far riskier than buying a clean energy mutual fund or renewable power ETF near its low; the diversification of the funds nearly eliminates individual company risk and allows investors to benefit from the overall price momentum trend of the renewable energy industry stocks.

My suggestion to most investors is to utilize the market weakness to initiate dollar cost averaging programs into a judicious mix of renewable energy mutual funds, environmental investment funds, ethical funds an exchange traded green power funds.

A few names to consider, and look for in a fund's holdings:


Home Depot

It's hard to imagine how the long awaited Greening of America can be achieved without an impressive string of strong quarters and years from these guys. The stock closed 19SEP08 at 27.37, off significantly from the 52 week high of 37.15.


SunPower Corp

Their solar electric parking lot installation with Applied Materials can be replicated 1000s of times across North America, and on-site / building-integrated solar energy is only at the tip of the tip of the iceberg. Oil is the most replaceable commodity, and solar-powered homes will be just one of the many routes to American energy independence. The stock is at 89.62, down almost half from late last year's high of 164.49. Investors may want to look at renewable energy mutual funds and clean energy index traded funds with high weightings in solar power and wind energy stocks, and begin to dollar cost average into these diversified longterm investment vehicles.


Evergreen Solar

Already rebounding strongly from last week's low of 3.30, Evergreen Solar stock at 6.20 is still down 2/3 from the year high of 18.85. This is the company that put the solar panels on the White House, and many other buildings around the USA. Oil price shocks may affect near term valuations, but for the longer term, the coming months and year may provide a good time to average in, or find renewable energy investment funds and clean power mutual funds holding thin-film solar energy companies, geothermal power producers and wind energy stocks.


More renewable energy links:

Wind Energy Stocks, Clean Power Producers

Geothermal Power Investing, Geothermal Stocks

Solar Energy Companies, Solar Power Stocks


Links to geothermal power companies, publicly-traded geothermal energy stocks

Windpower company website links, wind energy stocks, public wind power companies


Friday, August 22, 2008

Green Realtor Tips for Ecological Home Renovations

10 Green Renovation Tips

Whatever your next home-improvement project, be earth-friendly about it

Provided by Wish, Yahoo.com

1. Use eco-friendly, low-VOC paint, and paint everything (walls, floor and ceiling) the same colour. Tip: Rent a spray machine from your local hardware store and cut painting time in half.

2. Place a rain chain and barrel under eavestroughs to catch water for watering plants.

3. Update dated fluorescent fixtures with more attractive lighting and energy-efficient bulbs.

4. Make room for greenery. Bring in large potted plants or built-in planters to keep the air fresh and suck up CO2. Choose native plants that don’t require much water.

5. Choose natural accents. Roll out a seagrass, coir or sisal area rug for a finished look.

6. Use reclaimed wood for decking and fencing. Cedar ages gracefully and naturally repels bugs.

7. Repurpose found objects or shop yard sales for interesting pieces.

8. Think local. Source materials and furniture from nearby places to reduce the negative impact of long-distance shipping.

9. Salvage whatever you can. Cover chairs with fresh new fabric or donate old kitchen cupboards to organizations like Habitat for Humanity (habitat.ca).

10. Create accessible recycling and make the most of storage. Use dowels to hang recycling bags along one wall to store recycling overflow. Attach a series of metal buckets to the wall for storage and to create a ledge for an iPod station, books and magazines.


Green Energy websites and blogs:

Windpower stocks, renewable energy investing

Solar Power Investing, Alternative Energy Stocks

Geothermal Stocks, geothermal power investments

Creating great real estate websites for green realtors

10 Steps to a Profitable, Successful, Lead-capture Real Estate Website

by Kurt Lynn

Here are 10 website “must-haves” that are needed to ensure success in an Internet-based real estate practice today:

1. Remember: There Is But One True Goal - Sales

If you have, or are planning to create a website, it is essential that you keep in mind that the only goal of a website, ultimately, is sales. Don’t get caught up in the vanity or technology surrounding websites (which is all too easy to do). Make sure everything on your real estate website is oriented toward your “One True Goal.”

2. Prioritize Lead Capture

If the “One True Goal” is sales, then focus on capturing leads. Don’t waste your time (or the time of your visitors) on other objectives. Make sure your website includes calls-to-action and offers that will result in hard leads-on every page.

3. Create a Meaningful Brand

Your name is your brand. Protect it at all costs. The goal of any brand is to ensure that it equates with a “value proposition” that is meaningful to your prospective buyer or seller. Make sure that your brand-i.e. your name-is clearly associated with attributes that will be valuable to your website visitor. (Suggestion: It’s worth taking a pencil and paper and writing down what you think your value proposition is or should be.)

4. Keep Your Site Fresh

Keeping the content of your website fresh is important. Fresh content is more interesting to visitors and to search engines. Set aside a specific time and day, each week, to review and maintain your website’s content and structure. Make changes accordingly.

5. Use IDX and Syndication

Again, if the goal is sales, the only way to achieve that is by helping your website visitor get access to any listing of interest and by making your own listings known far and wide. To achieve the former, make sure your website incorporates an IDX solution-not just framed access to the local MLS listings-but an IDX that truly adds value to your visitors’ searching. To advance your own listings, syndicate all your listings with Internet real estate marketplaces like Google Base, Trulia®, and Zillow®. It’s free, so what do you have to lose?

6. Create an Environment of Trust and Confidence

Capturing leads, and getting sales, depends on your visitor having trust and confidence in you. Your website will be the first chance your visitor has to find that. Make sure your website is accurate, informed, and useful. Make sure you include information about yourself that will help visitors identify with you and understand your values.

7. Use Specific Key Words for Optimal Search Engine Rankings

Search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and MSN are a source of free leads. Search engines do their best to ensure that people looking for information find what they need. You have to do your part. Do not water down your content with useless, generic terms or broad-brush terms like “real estate” or “home buyers.” If you want to be found, use specific and relevant terms like “Chicago Real Estate” or “Philadelphia Condos” or “Walnut Street Homes” to help the search engines get you placed better and more appropriately in their listings.

8. Make Sure Your Site is User-Friendly

Like with you, a website visitor’s time is money. Don’t waste it. When someone visits your website, make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for. This means that most of your content should be visible or accessible from the home page. It also means that you will offer information that is relevant and useful to the prospective buyer or seller. If you do not, if you waste their time, you won’t get a second chance - they’re outta there.

9. Don’t Post Bad Content

Not only does bad content waste the time of your visitor, it kills trust and confidence in you, confuses search engines, and reflects poorly on your brand. Likewise, old content is stale, uninteresting content. While most websites come with pre-packaged content of some sort, make sure you take the time to edit it and augment it with local information and comment that will make it truly useful. Freshen up your site’s content regularly and always be on the lookout for tidbits of information that might be useful to your real estate website visitor.

10. Focus on Your Goals - Not Your Competitor’s

Lastly, keep your focus on your website. Do not get distracted by the bells, whistles, or glitz of the website from the agent down the street. Simply because another agent has a site with really cool gadgets, doesn’t mean it serves the ‘One True Goal.’ Stay focused on the results of your website. Your goal is to ensure that it works. If you ensure that you adhere to the first nine must-have’s, then the 10th won’t be necessary, and you will certainly arrive at the utopia of successful Internet marketing.




Note to realtors with no website or with outdated, unmanageable websites:

If you need a world-class website, call me, Joe Trainor at MCS Real Estate Systems www.MCSRES.com via 1.866.470.4007 x 239 or 1.905.470.1040 x 239. Special, unique competitive advantages for Ontario realtors with REMAX, Sutton Group and Royal LePage, and for ALL real estate agents in Durham Region; CALL TODAY!!!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Green Realtor websites - all-in-one package!!!!

Good folks,

I am on a hiatus regarding posting to this blog, but if anyone would like me to put together a smart new realtor website, it's just $255 per year including a domain name registered to you, and also including hosting and search engine submitting.

Call Joe at 1.866.857.1657 x 113 or email all your details (name, phone, email, photo of yourself or link to Broker's site etc.) to joe.trainor@realtysoft.com and I'll set you up with a free trial and send you a link to view it!!!

peace,


Joe Trainor
Senior Web Consultant
www.RealtySoft.com

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Green realtors gaining market share in tough US real estate market

article from Chicago Daily Herald

In a bid to stand out in a sagging housing market, an increasing number of real- state agents are marketing themselves as eco-friendly -- connecting environmentally conscious buyers to "green" homes and helping sellers make their homes more eco-sensitive.

These agents are promoting their knowledge of eco-friendly and energy-efficient properties on their Web sites and blogs. Some are taking courses to learn about things like geo-thermal heat pumps and how to help home buyers qualify for grants and tax credits for energy-saving improvements.

Yet some housing experts question whether some agents are using a cursory knowledge of green building as a marketing ploy in a tough market. "A Realtor may support (a purchase) regardless of how green the home is," says Jay Hall, acting director of the eco-friendly home-building program at the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington.

Still, there are ways to check a real estate agent's earth-friendly credentials. And for consumers who don't know much about green building or the recent proliferation of green construction labels, these brokers can be helpful, Hall says.

Many Realtors hope so. Green Key Real Estate in San Francisco asks on its site: "Wouldn't you rather work with a Realtor who shares your values in environmental and social responsibility?" and sends its agents to environmentally friendly building courses.

Last fall, Harry Norman Realtors in Atlanta had 48 Realtors certified by EcoBroker International, which educates Realtors on eco-friendly homes and marketing. Meanwhile, individual Realtors are carving "green" niches for themselves: Celeste Karan, of Keller Williams Realty in Chicago, started www.greenhomechicago.com, a site where she lists properties and promises "to help home buyers understand what truly constitutes a 'green building.' "

Such agents say their knowledge of environmentally friendly designs and materials can help clients in several ways.

First, the brokers will link interested buyers to homes that are built with eco-friendly features, like solar power and energy-efficient appliances. Even if the property is old and lacks such features, agents can walk buyers through possible retro-fits that will lower their energy bills or improve indoor air quality.

When it comes to sellers, agents can advise them on simple projects that can make the home eco-friendly, such as improving insulation or touching up the interior with nontoxic paint in a bid to attract buyers.

EcoBroker International, which offers courses for Realtors, says its program has certified more than 2,600 agents total, doubling the amount since last year. Based in Evergreen, Colo., its classes include things like how to make improvements in indoor air quality, what types of eco-friendly retro-fits will be the most cost-effective, and how to piece together the state and local tax credits or grants for "green" projects. Realtors then earn an EcoBroker designation, something concrete that agents can use as a marketing tool, says EcoBroker chief executive John Beldock.

Kermit Baker, a senior research fellow at Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, says it's a potentially good strategy at a time when there's a glut of homes for sale.

"Anything that would make you stand out in this market would help," he says.

Existing-home sales fell 2.2 percent in December from November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors, a national trade group. The median home price was $208,400 in December, down 6 percent from a year earlier.

Hugh Morris, the community outreach representative for the National Association of Realtors, the national trade group, says pitching environmental certifications isn't the only way Realtors are trying to distinguish themselves these days. A few are marketing themselves as experts in historic properties, while one even says his specialty is homes near nature trails. Yet Morris says interest in "green" properties has surged; he now answers about five calls a week from Realtors asking how they can get eco-friendly credentials, compared with none a year ago, he says.

When Tonia Lee wanted to sell her one-bedroom live/work townhouse outside Atlanta, she turned to local EcoBroker Carson Matthews after coming across his blog online. The home, which she listed at $325,000 a few weeks ago, is part of a sustainable-development community and has many eco-friendly features, including a highly efficient heating and cooling system, energy-efficient appliances and a permeable driveway surface (which absorbs the water instead of adding to run-off).

With his blog and knowledge of the benefits of "green" building, she figured Matthews was well-positioned to sell the property.

With a regular agent, "I don't think I would get the niche buyer I am looking for," she says.

The growing number of such real-estate agents come as the building community is in the midst of defining what "green" is. In December, the U.S. Green Building Council -- a nonprofit that rates commercial buildings on things like energy use and indoor-air quality -- introduced similar rating systems for people's homes. The National Association of Homebuilders, meanwhile, is working with the International Code Council to develop a green building standard. Yet another certification is available through the federal government's Energy Star program, which requires homes to be at least 15 percent more energy efficient than those built to the 2004 residential code.

States and local building associations, too, may have their own green building programs or guidelines.

Full article continues at: 'Green realtor credentials' prove lucrative in tough market



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Thursday, February 7, 2008

John Colvin donates $3 mil to U of Maryland Green Real Estate program

article from: BizJournals.com

Developer gives $3M to launch 'green' real estate program

Washington Business Journal - by Ryan Sharrow Contributing Writer

A Baltimore developer has donated $3 million to become the namesake of a new "green" real estate program at the University of Maryland's flagship College Park campus.

The donation from John Colvin and his wife, Karen, will be used to create the Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development in Maryland's School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. The donation will be used to create a new track in the program focusing on green design, sustainable development and energy financing.

Colvin, a University of Maryland graduate, is a principal at Baltimore-based real estate development Questar.

The new institute will be the academic home for the university's master's degree in real estate development track.

"The rules of the game are changing very quickly, and both the industry and higher education need to adapt," Colvin said in a news release.

The gift from Colvin is the largest in the history of Maryland's School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

The school's real estate development program has quickly expanded since launching in 2006. More than 75 students are currently enrolled in the program, up from a class of 12 in the fall of 2006, according to the school.

The university is in the midst of its latest capital campaign, dubbed "Great Expectations, the Campaign for Maryland." The school had raised $466 million as of January, nearly half of the $1 billion goal it hopes to hit by 2011.

Colvin is a senior fellow in the University of Maryland Executive Programs at the School of Public Policy.


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Saturday, February 2, 2008

Listed Green has beautiful eco homes, naturally organic properties




Listed Green® Homes - the Green MLS
(Multiple Listing Service) exclusively for Green, Energy Efficient, Sustainable Homes and Housing Developments For Sale Worldwide.

The way we currently build and maintain our homes is one of the contributing factors to global warming.

Listed Green Homes is committed to being part of the solution to reduce global warming by promoting sustainable, energy efficient, healthy building design - in addition to helping elevate the market value of green homes and eco-friendly residential developments.

"Spread the word - watch us grow"

Architectural RFP for Green building project; Writing a Sustainable Design Proposal

Writing the Green Architecture RFP
Sustainable Design Language for Consultant Requests

OVERVIEW

This is a tool for clients--educational and cultural institutions, companies, agencies, non-profit organizations, and others--who are writing requests for proposals or qualifications from architects and other design professionals, as well as development, construction, and construction management services. Each project and site is different and each RFP or RFQ should also be unique, including the aspects of sustainable design and planning that are appropriate to the project, site, and region. This document touches on the basic elements of an RFP for design services for a sustainable project, as well as some of the issues to be considered. Some of the language cited is fairly ambitious, and clients should take care to thoroughly understand the cost and schedule implications of such requirements, should they include those in their project requests.

WHAT KIND OF REQUEST DO YOU NEED?

There are two primary types of requests for building design (and development, construction, and construction management) services, though there are variations on these and other types as well. Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) are the more basic requests, asking in large part for much of the information that would typically appear on the federal government?s Standard Forms 254 and 255, with some additional information. Requests for Proposals (RFPs) also ask for information about firm approach, process, experience, as well as requests for project specific information such as team organization, schedule approach, and fee schedules.

Less important than what the request is called is that it elicit responses complete enough for the client, the issuing organization, to make distinctions between competing firms and determine that one or another team is the right fit for the project.

A strong, well-written RFP will engage the interests of the teams who receive it and inspire creative responses to the problems presented. It will also accurately convey the full scope of the work desired, permitting the consultant teams respond realistically and specifically to the rest. The language should allow consultants to assess their firm?s ability to compete effectively for the work (preventing them the expense of a useless proposal and the client its time to review one).

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN BASICS

"[A]n exciting new field is emerging. It is called 'sustainable design' or 'green development.' Although this new architecture is difficult to describe in a sentence or two, its overall goal is to produce buildings that take less from the earth and give more to people. Note that sustainable design is not a new building style. Instead, it represents a revolution in how we think about, design, construct, and operate buildings. The primary goal of sustainable design is to lessen the harm poorly designed buildings cause by using the best of ancient building approaches in logical combination with the best of new technological advances. Its ultimate goal is to make possible offices, homes, even entire subdivisions, that are net producers of energy, food, clean water and air, beauty, and healthy human and biological communities. ... As an architect, builder, or developer, you can use the principles of sustainable design to capitalize on this trend, to distinguish your projects in the marketplace, to save money, and to waste fewer resources, all the while doing your share to preserve the environment. Applying that idea to construction yields a checklist of criteria that a sustainable building should meet. Ideally, such a building would:

  • make appropriate use of the land
  • use water, energy, lumber, and other resources efficiently
  • enhance human health
  • strengthen local economies and communities
  • conserve plants, animals, endangered species, and natural habitats
  • protect agricultural, cultural, and archaeological resources
  • be nice to live in
  • be economical to build and operate."

quoted from A Primer on Sustainable Building, Rocky Mountain Institute

CORE ELEMENTS OF REQUESTS

Project Introduction

The request should include a short introduction, which will state clearly and succinctly the scope of the project, the organization's vision for the project including sustainable design benchmarks desired, and the nature of services needed. If the client is a partnership, the nature of that relationship should be stated.

It is also appropriate for the request to state the client's core mission, identify how sustainable design relates to that mission, and reference other relevant statements about the motive for pursuing a sustainable design project. The client should do internal goal setting prior to the writing of the request, and those goals can provide the framework for the project introduction.

Sample language:

...the Museum has defined its mission as "to inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds." Our vision statement describes an active, outward looking institution: To fully realize our mission and vision, the Natural History Museum must reinvent itself within a structure that both inspires and enables its staff and visitors to become stewards of their natural and cultural worlds. I hope you will participate in this process as we define a team dedicated to creating a New Museum for a new century.

--RFQ: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County,
Los Angeles (2001)

* * *

Because the new SALA facility will not only accommodate learning but also serve as an enduring lesson in design and maintenance, it should embody the highest possible architectural and environmental design excellence. The project should be convivial, beautiful, and sustainable, humane and functional, and responsive to the identity of Penn State University and the cultural and natural forces in the region.

--RFP: SALA Building, Penn State University,
University Park, Pa. (2000)

Project Objectives
Environmental sensitivity or high-performance characteristics should be part of the project objectives if the client places a high priority on those aspects of the project. If the client has technical expertise, it may be able to develop the objectives in detail. If not, broader objectives may be suggested here, with the assumption that articulating these specifically will be part of the early project work by the consultants.

Sample language of specific objectives (referencing design strategies):

While any type of environmentally sound innovative building technology may be proposed, the City is particularly interested in technologies that address the following:
  • Ecological site design; on-site erosion control, water purification/pollution reduction, and stormwater management (bioswales, ecoroofs, stormwater filtration, etc.)
  • Transportation: promoting bicycle, pedestrian, and transit use
  • Waste reduction: building reuse, job site recycling, and efficient use of materials
  • On-site management of sewage and organic wastes, such as graywater systems and biological wastewater treatment
  • Energy efficiency: efficient thermal envelopes, efficient space and water heating, lighting, controls and monitoring, and appliances
  • Renewable energy: photovoltaics, geothermal pumps, wind turbines, micro-turbines, and fuel cells
  • Water efficiency, both domestic and irrigation, including rainwater harvesting for irrigation and toilet flushing
  • Materials and resources:
    • Durable building envelopes and long-lived materials or assemblies
    • Recycled-content materials
    • FSC-certified woods
    • Safer, less toxic materials, such as alternatives to CCA-treated wood
    • Innovative application of natural materials (characterized by low embodied energy, local availability, good performance, biodegradable, safe, esthetic) such as straw, earth, and other composites
  • Indoor environmental quality, pollution reduction, worker and occupant safety, air cleaning, humidity control, and thermal comfort
  • Operations and maintenance:
    • Monitoring of energy, water, waste, air quality and transportation use
    • Resource-efficient building operations practices.

--RFP: City of Portland Green Investment Fund, Grants for Affordable Housing,
Portland, Ore. (2002)

Qualifications and Experience
A detailed explanation of the consultant personnel qualifications should be a part of the submittal, and this should include resumes, certification issues, and other relevant background.

Current architectural practice, in general, is multidisciplinary and integrative. Comprehensive or holistic sustainable design processes push these characteristics to a greater degree. The request language can help specify that the client is expecting a very broad and inclusive team at the outset of a project (whereas a conventional project might pull some of those team members along the way).

Here is some sample language requesting a more integrative, multidisciplinary process than a conventional project might employ:

The Poudre School District believes that an integrated design approach can greatly increase the chance of success of meeting sustainable design goals without getting indigestion. Traditional design approaches to the construction of facilities has largely been a linear process. The architect progresses from conceptual/schematic design to design development to construction documents to contract administration while pulling in technical consultants along the way. Integrated design employs a multidisciplinary approach where all project stakeholders are involved in the design process from start to finish on a collaborative basis. The process recognizes that a design decision made unilaterally may have a major impact on achieving sustainable design goals.

--RFP: Poudre School District Prototype Elementary School,
Fort Collins, Colo. (2000)

Sample language for specific qualifications desired:

An important goal of the Authority is to develop an environmentally responsible building on the Site that can serve as a model for high-rise residential construction in this region and elsewhere. The Authority's policy is to implement financially feasible, technologically sound strategies to conserve energy and to surpass current norms for water conservation, waste management/recycling and the quality of the indoor environment (including quality of indoor air, light, acoustics and personal controllability of building systems). The Authority will require that such strategies be fully explored in the development of the Site. Specifically, the Authority will require schematic designs for the building to be analyzed by an experienced consultant using energy use computer simulation model such as DOE-2. The results of this analysis will be used to determine whether alternative design choices could increase the energy efficiency of the building, and what the incremental cost/benefit of these alternatives would be over the life of the building. The DOE-2 analysis would be repeated during the design process at design development phase and upon preparation of construction drawings. The Authority is prepared to assist the Developer in applying for any available funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to help defray the cost of this analysis as well as the incremental cost of incorporating energy efficiency measures in the building design.

--RFP: Site 18A, Battery Park City Authority Residential Development and Design,
New York City (2000)

Clients may invite respondents to include a list of environmental conferences, seminars, workshops, and professional meetings attended by team members in recent months or years and a list of firm members actively involved in the local, state, or national level of the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) or similar efforts such as the U.S. Green Building Council.

Requests that get too specific with past examples, such as "provide three examples of medium-size conference centers," open the door to specialized or very large firms only; "similar in scope and scale" is more appropriate wording.

Services Required and Approach
This section should articulate what the client wants the consultant to do. In most cases, it is recommended that clients ask respondents to describe their own approaches and processes, rather than ask them to follow the issuing client's process. Such descriptions can be useful when comparing consultants. In addition, respondents with expertise in sustainable design may suggest a sophisticated or tailored approach the client might not have considered.

Sample language of specialized services required:

Demonstrated ability to provide green building consulting and design services for public and commercial buildings. These services can be provided by the proposed by the proposed firm or individual, as well as through the use of specialized subcontractors. Firms and individuals responding to this RFQ will be required to submit information specifying in which of the following areas they can provide expert services:
  • Recycled-content and sustainable building product selection, specification, and procurement
  • Waste reduction strategies, such as construction and demolition waste management plans and specifications, deconstruction plans and specifications, storage and collection of recyclables, and other reuse opportunities
  • Use of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Green Building Rating System to guide project design
  • Design charrettes for projects using the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Green Building Rating System
  • Development of design guidelines and master specifications for public agencies
  • Partnering opportunities in building projects with organizations such as DOE and PG&E
  • Use of creative financing for green buildings
  • Green operating and maintenance plans
  • Commissioning a green building
  • Energy modeling and analysis
  • Monitoring and tracking of final projects once they are operational (tracking back to original models).

--RFQ: Green Building Assistance, Alameda County Waste Management Authority,
San Leandro, Calif. (2002)

Scope of the Project

This section should outline the key phases of work, critical deliverables, and other tasks that will need to be completed as part of the project work, including the following:

  • Project vision articulation
  • Site and resource analysis
  • Project programming
  • Contract documents
  • Schematic (or concept) design
  • Design development
  • Construction management
  • Building commissioning and close-out.

For more information, see The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice (John Wiley & Sons, 2001). (Order at the AIA Store or use a copy in AIA offices around the country.)

Budget

Inclusion of construction budget information, even if just a range, will result in responses far more valuable to the organization. Without any budget parameters, consultants will be forced to speculate (low and high), which can lead to a less-focused response.

Green buildings typically require some additional services and result in additional deliverables. In most cases, additional costs are paid for within a few years based on energy savings and other factors. Aggressive efforts may require longer-term payback analyses.

Submission Requirements

The request should include a list of the submittal components as well specific directions for submission and clear rules about deadlines. The submittal could include (but may not be limited to) some or all of the following:

  • Cover letter
  • Introduction to the firm and team
  • Explanation of approach, philosophy
  • Explanation of work to be performed
  • Project schedule (based on some dates provided)
  • Resumes of key personnel
  • List of green design "tools" that the team would use (and why they are appropriate)
  • Lists of subconsultants and their qualifications
  • Statement of qualifications
  • Compensation (broken down by phase) or fee structure
  • Sample projects and other relevant experience
  • References.

Evaluation Methodology

The request should include the evaluation criteria that will be used to select the consultant as well as who will be doing that evaluating. If the client plans to weight certain criteria more heavily than others, that weighting system should be spelled out in detail for respondents.

LEED, the USGBC's Green Building Rating System, is growing in use, but there are still only a sprinkling of LEED-certified buildings throughout the country. Requiring firms to show LEED-certified buildings of the same type or scale as the project in question may result in a low number of responses. But there are other ways that LEED can be useful. Project team members may include LEED-accredited professionals (and the RFP could require this). The RFP could also ask that the team be familiar with the use of LEED as a tool to help guide the project. This approach, regardless of whether the project become LEED registered or eventually certified, can help ensure that some of the many issues involved with sustainable design are considered and addressed.

The client may also want to compare team based on what other tools they have experience with, such as DOE-2 software to create energy profiles, Green Building Advisor, Energy 10, Energy Plus, and more.

Contractual Information

See the AIA Handbook for guidelines on contractual information that should be included. (Order at the AIA Store or use a copy in AIA offices around the country.) The client may choose to identify whether its team plans to use current AIA Owner-Architect agreements or its own contracts.

SAMPLE REQUESTS

Several institutions and organizations have agreed to let us post their requests. They appear here in PDF format. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files, and is available to download free of charge.)

Educational

Cultural/Civic/Municipal
Full article continues at: American Institute of Architects Green RFP

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Deep Green Design from RFP Magazine

Deep Green Design

article from: RFPmagazine.com

Issue 33 - August 07



Creating buildings that integrate seamlessly and benignly into their local environment could pave the way for a sustainable future.

Two statistics demonstrate the impact that building design in Asia can have in the global effort to achieve environmental sustainability. Globally, buildings are estimated to account for 30 percent of energy usage and carbon emissions. At the same time, more than half of the world’s new construction is taking place in Asia. Clearly there is a huge opportunity for the industries that make up the built environment to put the right foot forward.

The question that seems to be on everybody’s lips is: “Who will take responsibility for driving this change?” Is it the developers and building owners who should take the lead, the clients and consumers who should drive the demand, or the governments who should legislate? However, designers and architects are emerging as the leaders, mainly because they are the initial creators of the buildings we use. Increasingly it appears that without their vision and expertise, even the will to change cannot create an environmentally sound building.

integrating with nature

Dr Ken Yeang, principal of Llewelyn Davies Yeang (UK) and author of numerous books on ecodesign, has long championed the concept of environmental integration through architecture. He believes that design must begin by looking at nature and imitating its properties and processes. Yeang points out how nature’s systems re-use and recycle all waste, and says that “our built environment can and should imitate ecosystems.”

This process of ecodesign, says Yeang, “is designing the built environment as a system within the natural environment.” Following this, good eco-design is that which maximizes interaction between the natural (organic) and artificial (inorganic). This is the guiding precept behind Yeang’s approach, which uses a number of architectural strategies to blend and enhance this connection, connecting the outside environment with the very structure of the building.

misperception

This approach should not be confused with the common concept of ecodesign as a technological endeavour, says Yeang. He believes strongly that “we must not be misled by the popular perception that if we assemble enough eco-gadgetry we will instantaneously have an ecological architecture.” Instead, he states, the built environment should be balanced by “incorporating greater levels of bio-mass, ameliorating bio-diversity and ecological connectivity”.

zero-energy means zero carbon emissions

Another approach that is essential in ecodesign is zero-carbon design. While this concept has often been regarded as impractical, one Indian architectural collective is offering a uniquely Asian approach that is pushing the boundaries of zero-carbon. Manit Rastogi, Principal, Morphogenesis, says that design should take sustainability in all its forms, be it environmental, social, cultural or economic. He points out that nature itself gives us much that we re-create artificially. When looking at designing, he says, “you’ve got light that’s free, wind that’s free, climatic conditions that can be used. The question is: How much do we need to moderate it and how can we moderate it? That’s the starting point for zero energy buildings. We build it bottom up from there.”

Rastogi believes that traditional Asian architecture holds the key, pointing to an evolution driven by a lack of resources to use natural, low-cost solutions. The heart of his design approach goes back to these methods, “looking at how they dealt with that development, learning the principles, then using modern computational techniques and methods to analyze for current demands”.

If a truly global change is to happen, says Rastogi, the global design community must completely re-invent how buildings are created. “The problem of architecture today,” he says, “is that it’s such a highly competitive field that even practices within themselves are not collaborative.” Over the past few years, Rastogi has traveled throughout Asia and abroad, demonstrating successful examples of his architectural approach
.


More suggested reading:

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Suburban Wildlife; Canadian Geese, Turkey Vulture and a squirrel …










Real folks,

I live in Markham, Ontario, Canada and there are many flocks of geese that live alongside or nearby Highway 7 that runs through our city. It is quite an amazing thing to see 6 to 8 lanes of rush-hour traffic stop and wait patiently while a mother goose and all her goslings tread carefully across the pavement to get to the other side.
Then the other day I noticed this story about a turkey vulture and a squirrel, so here you go:


By Kathleen Allardyce
Suburban Wildlife - Things are Tough All Over

The other day I was driving through my neighborhood headed toward the main road when I came upon several cars stopped so that they were just about blocking the road. It was an unusual occurence because our little neighborhood streets are not really prone to traffic jams.
As I slowed to a stop, I discovered the reason behind the problem. One of our local squirrels had been unlucky enough to be hit by a car and standing next to it was a turkey vulture. So, this was something of an event.

I’ve seen turkey vultures floating on thermals, but I’d never seen one this close. It wasn’t really a pleasant experience except for the novelty of it.











If you haven’t seen a turkey vulture up close, rest assured that it is an animal only a mother could love. This bird was about 2 feet tall, and probably had close to a 6′ wing span, it had a feather-less red head and the skulking posture that makes it difficult to consider it a cute animal.

Supposedly, turkey vultures stay in open spaces such as fields and less dense wooded areas. Evidently, no one explained that to this particular bird. And, the other odd thing was the bird’s evident disregard for the cars and people around it.

full article continues at: Suburban wildlife includes turket vultures


More on vultures at WebVulture.com, your Vulture Information website

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Green Real Estate Mortgage market thriving in UK

article from: http://www.earth.co.uk

Green mortgage market left unscathed by credit crunch



The green mortgage market is enjoying success while other mortgage markets suffer from the credit crunch, according to Ecology building society.

Ecology also said that fixed rate mortgages appear to be losing their appeal as lenders increase rates due to instable financial market and this is making variable rates more attractive to borrowers.

Jenny Irwin, marketing manager for Ecology Building Society, said: "Mortgage lending for the year was the highest on record and we doubled our gross lending compared with 2006.

"We are a mutual building society and use our savers'' investments to fund mortgage lending, so we do not need to borrow funds from external sources. As such we have not been affected by the credit crunch."

She added that the company was expecting 2008 to be a successful year following the business the company has had this year.

Green mortgages are said to be better for the environment as they come from lenders who will make contributions to charities that support the environment.



Suggested browsing:

Best Alternative Energy Investing websites

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Real Living Ohio Realty offers "Green Realtors" section on website

What a great idea!!! RealLiving.com is providing online resources for green realtors, homebuyers and those seeking to purchase an environmentally-friendly home.

The green realty information on their website is divided into 4 main sections:

Green Tips for Home Buyers

Greening Your Home before Selling

Green Ideas for Home Renovation

Recycling Tips for a Green Home



This Real Living online green realtor information section also includes links to important sites:


Green Internet Sites:

U.S. EPA

National Geographic

Go Green Initiative

Green Living Online

ENERGY STAR

Sierra Club



Conscious readers, check also:

Guide to Alternative Energy Investing Websites

Geothermal Power Websites and Blogs

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Six Ways to "Green" a Home and lower utility bills

According to an article by Susan Thurston published on December 28th in the St. Petersburg Times, Green remodeling may pay off significantly — in lowered utility bills, and in buyer appeal when the property is sold.

Here are a few "green renovation" "find a green home" options to consider:
  • Site selection. Prefer infill development instead of a new subdivision in a far-flung new suburb that gobbles wetlands and displaces animals.
  • Energy-efficient products. Choose Energy Star appliances, double-paned windows, low-flush toilets, and compact fluorescent light bulbs.
  • Spray foam insulation. Seal the home with insulation that doesn’t let the heat or cooled air leak out.
  • Sustainable wood flooring. Select flooring certified by Forest Stewardship Council, which protects forests by managing the amount of wood harvested annually.
  • Locally made products. Buy products made less than 250 miles away to reduce transportation costs. Granite, for instance, is generally imported from afar.
  • Nontoxic paint. Use paint that is low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) chemicals that evaporate into the atmosphere. Look for Green Seal certified brands.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Welcome Green Realtors Everywhere

Please let us know what you would like to see on these pages, for the more connected we all are, the better the opportunity to make it easier for people to improve the quality, sustainability and energy-efficiency of homes, cottages, commercial properties and other buildings.

We look forward to seeing posts from real estate agents, real estate brokers, office managers, including any and all realtors promoting ecology and sustainability in housing.

A Green Realtor,

Realty Joe

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