Boulder, CO

Boulder Colorado: A Great Place to Live, Work and Play

Boulder is a small community of approximately 103,000 residents located 25 miles north or Denver. Nestled in the foothills up against the Flatiron range of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder Colorado offers a unique lifestyle combing the best of outdoor activities with a healthy living environment and professional workplaces. The elevation of Boulder is 5,430 feet and the weather typically includes over 300 sunny days every year.

Boulder Colorado was rated the number one Sports Town in America by Outside Magazine largely due to its wide variety of sports and recreational activities that are available year-round. From hiking and backpacking to running and bicycling, Boulder has it all with spectacular views, vast open space and crisp clean air. There are more than 30 art galleries in town in addition to 4 museums and 32 movie and stage theaters. Many different festivals are held in Boulder throughout the year including the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and the Colorado Music Festival.

With more bookstores per capita than any other city in the country, Boulder Colorado is also the most highly educated city in the U.S. with more residents per capita holding college degrees than any other city nationwide. Home to the University of Colorado, and numerous Federal research laboratories, Boulder is a professional worker’s dream location. Top industries include aerospace, bioscience, data storage, renewable energy, and software in addition to natural and organic products.

Denver – Boulder – Fort Collins Sustainable Living Business Directory & Resource Guide

ReDirect Guide is a Sustainable Living Business Directory & Resource Guide that is published in April of each year. Since its inception in 2000 ReDirect has continuously improved upon it promote businesses that are committed to better environmental practices.

The ReDirect guide may be thought of as a Green Yellow Pages Directory for Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins referencing businesses dedicated toward healthier living and a greener world. And like the Yellow Pages, the ReDirect Guide is FREE to consumers.

The corner stone of ReDirect is its promotion and practice of embracing the triple bottom line by considering the environmental and social impact of businesses in parallel with economic success. This is a holistic and balanced approach to business that expands upon the meaning of value beyond money to include people and planet as integral metrics of success.

The ReDirect Guide is a combination of community, business and educational material neatly organized as a resource and a guide to local businesses offering various green products, practices and services. Everything from real estate to food, clothing, household goods, and health treatments are included. Clients may choose from a variety of ad sizes to promote the business.

There is also a comprehensive list of local green events, activities and trade fairs taking place in Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins. A sister guide is also published for the Portland Oregon area.

The Re-Direct guide has an extensive website at ReDirectGuide.com. All clients purchasing ads in the published guide also have a promotional ad on the website. The material is cross-referenced to help find the subject, product or service desired.

If your business is located in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins Colorado, or Portland Oregon and you promote healthier living in a greener world, consider advertising in ReDirect Guide.

It's a great way to gain access to other businesses that share a passion for social, environmental and economic balance in business success and to promote those features and benefits to consumers.

Previous Post: More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette--I What They Would Think About Green Homes?

LEED Certified Homes and Green Home Buyer Benefits

In my last post I introduced LEED and the LEED for Homes program. In this post I’ll review the LEED for Homes Certification system and LEED home buyer benefits. All LEED programs are managed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification systems are periodically updated as new benchmarks are determined.

LEED for Homes is a rigorous certification program with well defined metrics for green home performance nationwide. The rating system evaluates home’s performance in eight principle categories.

1) Sustainable Site Selection: Location in proximity to schools, shopping, work and transit along with other factors enhancing the quality of life are encouraged. Attention to potential erosion, pollutants and interference with natural environment is discouraged. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Homes conveniently located central to work and community services means less travel time and lower fuel cost in addition to more efficient use of personal time.

2) Water Efficiency: Innovative techniques and technologies are used in LEED homes to reduce a home’s water use and to incorporate creative ways to reuse water. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Lower water bills and more efficient use of water resources.

3) Energy Efficiency: LEED homes use up to 60% less energy compared to the International Code Council’s standards for minimum energy efficiency. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Lower energy bills and lower carbon emissions.

4) Materials and Resources: The use of recycled and reclaimed materials is encouraged in LEED homes. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Efficient use of resources and lower carbon emissions.

5) Indoor Environmental Quality: LEED for Homes certification establishes benchmarks for indoor air quality by minimizing exposure to potential toxins and pollutants. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Healthier homes mean healthier people.

6) Innovation: LEED encourages innovative ways to improve a home’s performance while improving durability and comfort. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Innovative design and creative selection and use of materials take advantage of the latest technologies to help maximize operating performance which can increase comfort and lower operating costs.

7) Site Development: LEED homes use construction processes that minimize environmental impact and incorporate design practices that protect the land where the home is built. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Improved landscaping and external water management systems.

8) Awareness and Education: LEED is actively involved with helping to educate homeowners about green home features. A LEED certified home is intended to be an educational example to the community. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Everyone benefits with greater community awareness of the features and benefits of LEED certified green homes.

LEED for Homes certification is awarded on the basis of points earned from compliance to LEED rating benchmarks. A total of 136 points are possible. The more points achieved, the higher the rating which means higher home performance.

There are four levels of LEED for Homes certification:

1) Certified: 45-59 points

2) Silver: 60-74 points

3) Gold: 75-89 points

4) Platinum: 90-136 points

LEED homes help create a healthier home and a healthier planet. LEED home buyers benefit from purchasing a LEED certified home while helping protect the environment and helping preserve natural resources.

Visit E3GreenHOMES.com for information about locating Colorado green homes in Denver and Boulder areas.

John Thomas

(m) 720-771-5594

(e): john.thomas@e3greenhomes.com

Previous Posts: LEED Certified Homes are a Green Home Buyer's Dream (Part 1 of 2)

LEED Certified Homes are a Green Home Buyer's Dream

LEED homes are healthier and more comfortable for their occupants. In this post I will introduce the LEED for Homes certification system and highlight the benefits for home buyers.

LEED stands for ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.’ The LEED Green Building Rating System was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to establish guidelines for characterizing and monitoring compliance with green building benchmarks. The first generation of benchmarks called LEED Version 1.0 began in 1998. LEED Version 2.0 was released in early 2000. Both Version 1.0 and 2.0 apply to commercial buildings. Adherence to the benchmarks is voluntary and consensus-based and relies upon existing proven technology. The purpose of LEED is to encourage and support the building industry toward the adoption of more sustainable building practices.

Following the LEED rating systems for the commercial sector, LEED for Homes first arrived as a part of a pilot program in mid 2005. Designed exclusively for the residential market, LEED for Homes was officially launched as a part of LEED Version 3.0 in late 2007. The LEED for Homes certification program was developed to provide a means of determining how well a home is designed and built with regard to energy and resource efficiency and to evaluate the how healthy a home is for occupants.

By November of 2008 1,084 homes across the U.S. had received LEED for Homes certification and over 13,600 homes had registered to pursue certification. Today, approximately 3,000 homes have received the LEED for Homes certification and over 16,000 are registered to pursue LEED for Homes certification.

The USGBC estimates potential energy savings of 30% for the average home rated at LEED-Certified level compared to homes built to the Internation Energy Conservation Code. Energy savings of up to 60% are possible.

Homebuyers seeking a premium green featured home will want to consider one that is LEED certified because a LEED Certified Homes are a Green Home Buyer's Dream.

As a certified EcoBroker, I can help homebuyers locate and evaluate LEED certified homes in Colorado. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions.

Visit my website at E3GreenHOMES.com for information on Denver Colorado Green Homes.

John Thomas MSEE, MBA

(m) 720-771-5594

(e): john.thomas@e3greenhomes.com

Previous Post: Green Building Renovation Market Forecasts is Great News for Home Buyers & Sellers

Many U.S. markets that avoided the housing boom are now seeing the greatest growth in home values

"They're easy to overlook, with home prices plunging from Manhattan to Los Angeles and almost everywhere in between. But look at the smaller metros where housing bubbles never took shape, and you'll find some of today's strongest markets.

Boulder, Colo.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Pittsburgh; Little Rock; and other slow-but-steady metros are now among the nation's safest markets, and many of the homes in those markets continue to appreciate, if only modestly.

These are metro areas "where folks didn't bake 10% to 12% increases into their financial expectations," said Stan Humphries, chief economist at real estate site Zillow.com. "That was a good expectation to have."

Working with data from Zillow.com, BusinessWeek came up with the strongest housing markets by ranking metro areas based on the share of single-family homes in which values rose in the second quarter compared with the second quarter of 2008. In the top-ranked metro, Boulder, an affluent Denver suburb that is home of the University of Colorado at Boulder, 59.39% of homes appreciated during the past year, and the median home value rose 2.12% on a year-over-year basis.

No. 1: Beautiful Boulder Boulder was one of several college towns on the list, which also included a few military towns such as Fayetteville, N.C., and Jacksonville, N.C. Both government and university jobs have been relatively reliable during this recession. Affordability also seems to be a plus in this economy. Oklahoma City; Tulsa; Binghamton, N.Y.; Springfield, Ohio; Cumberland, Md.; and most other metros on the list have median home prices below $200,000 (some are under $100,000).

Boulder has several factors working in its favor. The town has controlled growth by putting limits on development and by acquiring more than 50,000 acres of open space for a greenbelt that surrounds the town. With the boundary of the Rocky Mountains to the west, the supply of new homes has been restricted.

Boulder's economy and housing market have slowed, but the University of Colorado provides jobs and a steady flow of tenants for the area's many rental homes. Demand for housing is also strong in part because the area is so pretty, said Tom Thibodeau, global real estate capital markets professor at the University of Colorado.

"Every year 5,000 undergraduates enter, and they don't want to leave when they graduate," Thibodeau said.

By Prashant Gopal"

Wait a second. At a time when real estate prices have been in almost perpetual free fall for more than a year, are there really places around the U.S. where home values are going up? Unbelievable as it may sound, yes. According to real estate site Zillow.com's second-quarter home value index, there are more than 30 metro areas across the country where values have risen from the first quarter of the year to the second quarter. The winner? Boulder, Colo., the affluent Denver suburb where the share of homes with increasing values rose nearly 60%.

Methodology: The metros are ranked by the share of homes with rising values in the second quarter compared with the second quarter of 2008. The annual change is the year-over-year change in median values for the metro in Q2 compared with the same period last year. The quarterly change compares the second quarter with the first quarter. The ranking is based on Zillow.com's Q2 Home Value Index, which is the median "Zestimate" for a given geography for a given time period. The Zestimate™ is Zillow's estimated market value of a home. This figure is computed by taking many different data points from public records and entering them in a proprietary formula.

Rank: 1

Metro: Boulder (Colo.) Share of homes with increasing values: 59.39% Median value: $347,200 Annual change: 2.12% Quarterly change: 3.86%

Boulder, about 35 miles northwest of Denver, has had a relatively stable housing market, in part, because it is home to strong employers, including the University of Colorado, as well as a base of affluent residents. The supply of homes is limited in Boulder by the mountains to the west and its tens of thousands of acres of protected open space.

For the article, please click HERE.