Going GREEN

Ever since I finished my classes to achieve my GREEN designation early this past October, I have been asked by several other Realtors what the big deal is about the designation. Well....first I wanted to know what I can do to live a little greener and help show others how they can reap the rewards of living a little greener as well.

Fate so has it that I am working for a builder that is also thinking along the very same lines as I am. The builders name is HILCO Construction, and he's a Certified Green Professional which is a designation awarded by the National Home Builders Association. He is the exclusive builder of Sills Creek Estates in Mooresville off rt 152 just past the Mooresville Dragway. He's building homes as I remember them being built when I was a child. Keeping the trees and natural landscaping and removing only what needs to be removed, recycling materials, using energy-efficient designs and building a neighborhood with the look and feel of, what seems like so long ago, a NEIGHBORHOOD. Not the street lined track homes that are so easily "knocked out" these days.

So whats the big deal with "Going GREEN"? Well there's numerous reasons for going green and your probably already living a little greener already and don't even know it. If you have Energy Star appliances, that's a start. If you purchased those long life spiral shaped light bulbs, thats another... my mother and her friends were into cleaning with citrus at one point as well as using Simple Green, and almost everyone I know recycles, so you see, living green is really easy, and this is the simple stuff.

If you want to REALLY go GREEN, then you can look into one of HILCO's homes. He's building homes that aren't just good for the environment, they're good for you. He's using designs that are sustainable and installing today's technology to enhance the overall quality of life for the homeowner. Air quality will be improved, water filtration systems will be used as well as rain water collection barrels to help with irrigation. When the US Green Building Council reports that buildings are consuming 14% of potable water (thats 15 trillion gallons of water that we can drink), 40% of raw materials (3 billion tons) and 39% of the energy in the US alone.... we have GOT to do something to cut back, and why not? Cut back on your energy usage is just the same as putting money back in your pockets so you don't have to cut back on the activities you love because your paying those high energy bills. Seems pretty much like a no brainer to me.

So when you're raking the leaves...again...that have fallen from your maple tree in the front lawn this fall, be thankful for it has probably shaded your home during the hot summer months aiding in the reduction of your overall home cooling bill.