Sam White - Bryan & College Station, Texas

Dear readers,

A couple of green items came up today worth mentioning. First is a news release from The Texas A&M System yesterday titled "A&M System Saves $4 Million With “Green” Utility Contract." It goes on to say that "the estimated value of the contract, which also includes Stephen F. Austin State University, is $37.4 million. SFA’s savings are estimated at about $2 million for the period." "Fifteen percent of the energy purchased through the contract, or approximately 43,000,000 kilowatt hours per year, will be in the form of Texas Wind Renewable Energy Credits."

I know there is still a debate about REC's and what they are worth that I don't want to get into. I will say I'm pleased a system exists that makes this possible and commend the system for taking this step.

With the same thought but certainly not on the same scale, I'm happy to say that I've moved all of Websites I manage to green servers in January. I did quite a bit of research into green hosting and ran into the same question about RECs. Yes, in a perfect world, I'd love to have the whole process "off grid," and there are a couple of companies that have done that.

I finally decided on HostGator for several reasons:

• Texas Based - Although my goal was green servers, buying locally figures in my purchasing plans. Although the owner went to school in Florida, he and his company are based in Texas, with data and call centers in Houston and Dallas. This was as close to home as I could get and stay green.
• HostGator tech support past Sam’s idiot test. - I’m the one who has to deal with them.
• They are buying Texas Wind REC’s - HostGator has purchased certified Renewable Energy Credits representing 130% of the electricity used to both power and cool their servers.
• They are inexpensive and I’m pleased to say I migrated all 18 sites without incident.

Again on the subject of Texas wind energy, the City of College Station announced that they are extending the Wind Watts Program to businesses and reducing the cost. “The voluntary program allows participants to choose to get 10 percent, 50 percent or 100 percent of their power from a wind-turbine farm west of Abilene. The council's decision lowered the price of the program from $3.50 to $2 extra per month for the lowest level and from $30 to $20 a month for full wind power.” The program is a premium over the regular rates,” according to The Eagle.

It hasn’t been a very good week for water and waste-water, as a power failure in Bryan caused the Burton Creek Sewage Treatment Plant to dump a couple of million gallons of untreated sewage into the creek. Just a few weeks ago, the TCEQ reported E. coli contamination in the same creek. The facility has no back-up generators. What a mess.

Finally, don’t forget the second of the City of College Station’s second green mini-seminar of the semester:

• Feb. 12 - Recycling Markets and Economics Why doesn't College Station recycle green glass or other items? Representatives from Texas A&M University, Texas Commercial Waste and others will talk about actual market rates and costs.

The seminar will be held in the new Public Works Office located on the 2nd floor of the College Station Municipal Court on Krenek Tap Road at 6 p.m. You can find more information at the City of College Station's Green Website.

For all the latest local and international green news, follow my tweets @bcsgreenliving! You can also find me on facebook.

Blue skies,

Sam White
SamWhiteRealty.com
979-589-4487

Dear readers,

Everyone (all of the Texas A&M kids) is headed back to Bryan and College Station to begin another semester at Texas A&M University and Blinn College. Football's behind us and we have a great spring semester to look forward to.

There's a lot of housekeeping going on since the dorms opened on Wednesday, and I want to tell our students and remind our residents that the City of College Station is beginning their series of Green Mini-Seminars tonight (Friday) with a presentation on how to Green your home or dorm.

Here is a list of the seminars offered during the spring semester, straight from the City of College Station's Green Website.

Jan. 15 - Green Your Home or Dorm
Representatives will talk to residents and students about all aspects of the home and how it can be green or eco-friendly, also touching on how eco-friendly materials do not have to be costly or something you buy.

Feb. 12 - Recycling Markets and Economics
Why doesn't College Station recycle green glass or other items? Representatives from Texas A&M University, Texas Commercial Waste and others will talk about actual market rates and costs.

Mar. 12 - Organic and Local Foods
What is the difference and why does it matter? Local farmers and grocers will talk to residents about why it is important to buy locally and how organic foods can help your health.

Apr. 9 - Green Living
This session will tie in with "Greening your Home or Dorm," what you do after you have decked your home with green stuff: recycling, re-using, reducing, donating, conserving water.

May 14 - Environmental Volunteering
Those who need volunteers in the recycling field will be available for a meet and greet.

June 11 - Meet the Professionals
Visit with the area's top professionals in recycling, sustainability and water conservation. Professionals will talk about the aspects of their job and take questions. The session will be very informal, very relaxed and very informative!

Where? The new Public Works Office located on the 2nd floor of the College Station Municipal Court on Krenek Tap Road at 6 p.m.

There are many green hints on the City's Green Website, as well as the City's White Paper and Action Plan for the Green College Station Initiative.

For more information or to sign-up for these classes, click here or call 979.764.6228.

See you there!

Blue skies,

Sam White
979.589.4487 google voice
sam@bcsgreenliving.com
SamWhiteRealty.com

PS- 2009 market reports and graphs are up at my Market Reports Website, MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com.

I guess its cold and windy just about anywhere you are, today. I just saw my neighbor's 14-foot Christmas tree blow down the street at about 20 mph, which reminded me that Bryan & College Station are recycling Christmas trees through January 9^th!

Here are the official instructions, courtesy of Be Green in Bryan's facebook page.

Option 1: A one-day tree collection event on Jan. 9

Drive-thru drop-off service: Saturday, Jan. 9, 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
College Station: Stephen C. Beachy Central Park, 1000 Krenek Tap Road
Bryan: Sue Haswell Memorial Park, 1142 E. William Joel Bryan Parkway

Please make sure all ornaments, lights and stands are removed. Unflocked trees only. For every tree dropped off at the park, residents will receive a free tree seedling and environmental information packet.

Option 2: Regularly scheduled curbside collection

College Station: Trees will be collected through curbside collection Dec. 26-Jan. 9.
Trees must be set at the curb at 8 a.m. on your neighborhood's brush day. Not sure when your brush day is? Visit cstx.gov/sanitation or call 764. 3690.

Bryan: Bryan will pick up trees on the normal yard waste collection days for duplexes, four-plexes and single-family dwellings. Bryan (and College Station) residents who can't attend the collection event on Jan. 9 can take trees to the Bryan Compost Facility at 2988 Pleasant Hill Road off Sandy Point Road, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., or Saturdays, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Why recycle your tree?
It saves valuable space at the local landfill and helps to produce tree-chip mulch, which is used throughout each city's parks system. The chips help alleviate soil compaction caused by foot traffic, reduce soil erosion and provide nutrients to the soil.

For more information on tree recycling, College Station residents may call 764.3486, and Bryan residents may call 209.5900.

Wrap the tree in a king-size (or large) sheet before transport to keep your car or pickup clean, and don't let the tree block your view while driving.

According to Heather Qualls, the recycling coordinator for the City of College Station, all trees collected through the program will be turned into compost.

Heather also reminded me of the city's free, green mini-seminars, which start next Friday the 15^th of January. They are going to talk about "all aspects of the home and how it can be green or eco-friendly, also touching on how eco-friendly materials do not have to be costly or something you buy."

Texas A&M Students should also attend!

Future mini-seminars include:

Feb. 12 - Recycling Markets and Economics
Why doesn't College Station recycle green glass or other items? Representatives from Texas A&M University, Texas Commercial Waste and others will talk about actual market rates and costs.

Mar. 12 - Organic and Local Foods
What is the difference and why does it matter? Local farmers and grocers will talk to residents about why it is important to buy locally and how organic foods can help your health.

Apr. 9 - Green Living
This session will tie in with "Greening your Home or Dorm," what you do after you have decked your home with green stuff: recycling, re-using, reducing, donating, conserving water.

May 14 - Environmental Volunteering
Those who need volunteers in the recycling field will be available for a meet and greet.

June 11 - Meet the Professionals
Visit with the area's top professionals in recycling, sustainability and water conservation. Professionals will talk about the aspects of their job and take questions. The session will be very informal, very relaxed and very informative!

Also on the schedule is a Hazardous Waste Workshop on February 3, from 9am - 12pm.

All of these seminars and workshops take place at the new Public Works Office located on the 2nd floor of the College Station Municipal Court at 300 Krenek Tap Rd.

You can find College Station's green Website at http://cstx.gov/green.

Many of you may have attended Be Green in Bryan's workshops last fall, which were fantastic. Be Green's Website address is http://BeGreenInBryan.com.

The community is lucky to have both Mary and Heather in their respective positions. Both bring enthusiasm and practicality to each city's sustainability programs.

PLEASE, DON'T' LET YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE GO TO THE LANDFILL!

For the latest green living news from the Brazos Valley, Texas and the world, follow @bcsgreenliving on twitter!

Blue skies,

Sam White
sam@samwhiterealty.com
SamWhiteRealty.com

Want to see the curves of our local residential real estate market? Visit MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com.

Dear Readers,

I love winter. All three months of it. I appreciate the change in weather, the holiday season and a chance to slow down from the dead run of the summer sales season.

Some may be surprised just how seasonal our market is here in College Station.
This is a chart depicting Total Monthly Sales for the last three years (minus Dec 2009 which hasn't been released yet). Click the image for a full-size chart.

This is a chart of Units Sold for the same period. Of course, there is a pattern.

Winter is also a good time to evaluate what the business did right and how to mature. I usually spend the fall finishing up the summer's work and reflecting. After the Christmas decorations come down, it's time to get to work in preparation for the summer.

Today, I'm going to talk about one of the two areas of emphasis.

Technology

First, I've always been a believer in working technology, with emphasis on "working." I've been in the business long enough now to know what technology really works, and what is just a black hole where time and data disappear forever.

I'll be implementing more comprehensive traditional and social marketing tools to expand our base on the Web and through mobile devices. I already have a strong presence on facebook and twitter both professionally and personally. I've already expanded our twitter presence to include our first "green" feed, @bcsgreenliving, and a new marketing presence @mediafrontier. Both will expand to the Web this spring.

In addition to our primary Website, SamWhiteRealty.com, I'll continue to add niche sits such as FoxRunCondo.com & BCSHomes.info, as well as more individual property sites.

All of my Websites are transitioning to new servers, with a cleaner, less clunky, interface and expanded search capabilities for both clients and customers. All of our information and data will be available in a mobile format. We also know that many of our clients use Safari (especially the mobile version) and Firefox, as well as google Chrome, and site design will now take this into account.

We'll also continue to expand the the many ways our clients communicate with us. Using google's business platform you can reach us through sms text, voicemail, email, chat. We can also share documents and calendars that contain important information about our transactions, all in a secure manner. In fact, we have all of the pieces in place for a paperless, or near paperless, transaction.

One of our strongest communication tools is Go To Meeting, which plays a vital part in the greening of my company. There will be a lot more information on how I use Go To Meeting in a coming post.

Finally, I'm spending much of my winter in training, both on the Web and in person, to make sure that we are on top of the latest marketing and technology trends. I think sometimes local Realtors forget that we are home to Texas A&M University, and that some of the brightest minds in the world move to, and through, College Station and Bryan. My clients deserve a 21st century real estate firm along with 21st. century service. As one friend said over the holidays, "We aren't just some old cow college, anymore."

Of course I'll keep doing what I've been doing, updating the latest market information at MarketReports.SamWhiteRealty.com and supporting our local market and community. You can look for part two in this series on Thursday.

Blue skies,


Sam White
sam@samwhiterealty.com
979-589-4478 google voice and text

Happy Fall!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending Be Green in Bryan's Greening Your Home 101 workshop, upstairs at the Bryan Public Library. Taught by Mary Strauss, the City of Bryan's Sustainability Program Coordinator, the workshop provided ten realistic, helpful suggestions that will help our environment and save you money.

I'm about to throw a lot of links at you. Most go to information located on BeGreenInBryan.com, which is a site worth visiting. On that site, if you click on the symbols on the left side of the page for a wealth of information on each subject.

Ten things YOU can do in the home to help our environment and save money.

1. Cut junk mail. Americans pay $320-$370 million per year to dispose of junk mail. Save 1.5 trees/person/year by visiting http://optoutprescreen.com or http://mailstopper.tonic.com.

2. Stop accepting or using plastic grocery bags. We throw away 100 billion polyurethane bags annually. Despite appearances, these bags are so cheap that they offer nothing to break down, and actually end up in landfills. If you have extras, the Brazos Valley Farmer's Market is happy to take and reuse them.

3. Reduce, Reuse & Recycle - On average, American consumers purchase 500 million beverage bottles and cans every day. Only one in three get recycled. Bryan's drop-off recycling center is located in the Wal-mart parking lot. You don't even need to get out of your car!

4. Rid your home of pesticides - Over 80% of human contact with pesticides occurs indoors. 90% of those tested had traces of 5-16 pesticides in their bodies. Check out http://beyondpesticieds.org.

5. Green the Garden - Use compost instead of synthetic fertilizers. The Bryan Compost Facility sells compost for $21/ton and mulch is FREE! Concentrate on native plants and perennials. You can find a selection at the Brazos Valley Farmer's Market.

6. Turn off lights and unplug appliances when possible. Reduce phantom power or energy vampires - Up to 40% of the power used by home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Standby power consists of 10% of our total power consumption.

7. Replace standard light bulbs with CFL's and LED's - CFL's use 50%-80% less energy and last up to ten times longer. Some LED's have a 60,000 hour useful life.

8. Look for EnergyStar Appliances - These appliances use 2-10 less power than their conventional conterparts. Check out http://energystar.gov.

9. Reduce Water Consumption - Look for leaks, and make sure all faucets have aerators for indoor conservation. Consider low-flow toilets. Catch rainwater for outdoor use.

10. Replace household cleaners - Over 90% of reported poisonings occur at home, with the leading reported cause being household cleaners. Many chemicals found in household cleaners are known carcinogens. Natural alternatives are in most stores. Why? They are more economical, biodegradable and more healthy for you!

    

Now, some of these suggestions are easier said then done, but the point is to work on what you can, when you can, and keep moving in a more sustainable direction.

To help us along the way, Mary had the back of the room set up as an organic household cleaner factory, complete with ingredients, fragrances and delivery systems. We got to see and feel how to make these very inexpensive cleaners, and knew what to look for when shopping.

I give the City of Bryan credit for having Mary on board. She is an expert in her field, and charged with several different tasks, all benefiting both the environment and our pocketbooks.

This workshop was the third in a series of five for 2009. I missed the first two, Rainwater Harvesting 101 and Worm Composting 101. There are two more:

• Home & Energy Efficiency 101 on Nov. 5
• Green Living 101 on Dec. 1

You can view the flyer and register here.

Sustainability makes sense. We can do small things that make a difference. I'll visit more about this later.

Blue skies,

Sam White
SamWhiteRealty.com
979.446.0031

Bryan's Green Team