Earth-friendly choices
How to Keep a Green Home

Learn ways to cut energy costs and incorporate eco-friendly practices in the home.

REVIEWED BY KELLY QUIGLEY

“Green” Web Site Roundup:

GreenerBuildings.com
EnergyGuide.com
National Association of Home Builders: Environment

More people are taking the environment into account when buying a home, choosing office space, or planning new construction. The rising cost of energy is one major reason, but many consumers also see a need to make choices that cut down on pollution and make the smartest use of the earth’s limited natural resources. As a real estate practitioner, the more you know about being “green,” the better you can serve clients who hold the environment at the top of their priority list. Here are several Web sites that will give you a better understanding of what being “green” is all about:

• GreenerBuildings.com The nonprofit group GreenBiz.com and the U.S. Green Building Council  are behind this information-packed site, which provides free resources for environmentally responsible building development. You can learn about eco-friendly Building Materials—an important topic considering that buildings account for 60% of the raw materials used in the United States—and find out how to create healthier building Interiors. This well-designed site provides related news for each topic, as well as thorough background information and links to organizations. Other topics include Architecture & Design, FacilityManagement, and Land Use.
  
• EnergyGuide.com It isn’t cheap to heat a home in the winter, cool it off in summer, or run the plethora of appliances found in today’s homes. On this site, you’ll find free tools to pinpoint areas where you can cut costs—making it a handy resource to recommend to clients. You can Analyze Your Use and get energy-saving ideas by entering your ZIP code and completing a home-profile survey. Or tap into one of the site’s EnergySaver Calculators to determine how much money you would save by replacing an old appliance, such as a water heater, washer and dryer, or refrigerator, with a new energy-efficient model. There’s also a page to help you Choose Green, which generates a list of the companies in your area that sell electricity products using wind, solar, small hydroelectric, biomass, and geothermal resources.
  
• National Association of Home Builders: Environment This national trade group, which represents the homebuilding industry, devotes a section of its main Web site to environmental issues. Learn NAHB’s stance on the debate about whether to build on Wetlands, and find out how Smart Growth and the Environment are shaping builders’ plans. Each environmental topic includes a short summary and links to related Web sites, press releases, and news items.

Learn More at REALTOR® Magazine Online and REALTOR.org:

Field Guide to Green Homes & Green Mortgages
A collection of artices and Web sites that will teach you more about green mortgages and how to use energy efficiency as a selling point.

Selling Green: Environmentally Sensitive Homes Aren't Just For Tree Huggers Anymore
This online exclusive will help you understand what "green" housing entails and why it's a profitable niche.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Position Statements and Policy
Learn what NAR thinks about smart growth, land use, property rights, and other issues.
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Suggest a Site For Review
Every week, REALTOR® Magazine Online's Web review editor surfs the Internet to find sites useful to your business and off-hours lives. Have a favorite real estate Web site that you would like to see reviewed? Send your suggestions to mediatech@realtors.org. All decisions on which sites will be reviewed are completely at the discretion of REALTOR® Magazine Online's editorial staff. Please note: this column does not review individual practitioner or brokerage sites.

The columns focus on free sites, as well as sites that charge for goods and services but still offer a free component of practical, sustained value to real estate practitioners, such as a free newsletter or industry news.
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REALTOR® Magazine Online's "Web Review" summarizes the content of Web sites that may be of interest to members. NAR and REALTOR® Magazine Online are not responsible for, and nothing in the Web site profile shall constitute NAR's or REALTOR® Magazine Online's endorsement of, the web site, its content, products and services, or its provider. NAR and REALTOR® Magazine Online believe the information contained in this profile was correct and accurate as of the time it was prepared, but do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of that information and are not responsible for changes in the Web site. Members should conduct their own independent review of the Web site prior to any use of Web site, its content, products, or services to determine their suitability for the member's intended purpose.

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