Polygon Homes is running a video contest with some good prizes. So I thought I would take a shot at it.
This is a 3:30 shortened version of what was a 9 minute home and neighborhood tour.
Some of the reasons why I love my Polygon Home
It’s Built Green Certified
Has a fab kitchen
High windows for privacy
Huge deck for my plants
Nice view
Polygon Homes contest info: http://www.youtube.com/polygoncontest
I am producing a video series for Eat Local Now! which has its annual fundraising dinner on September 30th. I am talking to some of my favorite farmers from my local market as well as other organizations to explain to people why they should Eat Local Now.
In my first video of the season – Why should you Eat Local Now? Local Sustainably Grown Food is…Fresher and Better For You. Featuring Wade Bennett of Rockridge Orchards in Enumclaw.
Wow this is something so affordable yet can save so much in actual money and your personal environmental impact – you need to tell everyone you know about this tool. These new Belkin tools of measuring energy being used by all of your household appliances and miscellaneous gadgets can be pre-ordered as of today. This energy monitor, called “Conserive Insight” on Amazon is listed for only $29.99. You could easily make up the expense of this tool with energy savings in just a few months’ time.
Product Description From the Manufacturer
The Belkin Conserve Insight Energy Cost Monitor helps you measure the true impact of your energy use on your utility bill – and the environment. Find out how much energy your devices really use–including watts, the cost of operation, and the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions–with the Belkin Conserve Insight Energy Cost Monitor. At a glance you can see exactly how much electricity is used by devices like computers, televisions, kitchen appliances and more. The monitor also shows the carbon dioxide emissions produced as a byproduct of your electricity usage. With this monitor, you get a clear idea of the true impact to your wallet–and the environment.
F7C005 Conserve Insight Energy Use Monitor
At a Glance:
Simply connect to a standard outlet and then plug a device in to the unit.
Be Smart About Energy with the Cost Tracking Feature
The Conserve Insight Energy Cost Monitor makes it easy to be smart about energy. With the help of this handy device, you can see how much your devices cost to use on a yearly or monthly basis so you can make better energy decisions. Additionally, because the Conserve Insight also shows power plant carbon dioxide emissions produced to use various devices on a yearly or monthly basis, you’ll discover your true environmental impact. The convenient tracking feature tracks your usage of a device over time and projects how much that device costs you to operate based on your actual usage.
Monitor is Customizable, Easy-to-Read
The Conserve Insight is both customizable and easy to read. A six-foot cord allows you to read the display at eye-level or place it on a table. And for added convenience, you can choose to use either the preloaded U.S. average electricity rate or enter your own rate off your electric bill. You can also set the carbon dioxide emissions rate for your specific region.
Devices shows: Annual Cost Impact, CO2 Emission, Power consumption based on your local utility rates that you input.
This unit includes a convenient tracking feature which gathers data over time to provide accurate energy use information based on your actual usage.
Smart, User-Friendly Design
Designed for ease of use, the Conserve Insight sets up in minutes. Simply plug it into a standard outlet and then plug a device in to the unit. The screen will automatically display how many dollars per year your device costs in its current operating mode–no need to press a button. Easy-to-understand graphic icons make it easy to read results, while both instantaneous and tracking modes of usage calculation let you put things in perspective.
With your device plugged into the Conserve Insight, you can press one of the corresponding buttons to enter into the desired mode. For a range of readings, pressing the CO2 or dollar button more than once will switch between monthly and yearly readings.
The Conserve Insight Energy Use Monitor is backed by a one-year limited warranty.
About Belkin’s Conserve Products
Belkin Conserve products can help you to do your part by making it easier to reduce your energy consumption.
Net-zero energy homes are gaining in popularity, but before buying a green home or an add-on product designed to generate energy, make sure you do your homework. MarketWatch’s Amy Hoak reports. (3:18 Video)
If you would like advice about adding green features to your current residence, I am a trained consultant in this area along with the rest of my colleagues at GreenWorks Realty. I am happy to help you decide what the best investments are for your budget to improve the energy efficiency of your home, and reduce your utility expenses.
And I thought the 530 sq ft studio units here in the Built Green community of High Point (West Seattle) were small. This apartment in Hong Kong is really small at 330 sq ft.
Of course, I could live in a space this small if it was smartly designed as in this video – and I lived alone (along with maybe my small dog).
I DVR this show, World’s Greenest Homes. It’s like a travel show and home show all in one.
About 4 minutes.
I just went through a 2-day “Earth Advantage Broker” training and the classifications of consumers were interesting.
They were classified as:
19% LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability – a market segment focused on health and fitness, the environment, personal development, sustainable living, and social justice.)
15% Naturalites (hold green values but aren’t always consistent – focus on natural and organic packaged goods but no necessarily durable goods)
25% Drifters (hold green values but are more influenced by price and trends – if a movie star also has a Prius they want one too)
24% Conventionals (they don’t make decisions based on green values but are civic minded and cost sensitive so they change to CFL bulbs)
17% Unconcerneds (does not prioritize environment and society).
I fall somewhere between Naturalites and LOHAS – since my car is not a hybrid/EV and my furniture is not necessarily sustainably produced (and neither are my clothes). But I did buy a Built Green Certified homes in High Point (20 homes for resale here if you are interested – a cool mix of condos, carriage homes, or detached homes). And I do a lot of volunteer work to further healthy food and environment initiatives.
I went through training to become a Built Green Certified Professional real estate broker in 2007, but I am always interested in learning new or updating my current information. I also am going through EcoBroker training online so it is taking me a little longer.
If you have any real estate questions, or green home/lifestyle questions, I am happy to respond in private or on the blog. After all, your question may be the same as someone elses and everyone can learn!
I am going to be in S.T.A.R. training Wednesday and Thursday – I am adding another green designation to my work, “Earth Advantage Broker”.
A preprequisite was to calculate my personal ecological footprint and bring it with me. I think it’s amazing how conscious I am of environmental impact yet if everyone lived like me it would take 4 Planet Earths to do it, and to support my lifestyle it takes 18 global acres of the Earth’s productive area. I still eat meat and I drive a car (and don’t ride the bus). And I eat potato chips. Some things just aren’t going to change.
I still think I shouldn’t have gotten more credit for living in a green design home (which was better than living in a 2-4 unit building, I actually live in a 7 unit building). I think in the end it would still take 3 planets. So sad.
What is your Ecological Footprint? Take the quiz to find out (it’s fast).
On June 30, 2010 Fannie Mae issued announcement SEL-2010-09, “Selling Guide Updates and Additional Guidance on Appraisal-Related Policies.”
A number of the items addressed in this announcement have also been subjects of concern to Realtors® during the past couple of years.
These include:
•Lenders changing the value that had been determined by the appraiser
•The selection of appraisers who were not familiar with the marketplace in which the subject property was located and/or who did not have access to all the data bases containing information relevant to the local marketplace
•The use of short sales and foreclosures as comparable sales without giving sufficient consideration to the condition of those properties
•The inability of either agents or the lender’s representatives to communicate with the appraiser
Read the Full Story
The High Point Market Garden Farm Stand has opened in Seattle. Wendy Hughes-Jelen shows off her bag of veggies for $11 and talks about uses, cooking methods, and proper storage to keep them fresh. There are about 20 homes for sale in High Point, a Built Green Certified Community located in West Seattle. If you want to walk to your farmers market, get in touch with Wendy.
Note from Wendy – locally we have the Built Green Program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish County
Residential green building is no longer a trend — it is the future of building. –National Association of Home Builders
View an introduction to the NAHB’s National Green Building Program
