Green Flash from EcoBroker®
Clarification: This press release was issued by Earth Advantage Institute, Read online article here.

New Certified Homes Command 18% Price Premium in
2009-2010 More Than One in Five Homes
Achieve a Sustainability Standard
PORTLAND, Ore., June 16, 2010 - While fewer new homes were built in the past year in the Portland metropolitan area than in the previous year, the market share of third party certified homes increased. Twenty three percent (23%) of all newly constructed homes in the Portland metropolitan area sold between May 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010 received a third party certification. This finding is based upon data reported by the Portland area RMLS to Earth Advantage Institute.

The term “certified home” refers to homes that received an Earth Advantage, Energy Star, or LEED for Homes designation, or a combined Earth Advantage/Energy Star designation. Certification and sales information is reported by participating real estate brokers to RMLS. The Portland metropolitan area region includes Multnomah, Clackamas, Columbia, Washington and Yamhill Counties in Oregon and Clark County in Washington.
This finding continues a three year trend in which the market share of certified homes in the Portland region has increased. Please see Table One below for detail.
Homes with a third party certification sold for more than their non-certified counterparts, both in the new home and existing home markets. New homes in the six county Portland region sold for 18% more, while existing homes with a certification sold for 23% more.

“As energy efficiency and healthier homes gain more attention, builders and homeowners increasingly place value on home certification,” said Sean Penrith, executive director, Earth Advantage Institute. “It is very encouraging to see the market share of certified homes continue to rise over the past three years despite the difficulties in residential markets.”
RMLS reports sales data by county. Table Three below provides more detailed information on the range of price premiums observed in different parts of the Portland metropolitan area. Clark County, WA was the one area in the metropolitan region where newly constructed certified homes did not sell for more. However, certified existing homes in Clark County continued the trend. As a group, existing homes with a sustainable certification in Clark County sold for an average of $278,400 versus $234,100 for homes without such a certification, or 16% more.

The Portland area RMLS first began collecting information about home certification in the spring of 2007. It is the first RMLS in the country to do so.
About Earth Advantage Institute
Earth Advantage Institute works with homeowners, homebuyers, builders, and developers to bring the most energy efficient, sustainable, and healthy homes to the market. The organization is an independent, nonprofit resource group that certifies homes and communities based on conformance to ENERGY STAR®, Earth Advantage®, or LEED® for Homes standards. Earth Advantage Institute also offers education classes and has a showroom at its national center in Portland, Oregon. Earth Advantage Institute has certified more than 11,000 new homes. Earth Advantage Institute would like to thank the Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service for its assistance in compiling this information. For more information, contact Tom Breunig, Director of Marketing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (503) 968-7160 x 36.

I usually publish blogs relating to finance and real estate, but this subject is so important I feel compelled to do my part in spreading the word.  My broker came across this article in the Triangle Business Journal and forwarded it to me.  I’m copying it here for you:

Thursday, March 18, 2010, 10:56am EDT
Duke study links high fructose corn syrup with liver damage
Triangle Business Journal - by James Gallagher

The corn industry is facing a new challenge over the health risks posed by high fructose corn syrup. A new study out of the Duke University Medical Center indicates that high consumption of the controversial sugar substitute is associated with liver scarring or fibrosis, similar to the damage caused by heavy consumption of alcohol.

Dr. Manal Abdelmalek, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, says a study of 427 adults who suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, indicated that those who consumed more high-fructose corn syrup were more likely to have increased liver scarring or fibrosis.

NAFLD, which is present in about 30 percent of all adults, is a condition in which fat accumulates in the cells of the liver, which could lead to inflammation or scarring, also known as fibrosis. The damage is similar to that caused by heavy consumption of alcohol, but NAFLD occurs in people who are not alcoholics.

“Unfortunately, there is no therapy for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,” said Dr. Abdelmalek. “My hope is to see if we can find a factor, such as increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup, which if modified, can decrease the risk of liver disease.”

High fructose corn syrup has been targeted by health officials as a potential cause of the growing rate of obesity. The syrup came into vogue in the 1970s as a cheaper alternative for sugar. It is now commonly found in soft drinks and other processed foods.

“There is an increasing amount of data that suggests high fructose corn syrup is fueling the fire of the obesity epidemic, but until now, no one has ever suggested that it contributes to liver disease and/or liver injury.” Abdelmalek said the next step is more studies looking at the mechanisms of liver injury.

The corn industry has recently begun an advertising campaign touting the merits and safety of the syrup.

Other authors on the study include Duke researchers Ayako Suzuki, Cynthia Guy and Anna Mae Diehl; Aynur Unalp-Arida and Ryan Colvin of Johns Hopkins University; and Richard Johnson of the University of Colorado.

Reporter e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Cleaning your home shouldn’t involve wholesale destruction of our environment.  This amazing article was written by James Glave, Cyberhomes Contributor
Published: July 10, 2009.  So directly related to my favorite subject, Indoor Air Quality!

Shortly after the Second World War, America decided that the old ways of cleaning house simply weren’t cutting it anymore. With the availability of new chemicals and the advent of television marketing, a vision of a new clean emerged — an ever-whiter-and-brighter, utterly flawless, 100-percent-sterile spic-and-span kitchen and bath utopia.

The problem: The dream called for frequent and generous applications of chlorine, ammonia, lye and phosphates. Sometimes, when push came to shove, it demanded acetone, formaldeyde and phosphoric acid. Household-cleaner manufacturers didn’t and largely still don’t list these ingredients on their labels — some states are only now starting to require them to do so — but to ease any potential concern, they marketed their potions with bright colors and reassuring fragrances such as “mountain forest.”

There are many good reasons to now revisit this toxic dream and start thinking a little more green. The environmental legal group EarthJustice has exposed links between chemicals found in common household cleaners and respiratory irritation, asthma and allergies. Then there’s the aquatic and marine life to consider, which marinates in our happy-housewife cocktail at the far end of your pipe.

Myriad effective yet vastly more responsible green cleaning options now exist. Brands such as Seventh Generation, Ecover and 365 — the Whole Foods private label — offer cleaning products largely derived from plant-based sources. And America is taking notice; some of these companies report 40 percent annual growth. However, even the all-natural bucket-and-mop brigade sometimes has its challenges.

This recently came to light when the Organic Consumers Association watchdog group released test results revealing measurable levels of the carcinogen 1,4-dioxane in cleaners made by popular “natural” brands. Those companies quickly reformulated to remove the offending compound — a previously undisclosed byproduct of the process used to transform plant oils into grease cutters. But despite the minimal price premiums these products demand over their neon-hued brethren, and odd missteps like the 1,4-dioxane goof, you’re still doing better for all of us if you choose a green cleaning product at the store.

Put your hands together for acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate, more commonly known as vinegar and baking soda. While neither will kill bacteria, they will take care of most household grime without requiring you to hang an OSHA safety card on the laundry-room cupboard. Add water and use baking soda (about $2 a box) as a paste; vinegar (also about $2 for a bottle) works as a straight solution. And by the way, before you go calling us purists, it’s OK to use diluted bleach occasionally where disinfection is needed.

I found this interesting article in Greenzine written on July 13th, 2009 by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg

The House’s passage of Waxman-Markey (aka the American Clean Energy and Security Act) isn’t just a step forward in moving the United States away from addiction to fossil fuels, and towards a cleaner energy economy; it’s also evidence that President Barack Obama plans to fight for many of the campaign promises he made on energy and the environment. Candidate Obama laid out a very ambitious and comprehensive approach to energy policy, recognizing that it’s intimately tied to environmental concerns and economic growth and development. Among the policies promoted by the Obama-Biden campaign:

Tackling climate change through implementation of a cap-and-trade system, and making the US a leader on addressing global warming.
Investing in clean energy and energy security (and creating 5 million jobs in the process.
Promoting clean, efficient cars and trucks.
Increasing our commitment to energy efficiency.

So, how’s President Obama doing on energy and efficiency?
In short, not bad. Numerous evaluations on the topic came out around the 100-day mark of his presidency, and most were positive. Dave Burdick of The Huffington Post said the president was off to a good start on securing his legacy as a “green president.” Joseph Romm, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, gave Obama an A+, and noted that historians may regard him as “the green FDR.”

The St. Petersburg Times‘ Politifact.com site keeps a running tally of promises made, and progress on those promises. Among those the president has kept on energy issues:

Weatherizing 1 million low-income homes every year.
Providing grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes.
Enacting a consumer tax credit for plug-in hybrid cars.

Obama’s made progress on promises involving green jobs creation, raising fuel economy standards, and requiring more energy-efficient appliances.

Energy Efficiency: the cheapest, cleanest, fastest energy source
That’s how the Obama-Biden campaign described efficiency in a speech brief on energy policy. Clearly, President Obama is taking many right steps towards leveraging efficiency as a part of broader national energy policy.

Make sure that you let the President, and his Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, know that you approve of such measures, and want to see more. Join Earthjustice and Sundance’s THE UNITED STATES OF EFFICIENCY campaign, and add your name to a letter asking Secretary Chu to adopt “the strongest achievable efficiency standards” as a part of making the US more energy secure. We’re on the track… let’s not get off course!

Image credit: White House photographer Charles Watkins via Wikimedia Commons

My compliments to Phoebe Chongchua for the following article.  It shows how air quality plays SUCH a big part in how we feel day to day: 

Selling Home May Be Influenced by What Buyers Can’t See
by Phoebe Chongchua

It’s not always what buyers can see in a home that causes them to want to buy it or not. Sometimes it’s the way the home feels. I’m not talking about staging, the size, or how spacious the home is, although those factors are important too. In this column I’m focusing on how buyers’ allergies may be affected when they tour your home.

“We have about 300 million Americans and about 60 million of them have allergies or asthma,” says, Mike Tringale, Director of External Affairs for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

Allergy problems can be debilitating for sufferers. Many will go to great lengths to avoid any possible influences that might bring on symptoms. Allergies and asthma are increasing, Tringale says, “some of that may actually be because of the houses we’re living in.” He adds, “it all comes down to the air quality in the home.” According to AAFA, there are some simple steps that you can take to help clear the air in your home and reduce any harmful fumes—making it more appealing to those with allergies and even those without.

Tringale says do this three-step process: take an organized approach to looking at how your home is built, look at materials used in your home, and understand the types of cleaning agents that you’re using and how they can affect indoor air quality.

Check for mold. Mold is one of the most common indoor allergens. “Look for cracks in foundation. Check to see if the windows are completely sealed or if moisture is getting in—too much moisture can lead to a mold problem,” says Tringale. He adds that there are also housing products, such as wallboard, that are mold resistant. So be sure to check for those items when replacing housing materials.

Clean with hydrogen peroxide or sodium perborate not bleach. Bleach is a common cleaning chemical but it has a very strong odor and, people with highly sensitive allergies to bleach, often immediately can sense symptoms coming on even if with just a brief exposure to the chemical.

Use PVC-free shower curtains. Hard to imagine that a pretty shower curtain can wreak such havoc on people’s allergies, but the polyvinyl chloride shower curtains can release more than 100 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including two (toluene and xylene) that are classified as hazardous pollutants by the Environmental Protection Agency. Having PVC shower curtains hanging around while your home is being shown can make those suffering from allergies feel the need to escape quickly.

Opt for area rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. The U.S. Green Building Council provides information on “going green,” the Council says carpeting can be particularly troublesome because the padding underneath is very difficult to clean or remove for drying. Carpets also harbor dirt, organic detritus, and moisture and can become a significant source for mold and mildew. Instead use area rugs over a hard-surface floor. The Council also recommends avoiding all biocide-treated (moth repellent) wool or cotton carpets.

Use products that contain low volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A lot of homeowners will paint just before they list their homes for sale. But Tringale says, if you do, be sure to use paints that contain low VOCs. “Many paints contain volatile organic compounds and smells that can linger for weeks and cause all kinds of symptoms including eye irritations for people,” says Tringale.

“If you’re re-staining your floors ask for the low VOC stains, or even better, put in pre-treated floors rather than raw wood that you then have to apply polyurethane over the top of,” says Tringale. He cautions sellers to “Make smart choices; otherwise you’re going to have a house that is really chemically offensive to buyers who are walking through.” For more information visit asthmaandallergyfriendly.com.

Published: June 19, 2009