Albemarle now has Curbside Recycling

I ran a poll last year asking how much people would be willing to pay for curbside recycling. Aside from those who thought government services are “free,” the predominant response was “Five bucks a week.” Private enterprise has taken the lead where government cannot - courtesy of a Channel 29 story -

For twenty bucks a month, My Recycling Club will

… come pick it up every other week…We leave the bins there for you to clean out and refill for the next time we come…And that’s it,” she said.

Battani got the idea from her concierge business. “Quite a few of those clients have asked us about picking up recycling from their home and office and bringing it in for them…It started to be a pattern,” she recalled.

All it takes to start a club is five or six neighbors who agree to sort their trash. Then for $20 a month, Battani hauls it to the recycling center.

According to Mattson, “Some people have to cartload their recycling to the McIntire Center, which actually discourages some people from recycling at all.” Now thanks to Battani, people don’t have to chose between pitching their time or concern for the planet along with the trash.

In response to an email, Sue Battani said, “The news blurb has created quite a buzz for us and we are very excited about it. Many people have signed on already and we are working diligently to get back to everyone to answer their questions and such.

And that’s a good sign.

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July 5, 2008 | Filed Under Albemarle, Charlottesville, Green | 2 Comments 

Are Green Homes the new “Trophy” Homes?

That’s the question posed by the New York Times a little while ago.

There may be some truth to that presumption (and is that necessarily a “bad thing”?) Peer pressure works. There is truth to the trend and perception that more homebuyers are asking questions about the green bona fides of homes in today’s market. Taking the politics of the debate out of the equation, let’s focus on the diffusion of this new-fangled “green” technology -

- Will Ferrell was driving a concept BMW last year; Honda is nearing the release of a production hydrogen car. Take a look at the search volume for the Prius.

- Three years ago, I would have been hard-pressed to find a LEED or Earthcraft home in the MLS; now there are at least fifty.

- Consumer Reports now has a Green Home Improvement Guide.

I’d argue that when looking at the five classes of technology adopters - Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority and Laggards, we’re probably in or on the cusp of the Early Majority phase. Is it because celebrities have “trophy homes”? Doubtful. There is a significant benefit to “going green” that goes beyond political capital or chest-thumping.

It’s the market, stupid. Innovation is spurred by necessity.

Water is increasing by about 5%, the cost of electricity in the Charlottesville area is going to increase by at least 18%, fuel prices are at record levels (duh), and those buying houses today tend to be planning to stay for at least five to seven years (ancedotally). More buyers are asking to go green.

The Blue Ridge Eco Shop didn’t exist a couple of years ago, neither did Cville Enviro or the Better World Betty site. These places came to existence because the market demanded their services.

The market is moving beyond individual green products and into the realm of green developments - because the market is demanding LEED-certified Neighborhood Developments (although I’d argue that LEED-ND has not yet reached mainstream vernacular)

Courtesy of the National Association of Realtors’ On Common Ground magazine* -

Experts interviewed for this article were unanimous on one point: collecting green-certified houses into a conventional subdivision on a former farm fi eld at the edge of the metro area would not a green neighborhood make. Beyond that, there was little unanimity.

Some argue that the criteria for a green neighborhood are fairly well satisfi ed by building according to the principles of smart growth. That means conserving land, focusing development first in areas that are already developed, providing transportation options other than cars, and creating mixed-use development that makes neighborhoods compact and walkable. Others say that smart growth, as it is typically discussed, does not quite touch all the bases of sustainability.

Others suggest that building green neighborhoods means following the old environmental mantra: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Reduce the land consumed, the miles traveled by car and the consumption of energy. Reuse the buildings and infrastructure of existing neighborhoods, use waste as a source of energy, and reuse “gray” water to maintain landscaping. Recycle building materials, and even the land itself—the post-industrial brownfi elds and fallow parking-lot “grayfi elds” around defunct shopping centers.

For proof that “Smart” Growth is mainstream, check out this partnership that defies presumptions about Realtors always wanting to build, build, build at all costs -

Those are some of the results of the 2007 Growth and Transportation survey sponsored by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and Smart Growth America.

My prediction - in five years (or sooner) Earthcraft will be the de facto standard for building quality. That, and the Charlottesville/Central Virginia region needs to work on building transit infrastructure now.

Interesting related article - The Green Housing Boom, courtesy of Fast Company

* I requested a few extra copies of this publication because I thought it was such a great issue. If you’re in Charlottesville and would like a copy, please let me know. Otherwise you can download the entire issue here.

Search for homes in Belvedere.

July 2, 2008 | Filed Under Albemarle, Charlottesville, Green, Regional, Transportation | 2 Comments 

Green Financing reaches possible mainstreaming

I’d love to hear critiques from some lenders and brokers about this program. How long until green developments partner with this or similar companies to offer more affordable green financing? What follows is a press release via EcoBroker I received last night recently -

LARKSPUR, Calif./May 30, 2008 — Mortgagegreen, Inc. CEO, Tomek Rondio, will introduce the National Green Residential Mortgage Underwriting StandardC at the Capital Markets Partnership Organizational Meeting at JPMorgan Chase, 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza, 28th Floor, NYC, June 19, 2008, 1:30-5:00.

The amount of greenhouse gas emissions and associated global warming that is directly caused by housing is well-defined, and the numbers are staggering. Buildings are the largest single category of carbon-emission contributors.

Mortgagegreen is a green real estate finance company that has developed a one-of-a-kind program for rating and funding green-certified real estate. They are the first to introduce Sustainable Mortgage-Backed Securities (SMBS’s), bridging the gap between the capital markets and the greening of the real estate industry. During the past seven years they have completed due-diligence, tested and refined this market opportunity, authored underwriting standards and are well-positioned to move forward and expand nationwide as leaders in green real estate financing.

The long-awaited National Green Residential Mortgage Underwriting Standards will be presented by Mortgagegreen, Inc. CEO, Tomek Rondio, at the Capital Markets Partnership Organizational Meeting on June 19, 2008 in N.Y. Mr. Rondio is the Capital markets Partnership Vice Chair and author of the National Green Residential Mortgage Underwriting Standards. These standards will open doors to discounted financing for green-certified buildings, producing significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions and global sustainability.

More information here.

Note: This is a post I had written a few weeks ago and neglected to post.

June 29, 2008 | Filed Under Green | 1 Comment 

Curious whether any Charlottesville HOAs restrict solar panels

Solar Panels

I haven’t yet run into this in the Charlottesville/Central Virginia area; I see that one development specifically allows them, but I’m curious as to whether anyone has had issues locally when trying to install solar panels.

From the USA Today -

There are no hard statistics, but renewable-energy experts say clashes over homegrown renewable energy are on the rise as more Americans seek to cut their utility bills or their carbon footprint.

Sometimes it’s local authorities who stand in the way by refusing to issue the necessary permits, or by charging such high permit fees that homeowners can’t afford them.

…

Renewable-energy proponents say cases such as the Canfields’ show that only a national law will make homegrown wind and solar power as common as they should be. Promoting renewable energy is “a national imperative,” says Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif., who introduced a bill that would ban strict regulations on home solar panels. “There are a lot of impediments. We’re trying to do everything we can to pave the way.”

This is the bill in Virginia General Assembly that will prevent HOA’s from restricting solar panels -

A. Except to the extent provided in the condominium instruments, declaration, or rules and regulations duly adopted pursuant thereto, no community association shall enact any provisions restricting solar power or as provided in subsection D, any restrictive covenant included in an instrument affecting the title to real or leasehold property, that restricts the installation or use of any solar energy collection device on units or lots that are part of the development real property in the Commonwealth is declared to be void and contrary to the public policy of the Commonwealth.

B. The A community association may prohibit or restrict shall not enforce any provision of a restrictive covenant that became effective on or after July 1, 2008, that restricts the installation and use of such solar energy collection devices on the common elements or common areas of real estate that the community association owns or has under its care, custody, or control.

I am seriously debating putting a clothesline at my house - we had one when when I was a kid - why not now?

Photo credit.

May 14, 2008 | Filed Under Albemarle, Charlottesville, Green | 4 Comments 

Monday Reading 04-28-2008

227+ Comments and Counting - The Commission Based Fee Structure - It’s Bad for Buyers.

Darren the Problogger speed-posted in response to Twitter questions and left readers with a wealth of information

EcoTech Daily’s Daily Five - Jetson Green’s Sprawl Home Discounts, Big City LEED and Codes, + Future of Green Buildings is good knowledge

The unlucky .2% at the Foxfield Races - See some videos at cVillain

The Real Cost of Tackling Climate Change - hint: it’s more than you might think (it’s a cultural change more than anything else)

Today, the average residence in the U.S. uses about 10,500 kilowatt hours of electricity and emits 11.4 tons of CO2 per year (much more if you are Al Gore or John Edwards and live in a mansion). To stay within the magic number, average household emissions will have to fall to no more than 1.5 tons per year. In our current electricity infrastructure, this would mean using no more than about 2,500 KwH per year. This is not enough juice to run the average hot water heater.

You can forget refrigerators, microwaves, clothes dryers and flat screen TVs. Even a house tricked out with all the latest high-efficiency EnergyStar appliances and compact fluorescent lights won’t come close. The same daunting energy math applies to the industrial, commercial and transportation sectors as well. The clear implication is that we shall have to replace virtually the entire fossil fuel electricity infrastructure over the next four decades with CO2-free sources – a multitrillion dollar proposition, if it can be done at all.

In the Charlottesville region, there are currently 2,409 properties on the market - ~30% of these are vacant. Will crime follow?

That $600 “rebate”? That’s about one month of gas, thankyouverymuch.

April 28, 2008 | Filed Under Albemarle, Blogging, Charlottesville, Green | 3 Comments 

Earth Day links

Happy Earth Day.Charlottesville-Earth-Week.png

Or - Earth Week in Charlottesville.

Tip #1 - go local.

Here are a few ways to go green and likely save money.

Buy local food.

Quench Water-Recycling Shower - Guilt-Free Indulgence?

An interesting Earth-Day survey

If you’re looking to buy a home in Charlottesville, consider a “green” home.

How to go Green in the kitchen

Beat the credit squeeze by going green

Get a home energy audit

This is my carbon footprint:

JIm-Duncan's-Carbon-Footprint

What’s yours?

Baby steps have giant impacts …

To avoid misconceptions that I advocate going green in an attempt to abolish capitalism, know this - going green can save you money in the long term (short term thinking generally causes problems) - If you don’t want to ride your bike to save energy, do it because gas is so flipping expensive!

April 22, 2008 | Filed Under Albemarle, Charlottesville, Green | 2 Comments 

CFL Lightbulbs in Plain English

It’s about saving money (and the environment)



Think about the impact that one million light bulbs would have. When will builders start to put CFLs into their houses as a standard option?
Some of the Charlottesville-area Earth Week events can be found at cvillebetty’s blog.

April 20, 2008 | Filed Under Green | 6 Comments 

Charlottesville Earthcraft Homes tour - and a brief riff on “is blogging advertising?”

Earthcraft-house-Charlottesville

This weekend, April 19 and 20 and next, April 26 and 27, fifteen Earthcraft homes in the Charlottesville region will be open to the public.

EarthCraft standards and options are factored into every aspect of home building – site planning, building orientation, low-impact construction techniques and materials, energy efficiency – for a constant effort to lower the environmental impact of building an EarthCraft home and lower the energy costs and water usage for its future occupants.

…

Will an EarthCraft home look “different” than conventional homes? Absolutely not!. EarthCraft focuses on building materials, installation and sealing techniques and minor modifications in construction – all things that disappear inside the walls as the house is completed. That’s the reason why this tour features houses currently still in some phase of construction so that you can see the differences before they disappear behind drywall. The only time you’ll see the difference is when you look at the energy bills on an EarthCraft home – 30-50% lower than conventional homes.

In a lot of ways, Earthcraft represents simply good building.

This map has all of the houses on the tour -



View Larger Map

Better yet, plan your itinerary using the Maptimizer, presented in partnership with the Virginia Association of Realtors.

And now the riff …
After a long conversation this week with an attorney about real estate blogs and the perception/belief by the Virginia Real Estate Board that any writing that could “induce business” is considered “advertising” … here is my disclosure. I am intending this post as an informational post that, while some may choose to contact me because of it, is not designed to solicit buyers or sellers to reach out to me. It’s news. It’s timely and it’s information that people want. If they choose to contact a perceived credible source for more information, is said credibility something that could “induce business”? Better yet - could a quote in a newspaper be considered “advertising” as it might “induce business”? More on this subject in a later post.

This is information that people want; it’s information I’d like to present. If someone chooses to contact a perceived credible source for more information, is said credibility something that could “induce business”? Better yet - could a quote in a newspaper be considered “advertising” as it might “induce business”? (the answer is ‘maybe’) More on this subject in a later post.

Now - if I were to say “search the Charlottesville MLS for Green Homes” - that is a sentence that might induce business. :)

Either way, learn more about the Earthcraft Green Home Tour at the Blue Ridge Home Builders’ site.

April 17, 2008 | Filed Under Albemarle, Charlottesville, Green | 9 Comments 

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