The gist of this fine editorial seems to be, “Oh, Come on!.” Regarding massive, “green” houses:These houses aren’t just ridiculous; they’re monuments to sanctimony. If architecture is frozen music, these places are congealed piety, demonstrating with embarrassing concreteness the glaring hypocrisy of upper-class environmentalism. The sad thing is that, by pouring so much money into ostentatious eco-design, the people who built homes like this have purchased status at the cost of doing some real environmental good.Bear in mind that merely building a gigantic house consumes an enormous amount of energy and other resources, which is why it costs so much to do so. Situating a home all by itself on a large piece of land, far from the pre-existing community infrastructure, does not make it a model of environmentally conscious design. And having a second home–which takes nearly a day of driving to reach–is unlikely to make a dent in global warming.Now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a large house, lots of privacy or a vacation home, but how can we pretend that these places exemplify some standard of eco-design that others should aspire to? Well said.
Browsing Category Green
Morning Reading (a bit of green)
Interest Rates, not home prices have the greatest impact on “affordability”Simple things to do to prepare your house for the market.Homebuilders’ incentives – this is going to be a more common theme in 2006Perhaps most interesting, “Ready for Everything under the Solar Panel” (thanks to Natural Home & Garden blog). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the segment of the market that caters to and specializes in sustainable/renewable/efficient energy and building is poised for significant growth.
Energy-effficient mortgages
Via Inman News:A relatively unknown financing option called the “energy efficient mortgage” might help consumers keep their homes cozy as well as keep the bills down. And after the first of the year, Uncle Sam will even kick in incentives, in the form of tax credits, for home energy improvements, Bankrate.com tells us. Created by Fannie Mae, the EEM dates back to the Carter administration, though the program was updated in 2002. The tax credits are included in the 2005 energy bill. (Inman News first reported about the energy-efficient mortgage online in 2001; we announced that Countrywide offered such a mortgage.)With an energy efficient mortgage, Bankrate tells us, a home is inspected and scored by a certified energy rater for about $300. Then, the cost of improvements, such as a new furnace, more insulation or newer windows that would improve the score, is rolled into the loan. Even though mortgage payments are higher, lower utility bills result in a home that is cheaper to operate. Lower monthly bills also enable the homeowner to qualify for a larger mortgage.”… This is the type of thing that will, hopefully, set me apart.
Wind energy right in our backyard
Following up on my new study for my Eco-Broker certification, I see this article about a Charlottesville company, Greenlight Energy:In the next two years, a Virginia company hopes to pump upward of $400 million into what could be Colorado’s largest wind farm on private grazing land near Grover in northeast Colorado.

Greenlight Energy Inc. of Charlottesville, Va., is planning the Cedar Creek Wind Energy Project on several hundred acres adjacent to Pawnee National Grassland to take advantage of some of the best wind in the country. 
Green technologies are next. They seem to be good for our environment, and ultimately good for business.
Green buildings’ footings take hold
It is interesting that the DP presents this story about energy-efficient construction the same week that I start the Eco-Broker course. There is so much to learn, and I am hoping that I will be one of the few to embrace this trend early…. From my EcoBroker course material (see if you think of Charlottesville, too):Marketing the energy and environmental features of real estate may be more naturally successful in communities which are already aware of the financial, environmental, and comfort-related benefits of other greener products and services. 
 The success of the organic food market is an example of consumer support for healthier lifestyle choices and sustainable practices. Understanding the markets in which the organic food industry has flourished provides insights into markets that may more readily understand the benefits of energy efficiency in real estate. As a result of increased awareness and current activity in related industries, there are geographic markets which have a higher propensity to emphasize energy-efficient and environmental design features…. Why would you want to buy a “green home”?Some of the Piedmont Housing Authority’s new homes are going to be energy efficient. Crozet has the first fully-compliant energy efficient home in Virginia.