Going Green Saves on Utility Costs and Increases Home Value

Going green became the 2010 "buzz word" among the still-upwardly-mobile group.  In 2011, businesses are recreating themselves around the Green Theme.  Home improvements always include some type of greening to the home.  Wether it's water recapture, garden rain collection, sources of energy, dual pane windows, solar panels, certified energy efficient appliances, low impact plumbing, and indigenous foliages selections for the garden, everyone's talking green.

While I intend to create a community web page showing our neighbors implementation of various green improvements to their home, here are some links for you.  The links include government ratings and commissions, a residential architect specializing in green techniques, and a variety of do-it-yourself greening web-sites.

If you would like to contribute information to your neighbors about cost saving and value added improvements to this page, email it so me, and I will set up a blog for the Chatsworth and Northridge Communities toward this purpose.

Here are those links.....

www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/raingarden_design/whatisaraingarden.htm

Daniel Beatty at Enviro Plumbing in Santa Monica was extremely knowledgeable and happy to talk to me about my options - and he seems to know all the pitfalls of trying to reclaim water in Los Angeles. http://www.enviroplumbing.com/index.html

A book that is recommended as a great primer on water reclamation link is:

http://www.amazon.com/Design-Water-Rainwater-Harvesting-Stormwater/dp/0865715807/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278348618&sr=1-1

Build It Green offers unbaised evaluations:  www.builditgreen.org

Here are some rating systems for homebuyers:

Green Building Council is a non-profit community: http://www.usgbc.org

Green Globes http://www.greenglobes.com is an assessment and rating system. 

Working with LEEDs for Homes, a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification offers an unbiased green home inspection for (prospective) buyers. 

The USGBC has created REGREEN, in partnership with the American Society of Interior Designers Foundation.  Thinking about that remodelling?  Check here for tips on "greening" your home improvement:

http://www.greenhomeguide.org/guide_for_green_renovation/index.html in partnership with the American Society of Interior Designers Foundation.

Well, there is www.energsystar.gov?appliances, and folatile organic compounds (paint, for instance)website:  www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

Email me to tell me if you have other worthy websites to contribute to the neighborhood, or can recommend construction companies who work with this concept and I will post it here.  Thanks!