EarthMoment - Shop and get Carbon Offsets - 10/26/08 05:24 PM
Carbon offsets represent investments that reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon offsets typically include investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. They are one way to begin to make a difference in influencing climate change. Personally, I am not a huge fan of this approach but it definitely beats doing nothing and it provides funding for efforts to do more.
That said, many of us do a fair amount of online shopping. http://EarthMoment.comoffers an opportunity to get carbon offsets when making purchases from more than 1.000 online vendors including Target, Sears, Macy's, PetSmart and Barnes and Noble. You pay no … (9 comments)

Home Improvements for Energy Efficiency - 10/23/08 04:59 PM
The first step should be to make sure that you have adequate insulation and weather stripping in place. That low cost improvement can save an amazing amount of utility money by itself.
It may take a bite out of your savings, but upgrading your HVAC system can be  a no-brainer from a financial standpoint. Installing energy efficient furnaces and air conditioners for example can cut a home's energy consumption by 50% if you have, like I did, the original 30 year old furnace that came with the house. New energy efficient windows can save a homeowner $300-$400 a year. A programmable thermostate can help accomplish … (2 comments)

Samuel Mockbee and an Architechture of Decency - 10/09/08 02:33 AM
Given the current confusion in the housing market, I found myself looking for a different way to view the the context of the places we live. I picked up a book I have not looked at for a while RURAL STUDIO
It tells the story of a teacher, his students and a poor community in Alabama. The teacher is Samuel Mockbee and the students are his architecture students at Auburn University. The introduction explains that Mockbee believes that his profession has an ehical responsibility to improve living conditions for the poor. To that end, he inspired his students to create real buildings … (3 comments)

Preparing for Winter - 10/07/08 12:39 PM
Rocky Mountain Institutes's Home Energy Briefs (HEBs) are a series of nine practical guides describing what the average homeowner can do to save energy. These reports give paople easy to understand ways can save on energy use in their homes and part of the funding for the reports came from the National Association or Realtors. They are available at http://nc.rmi.org/Page.aspx?pid=217
Report number 4 is about Space Heating. The 8 page report includes tips on:
 passive heating and heat loss types of space heating systems sizing and installation of space heating systems considerations for replacing space heating systems Report Number 1 is about the building envelope … (4 comments)

Easy ways to Increase Storage in Small Spaces - 10/03/08 12:58 PM
One of the simple ways to live comfortably in a small space is to use the space in the most sfficient way possible. Organization is always a good thing, but in a small space it is also an essential requirement for maintaining sanity.
Consider a Murphy Bed if you have a studio or you have a guest room that needs to double as an office or other workspace when not being used for that purpose Invest in closet organizers-whether you create your own from components found in your local home improvement center or you decide to splurge on a custom design … (4 comments)

 
Deb-small-0044

Deb Hurt, ABR, e-Pro,Green, TRC

Albuquerque, NM

More about me…

Realty Pro Albuquerque

Address: 6700 Jefferson NE , Suite C-2, Albuquerque, NM, 87109

Office Phone: (505) 892-4400

Cell Phone: (505) 321-0562

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My blog is as much about a philosophy of life and living as it is about real estate as a business. E.F. Shumacher subtitled his book SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL "Economics as if People Mattered" In the real estate industry we realize that people matter and that where they live matters. We now also have a larger responsiblity, I believe, to get them to consider HOW they live. Everyone in the developed world using less energy and resources makes it possible for those who have access to neither to experience a better life and to make the difference between their being able to having a roof overhead or not or for their children to eat or not. 



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