Hi janeAnne - what an interesting idea this is!  I'm going to be checking back so I learn more about eco-building and the things that go into an 'eco-friendly home'.  Great idea for a challenge!

Ann

Wow janeAnne, I am not an building green expert but I have been around a lot. I am working on my list now!

If money were no object, I would have a windmill on every street and it would supply at least 30 percent of the energy for each house on the street.

If money were no object I would have the most expensive energy efficient appliances which means German or Swedish? lol

If money were no object I would have my house weatherized.

Wow,  You think BIG!  :)  I am working on mine this weekend...

Great Idea -- I am with Ann I have much to learn!  

Ann~ 

Just think about your "dream-kitchen"...or maybe that (organic?) garden watered by a rain-catchment system and you'll start imagining possibilities...and please do check back...this should be a livley challenge...and fun

Leslie~ 

I can hardly wait to see your list! I bet it will have orognci fabrics and low VOC paints in it somewhere...good things for Stagers to consider, eh?

Carole~

 I'm repeating your If money were no object list here because it is delicious. . .

•  I would have a windmill on every street and it would supply at least 30 percent of the energy for each house on the street.
• If money were no object I would have the most expensive energy efficient appliances which means German or Swedish? lol
• If money were no object I would have my house weatherized.

LOVE the concept you propose of giving back to an entire community...what is free, anyway...wind...I can see how this could be applied to solar power as well...I wonder if Brad Pitt and his Team are incorporating your idea into the Lower 9th Ward Project... 

Give me a couple more lists...you are on to something here!

Stephanie~ 

I can hardly wait to read what you come up with. I bet it will be an awesome list.I'll give you a hint right now what will be on my list...and it hasd to do with warm feet in the winter =)

janeAnne, Is this a REAL contest with prizes and all? OK, I'll play. What are the rules and where do I post?

Bill Roberts

If money were no object i would give it all away to the needed.

Thanks janeAnne, I had no idea that Brad and I had so much in common! What is Brad going to think when he gets this google alert? It's possible! And our clients who follow us - wow. They are going to know where we stand for sure.

Thank you for all you do janeAnne!

If money were no object... but taste was:

• Active Solar water heating, and power generation.
• Passive solar heating and cooling.
• Xeriscaping. 
  
• Intelligent house systems to reduce energy usage.
• Landscape design to reduce heating a cooling loads.

Where should we submit our wish list...eco-all stars I'm assuming?

This is great...make sure to check out my list!!!

janeAnne,

The Govenor of Colorado is Going to Heat and Cool the Govenor's Mansion with Ground Water, The first Govenor's Mansion in the Nation to go GREEN.

Governor Ritter rocks and his heart is in the right place! http://www.colorado.gov/energy/greening/index.asp He is greening Colorado for sure.

Dena,

Along with Gov Ritter, Denver is Going Green, Thanks to Mayor Hickenlooper (We Rock in Colorado)

We are going to have a green initative in New Hampshire.  Cost seems to be a big factor -- so to be able to forget the $$$ is going to be a lot of fun!  What a great idea.

Jane Anne, I can see it now, Dena and Brad and you on a podium :-)

Yah, that's going to happen. 3C you're invited to take pictures of it when it happens.

I will be there with bells on :-)

You know how cities are wifi ing all over the place? Well they should be windmilling instead.  Really! 

Janneanne, this is a great post. Today I will drive thru where all the pink house are located in the 9th ward. I am hold open house in Arabi, LA. Another hard hit area. Brad Pitt has certainly put his money and time where is mouth is. He nows lives in New Orleans. He is an inspiration to us all.

It sounds like there are some FANTASTIC ideas brewing!!!

Colleen~

You are one of the most astute members of this community , at least in my opinion, in understanding the basic principles of sustainability- after-all...you kept us all going with your moderating skills for a very ling time! THX!  so...if you could have any home you wanted...no expenses spared...but only eco-freindly...I bet you would love almost $0 energy costs....let me know =)

Bill~

You asked...what are the rules and where do you post...

• USE THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW TO TELL US 5 elements you would include in your eco-friendly home...
• OR   simply add the-URL  to your post  in the comment section below . Please tag your-post (if you decide to do an entire post) "PINK" and ALSO add the URL in the comment section here

• PRIZES: No prizes...(not unless someone lobbies BOB to help us out with some points) just the good feeling of being in the "pink" as we race towards 2008...and maybe some good energy sent down the the Lower 9th Ward...

Robert~

Obviously you have much in common with Brad Pitt, as well. YAY...two good guys!
It makes sense to share the gifts we receive with others...Brad Pitt is insisting on eco-friendly homes...what would you like to see included in these homes? Possibly energy efficient appliances?

Dena~

Love your post on the subject...be sure to leave us a synopsis here as well as the link to the entire post...and THANK YOU for all you do...

Lane~ 

I am mightily impressed with your lsit...so much so that I am going to repeat it here...

If money were no object... but taste was:

• Active Solar water heating, and power generation.
• Passive solar heating and cooling.
• Xeriscaping. 
  
• Intelligent house systems to reduce energy usage.
• Landscape design to reduce heating a cooling loads.

Tell us what about windmills, though...that Carole mentioned....as opposed to solar power

Dane~

You asked...where do you post...

• Please just go ahead and USE THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW
• OR   simply add the-URL  to your post  in the comment section below . Please tag your-post (if you decide to do an entire post) "PINK" and ALSO add the URL in the comment section here

By the way....I find the philosophy of your company mighty intriguing..."The 2 Hounds Design + Home Staging philosophy is to create drama for the potential buyers to see how they could live if they bought your property."

I bet you will have some very attractive ideas to share!

Dena~ and Jane~ 

I had no idea that Colorado was advancing in the "green" direction at the Executive Level!, no less ...thanks for the heads-up...

janeAnne - I'm not a huge windmill in the neighborhood fan.  I don't want to live under one, and I know that they will have a heavy NIMBY effect (Not In My BackYard). 

On the other hand, active solar can be hidden in a house, no matter the style.  I have heard of some roofing materials now that incorporate solar photo-voltaic cells and are almost indistinguishable from standard roofing.  

Passive solar is an entire design philosophy, but things like sun-rooms and courtyards can be used to distribute air and light around the house.  Overhangs can block heat during the summer, but allow solar heating in the winter.

Xeriscaping to save water... and make for a lower maintenance level... obvious choice.  But, by using native plants, it can still be quite attractive.  The overall landscaping can use little things like trees that block solar heat gain in the yard during the summer, but allow it during the winter.  Blocking prevailing winds to allow the house to have a heat island is another option. 

And, since I am a tool guy, what could be better than tools and technology turning things off and on, as well as optimizing everything to run more efficiently.   

I've cleverly placed my summary within this URL, see if you can find it. http://activerain.com/blogsview/298680/We-won-the-pink  bet you can! te he he......

Here is mine.  

I think we have to go the windmill route here to have it make good sense but I could be wrong. All I know is six months out of the year sunshine is at a premium in NE OH

Jane Anne, been thinking a lot about this, and I think we could all get used to seeing windmills. I mean, we got used to telephone poles. Yes, newer housing communities limit them, but in reality, I live with them every day (the poles) and never even blink about it. And saving money and energy is such a good reason to learn to live with them.

Joan~ 

I am looking forward to seeing your post. I was also interested to read that there will be a "green initiative" in New Hampshire! That's exciting-news. Please keep us informed.

3C and DS~

You know what they say about "visualization"!!! I'm ready of you are ;-)

Frank~

Very exciting that you are right near the Pink Project. Please keep us informed with a first-hand account. ...and let us know what you would include in an eco-friendly home.

Lane~

I appreciate your knowledge and depth of knowledge about green-nifties. Feels to me that your comment above could be an entire post..."How Come Solar?"  you wrote, ". . .  active solar can be hidden in a house, no matter the style.  I have heard of some roofing materials now that incorporate solar photo-voltaic cells and are almost indistinguishable from standard roofing.  

Passive solar is an entire design philosophy, but things like sun-rooms and courtyards can be used to distribute air and light around the house.  Overhangs can block heat during the summer, but allow solar heating in the winter."

still....

Carole expressed concern that up there in Cleveland, 6 months of the year may be w/o sun...

any ideas about that?

Everyone~

Stephanie and Dena have placed their entries ..I will keep tract and make a list of all posts so that they are in one place...here is the start:

Dena

Stephanie "Here is mine.  "

In the meantime,

Carole~

Good point about getting used to seeing objects that supply us with power/services....like telephone poles....How about this one? Certain areas of the country could work well with small wind systems.

####

janeAnne, I feel like a child just starting kindergarten.  Yes, I've seen 'An Inconvenient Truth" and we recycle just about everything possible, I use cloth bags at the market and we had Xeriscaping in our So. Calif. home  but I can't wait to learn all about building green.  I just found the info about "Ecobroker.  Is this a good way to learn the basics of building green? 

Everyone~

Bob has authorized special prizes for this In the PINK" Challenge!

1) Enter from 12/09/07  until 12/19/07.

2) Put your entry here in this COMMENT section...and/or do an entire post
and put the URL here in this  comment section.

3)  1,000 points for the winner, 500 for second, 300 for third............also, everyone that enters gets 200 (in addition to the automatic 200) for entering. ...

Please email janeAnne (me) if you can help judge the entries.

  janeAnne,  I like the picture you added.  :)

Wow ... this will be fun!!  If only I could spend like money's no object!

Ok ...

1. Solar panels to power the entire house with copper water pipes throughout the house to warm the house during the winter.
2. Eco-friendly, landscaping to help with keeping the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter with lots of native trees and plants - which will invite wildlife.
3. High energy efficient appliances in the kitchen, and hot water, A/C and Heating (if needed in LA)
4. Construction with eco-friendly materials, themo-triple pane windows, and I would hire a construction company that doesn't waste materials.
5. Since I love ponds with frogs and fish - a large koi pond with frogs to help control mosquitos - and enjoy while I relax in my all season sunroom.

I want this house!!  :)

Oooo....I like Rita's idea of a koi pond! I'll come back to keep checking what others come up with....if I could...anything to keep my house cool...anything to lower energy costs. Okay...I'm trying :)

If I could build a dream house in New Orleans it would include:

1) Solar power panel with batteries to store excess power

2) Water purification systems

3) A house on pylons that could move up with flood waters. The pylons should go down to bedrock

4) A home with emergency communication systems powered by the battery power

5) A home built with green materials that can survive off the grid for extened period of time.

Greg Cooper is VP of Marketing at

<a href="http://www.goldwasserteam.com">Goldwasser Austin Real Estate</a>.

<a href="http://www.goldwasserteam.com">Goldwasser Austin Real Estate</a>

Here is mine, and I am planning to build it myself someday.

1. Use building materials and systems to acheive a net zero energy home.
2. Rainwater collection system 
3. State of the art Energy star appliances in a dream kitchen.
4. Handheld automation system that controls mechanical systems, security and audio/video entertainment
5. And.. My wife wants radiant heat in the floors throughout the house.

• Electric energy source such as; solar, wind, geothermal or ocean/river current.  Which ever is most applicable.
• If the climate permits, an edible garden and possibly a green roof to provide food for the homeowner and community as well as cooling specific parts of the home.
• Passive cooling & heating.  Proper sun orientation to take best advantage of passive heating accompanied with adequate thermal mass.  Utilize passive cooling with a thoughtful floor plan.
• Sustainable and non-toxic materials used throughout home.  Proper air circulation to avoid excessive moisture and as many local building materials and furnishings as possible from renewable sources.
• Recycling of waste/trash.  Thoughtful storage of recyclable waste until it's properly disposed of and/or on site usage of waste.  Such as a compositor or greywater system.

          My "Green" Blog      Linked In      Myspace      Facebook      EcoBroker®

apparently you can leave a comment when you're not signed in?  yeah... how embarrassing. thanks

• Electric energy source such as; solar, wind, geothermal or ocean/river current.  Which ever is most applicable.
• If the climate permits, an edible garden and possibly a green roof to provide food for the homeowner and community as well as cooling specific parts of the home.
• Passive cooling & heating.  Proper sun orientation to take best advantage of passive heating accompanied with adequate thermal mass.  Utilize passive cooling with a thoughtful floor plan.
• Sustainable and non-toxic materials used throughout home.  Proper air circulation to avoid excessive moisture and as many local building materials and furnishings as possible from renewable sources.
• Recycling of waste/trash.  Thoughtful storage of recyclable waste until it's properly disposed of and/or on site usage of waste.  Such as a compositor or greywater system.

          My "Green" Blog      Linked In      Myspace      Facebook      EcoBroker®

So, I guess now I have to write a post to enter...  

Even Cleveland doesn't go 6 months without sun... it just feels that way.  I have family in the area, and I've been there every time of the year, and in all sorts of weather... there is always sun.  

But, the point is...

Look around your subdivision.  Think how radically the landscape would be changed if there were a windmill or two for EVERY HOUSE.  Next, think of the cost of the systems.  In addition to the power generation mechanics, there would be towers and all of the support stuff.  Apartment complex?  I don't even want to think about the disruption to the viewshed. 

I wouldn't say that people should think they could go off grid for their solar power, but rather use it to lower the demands on other generation.  And think about it... the sun is probably shining on the days that give you the highest electric bills... A/C isn't cheap. 

This is a great subject and contest. Our office just listed nine green homes here in Marin and we went through a training session on the homes - so much potential!

1)  Solar Panels which allow the home owner to enjoy the direct benefit of the solar energy and the savings when they are able to use the surplus solar credit during low solar energy seasons - this will be a constant reminder for the home owners and encourage them to continue saving energy

2). Low flow toilets where there are two low-flow water volume depending on the contents (nice way to put it)

3). Water conservation landscape to incorporate native plants and drought resistant plants

4). Extra thick insulation, low e double pane windows.

5). Green building matrial to imporve air quality

Sylvia Barry, Marin Realtor

www.FirstMarinHomes.com

Diane~

You asked about ECO education for real estate professionals.  As REALTOR® rin North Carolina, and obviously one who is intereted in the "eco-savvy"  community, you are lucky to be able to participate in the NCREC designated course offered for NC ECO certification. It is a 36 hour hands-on course approved by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.  That 36 hour course   makes it clear that sustainable homes reflect attention to detail which ultimately results in a top notch product in high demand by residential property clients.

Stephanie~

I thought YOU would like the photo =)...How about creating an entire  Lower 9th Ward eco-village?...give me your ideas about THAT.

Rita~ 

I had no idea you liked frogs! Ribbbittt! RibIT!

Isn't it exciting, as a real estate professionals, to "imagineer" energy efficient and healthy living spaces? If you and I say "I WANT THIS!" -as you did in your comment above, then it's easy to understand how exciting the prospect is to our clients...

Sally~ 

I read your BLOG every day. Every day I find the creative masterpiece you shared with us and with the wider audiences. I just know that if you decided to create a home ($$$ no object) that included the concepts of sustainable innovation, that it would be a BEAUT!  You go Girl!

I posted my response to my blog because it's lengthly.  http://activerain.com/blogsview/303443/5-Things-for-Brad.  I really think Brad's got to be thinking of the home owners' future.  Green Building should proven and be marketable, not bizarre or cutting edge, this isn't a "test case" in some green laboratory.  This is a new start for real people. 

So I took my head out of the clouds, and asked "what would I really do, if $ were no object".  There are plenty of green techniques to use before we post up windmills and bio-digestors all over the place.  Please read my post and tell me what you think.

Greg~

good luck with the CHALLENGE!

As I read your post,  I could envision the project in New Orleans from your perspective and I felt inspired. Your plan moves one step further...almost to the overall vision of an eco-village. I'm repeating (just for good-measure)....

1) Solar power panel with batteries to store excess power

2) Water purification systems

3) A house on pylons that could move up with flood waters. The pylons should go down to bedrock

4) A home with emergency communication systems powered by the battery power

5) A home built with green materials that can survive off the grid for extended period of time

###

Okay, here is my post to enter this contest. I love a challenge!

Link to post: http://activerain.com/blogsview/303434/-Dreaming-A-Little

Brian~ 

I'm with your wife! Radiant floor heat! YES!...but the rest of your inclusions in your green-dream home make just as much sense...and they do NOT seem that expensive!!

Stephanie!

Oh! Totally. i agree...in fact...if it is OK with you......I'm adding a little more spice to the original post...check it out!

Evan~ 

You are the first to mention an edible garden and also the first to mention a green roof! BOTH of these elements intirgue me. So...a couple questions:  If you lived in New Orleans, for example...what would be in the edible garden?...and can you have a green roof in New Orleans given the extrmes of heat and rainfall?

Lane~ 

I appreciate your contribution to this conversation. Yo don't have to write a full post, but given your knowledge and energy for this subject...how about TWO?? One for yourself...and one for the folks int he Lower 9th Ward...=)

Thank you rain gods, er,um Bob!  Now let's make a difference!

Hi JaneAnne and everyone...

Follow my link to read my Pink Christmas Wish List! 

Have a reNEWable Year! 

janeAnne- I just wrote the full post for inclusion in the Pink Challenge.  Enjoy. 

my money is no object eco-house:

1.hydrofluorocarbon-free refrigerator

2. smart system - monitors found in every room of the house as an information window to use to control and manage energy appliances usage in the house as well as monitor security.

3. Living Wall biofilter

4. smog eating coatings on light emitting walls (yes, this is actually being developed in nanotech architecture)

5. self cleaning windows

Just as a bonus...a giant solar powered disco ball

Anne, I seriously substituted my Solar Hot Water heater with a Living wall. Love the idea.

I would install active solar panels and a tankless water heater and upgrade my appliances

I like the practical part of this contest. As in we have a tangible goal. Other contests that have rolled around the Rain were great, I just like the practicality of this one. As a group we are very powerful, we could and should use our power to promote change when we can. It's one thing to try to gain points it's another to say any number of real estate professionals worked together for a common goal and accomplished it.

I'd like to suggest that at the end of this contest we all individually send our posts to local newspapers, magazines or what ever. We aren't writing in a vacuum!

Sylvia~

THANKS for your entry in the $$$ no object eco-friendly December Challenge... 

I noticed that you ( and almost everyone so far)  would opt for solar panels if they could...very interesting...do I see a trend here?

Ben~

Thanks for your entry...a whole post on your BLOG.

As I read your post, I was struck with the integrity I found there...You wrote a bout authentic practices in sustainable innovation...as you said..."not just green washing"

You hit a very sensitive point for me there...a tendency to market what seems to be popular...use "green" for marketing purposes only...this could well be a discussion that needs further exploration as the trend toward "green' grows...

Bonnie~ 

I just read your full post! Loved the graphics and the idea you stressed...that dreaming makes dreams come true...Thanks for your entry, Bonnie...and good luck!

Mary~

Your post/entry ...an in-depth look at sustainable innovation that I wil