In reply to the annual Green is Red Hot Challenge here on Active Rain, I will venture the idea that Critical Thinking is the thing that is RED HOT IN GREEN REAL ESTATE this year.

People are hearing all sorts of things that remind them of the foolishness of the investment market over the last few years, and in response people are THINKING. People are noticing that a five dollar tube of caulk might be the best money that they can invest in their home, but that the best return on investment will always be the little life-style choices like turning down the air conditioning or planning trips to run errands. People are questioning things like green advertising claims, stuff like “clean coal” and maybe even the term “renewable energy.”

The idea that we do have an impact on the world is a big idea and it is spreading. Maybe even fast enough that our expectations of normal life will not need to be radically altered. People are thinking about the fact that the changes that are taking place all around the world, whether caused by us humans or not, are not going to end the world, but they sure could end our civilizations. And that even if those changes were happening independent of our thoughtless excesses, we would do well to work on countering the changes before they change our way of living for us… I look at it like people fighting and hating each other over origin beliefs; missing the point that people need to help each other to thrive no matter how we got here.

Science has taken a back seat to spin over the last few years, but science is coming back. People are seeing the interconnectivity of the world around them. The idea that “oil” has peaked has got the average person thinking about energy and interestingly, sometimes even the thought that efficiency is even more important than new “sources.”

I for one welcome this “Thinking!” It means a subtle shift instead of a violent shift. It means doing things locally and efficiently, and it takes the big picture into account.

Bring on the THINKING!