Thanks to all those that came to the Green Committee's January presentation featuring a knowledgeable panel of experts. Many new concepts were presented and we are grateful to the speakers that shared with us: Robin Pharo, owner of Healthy Homes and Director of Green Built Home Program; Paul Dominie of Coyle Carpets; Laura Paprocki, of Perfect Environmental Performance; Sara Alvarado, of Alvarado Real Estate Group and Sona Olson, of SonaVco Group/Keller Williams Realty. A big thank you to the event sponsor, Homestead Title too!

Robin Pharo gave an overview of the Green Built Home program: how it works, how builders use it for new construction and how homeowners use it when remodeling their homes and the process of certifying remodeled homes with the Green Built Home certification (which is a Wisconsin Builders Association endorsed certification program that incorporates third party verification and is a nationally recognized program). We also learned about the importance of third party verification from Paul Dominie and that what is labeled Green isn't always the best product/practice out there which means consumers need to be doing their homework. Laura Paprocki gave a great presentation on the process of a homeowner getting a home performance audit on their home, how that process works and the value of knowing how well your home works as a system and what improvements can make the most difference for energy efficiency. Sara Alvarado explained how Realtors® can incorporate the green movement into their business and in meeting customer needs/wants and how our MLS has helped by adding the necessary tools to provide accurate information to our clients. Come to the Blitz on March 12th to learn more about eco friendly features in a home, how to green your business and what environmentally savvy consumers are looking for in their Realtor®! And watch for more events from the Green Committee throughout 2009.