December 2008
Message
from Headquarters
Evergreen,
Colorado
All the best to you and yours from EcoBroker,
We’ve had another great
year, an amazing year, in fact our biggest year ever. EcoBroker has met
a challenging market head-on, and we believe that sharing the green real
estate space and encouraging new players is the right thing to do for
clients and families across the country. We continue to be the most
innovative and comprehensive training program for real estate
professionals everywhere who want to incorporate green practices in
their business. And, we’re number one with the consumer market,
according to LOHAS Magazine. Because of our leadership position in the
green market space and because of our level of quality training,
EcoBroker membership continues
to grow and distinguish itself with the best of real estate practices,
the best of community service, and the best of what we all love about
real estate: networks; communities; and people. In fact, EcoBroker has
more than doubled in size, with membership growing from close to 2,500
in 2007 to 5,000 by the end of 2008. The EcoBroker designation continues
to attract the most innovative, independent, hard-working, insightful,
customer and community service-oriented real estate professionals in the
industry. Since 2002, we’ve seen some amazing things. EcoBrokers®
have always been the pioneers and early adopters in the energy and
environmental (green) real estate space, and it’s starting to pay off in
the form of consumer trust in the brand. Maybe it really does take half
a dozen different mentions in the Wall Street Journal and literally
millions of mentions beyond; but EcoBroker is now well on its way as a
trusted brand consumers and investors understand. You’ve earned this
trust and recognition, and we intend to do everything in our power to
help you maintain your competitive advantage.
In 2008, we elected to remain independent. We want to thank you for the
encouragement and support you’ve offered us. If more community and
environmental good comes from new competitive entrants in the
marketplace, then we welcome it. We are most impressed with how
supportive and insightful you have been regarding the industry, valuing
perseverance and enthusiasm, our vision and innovative practices, and
our independence. It means a great deal. Thank you.
There are several defined
forces that made this year and all its challenges easier. First and
foremost, the EcoBroker membership is the most vibrant, innovative,
spirited, and enthusiastic group of professionals with whom many of us
have ever been associated. It is so easy to be proud and genuinely
impressed with the degree of professionalism and heart that EcoBrokers®
bring to the workplace every day. The press realizes it. Consumers
realize it. The energy and environmental industries realize it. Public
and private sector stakeholders cannot help but be impressed with your
growth and the substantive community work you are doing to transform
real estate markets. Though competition is now interested in the energy
and environmental (green) real estate space EcoBrokers have helped build
over the last six years, nobody can take away the great work you’ve done
or the trusted brand you’ve grown from grass roots. Only you are
EcoBrokers®; and the respect and recognition you now receive
from real estate consumers, investors, and millions of others is respect
that you’ve earned and deserve.
The second force making
these challenging times easier is that we’re still innovating and
growing; we’re still building competitive advantages in our global real
estate marketplace. It’s exciting to see the most recent generation of
the EcoBroker® designation curriculum readying for launch. To
see how much the curriculum has grown and how much the new EcoBroker 3.0
means to all the people involved is inspiring. The award-winning
curriculum is even better now. We’re incredibly grateful to the
international team of energy, environmental, real estate, legal,
marketing, sales, and educational professionals (as well as countless
members) whose input has brought the EcoBroker curriculum to where it is
today. Stride-for-stride with these educational advances come the
equally exciting innovations our Membership Services team is
introducing: a new robust and expanded array of offerings for our
members. In the first quarter of 2009, you will see technologies,
services, and access we were not able to offer when we had only 24
members; but we can offer it now with 5,000 members! We look forward to
EcoBrokers® reaping the benefits that some of our most
trusted strategic partners are lining up. They’re doing this because
they care and because they see from our growth that progress is
occurring. They know that you are the ones doing well by the consumer,
your communities, and our environment. They know how unique and special
EcoBrokers® are.
So, thank you for the
past six great years. It’s onward and upward in 2009 and beyond. You
have earned the right to call yourselves EcoBrokers® and we
are honored to have the opportunity to serve you. Keep up the great
work; and we’re right alongside you.
All the best to you and yours for a warm holiday season and happy,
healthy new year.
Sincerely,
John A. Beldock, Ph.D.
EcoBroker Update: In this Issue
Washington's Green Stimulus Package?
EcoBroker Social Media Sites Launched
Build Green Business With EcoBroker's Online Tools
Environmental Headlines
Will Obama Integrate Food, Farming & Health Policies?
Taboo Talk In Green Business: Buy Less Stuff
"Green" Real Estate Headlines
Virtual Home is the First Step: HomelessNation.
org
SmartHome Hopes to Build Enthusiasm for A Green Lifestyle
How to Stay Relevant with Social Technology
Financing Retrofits for All, II
Contact Us
Do you have questions, suggestions or articles for the EcoBroker
Update? Please contact us with your comments.
Washington’s Green Stimulus Package?
By Ryan Moehring
Last month we discussed the vitality of the green industry, even amid the starkest financial outlook since the great depression. Since that time, we’ve seen the treasury department continue to invest $250 billion in financial institutions, hoping that they would take the money and lend it to other banks, small businesses and individuals, thereby freeing an otherwise frozen credit market. To date, those efforts have largely failed, as banks have not increased lending. Instead, they have chosen to buy other healthy financial institutions or hold on to the cash to bolster their savings and hedge against future market fluctuations.
We have also seen the country’s three largest automobile manufacturers travel to Washington to ask for their own financial bailout. The companies claim that the economic downturn has damaged them so fundamentally that they now need a capital infusion to prevent bankruptcy—and no one, they claim, wants to buy a car from a bankrupt company. Though no plan has been finalized, the bill currently moving through Congress has a $14 billion price tag.
Now, if the financial and automobile industries (two of the cornerstones of the American economy) need billions of dollars to survive, and the green industry continues to thrive despite a credit vacuum and dismal consumer confidence, doesn’t that make green building and its supporting industries an attractive investment? The incoming Obama administration believes so.
Apart from the financial and automobile bailouts, nearly every expert believes that the incoming administration also needs to approve an economic stimulus plan. Cost estimates for the current plan range between $500 and $600 billion, which would be used to provide emergency assistance to states facing deficits, more money for food stamps and Medicare, and funds for energy retrofits to existing public and private buildings.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid has stated that funds to create green jobs could reach as high as $100 billion. This news has environmentally conscious businesses and state- and city-level policymakers already lining up for a piece of the action. Insulation giant Owens Corning is already lobbying for tax cuts to encourage the weatherization of older homes. According to their spokesperson, Jason Saragian, “There are 80 million under-insulated homes in the United States." Citing the fact that buildings emit 42 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gasses, Saragian also said, “Weatherization is a huge opportunity to cut energy use.”
Raleigh, N.C. mayor, Charles Meeker, also has hopes to receive some of the stimulus money for green projects in his city. Among the 44 projects already identified by the city as good candidates for stimulus funding is the Clarence E. Lightner Public Safety Center. The $226 million building has been designed to meet gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED program, and its energy upgrades are projected to save the city over $600,000 annually. Other notable projects include solar thermal water heating integration in several public facilities and a $2.5 million photovoltaic array at a wastewater treatment plant, capable of producing one to three megawatts of electricity.
Ten years ago, not only would we not have seen mayors solicit federal
funds for green projects, they likely would not have been taken
seriously. One could argue that to achieve meaningful change more of the
stimulus money should be dedicated to green projects, and they may be
correct. However, what we are seeing is a fundamental shift in the way
the American people and our government view green building. No longer is
it a fragile industry on the periphery. It has embedded itself into the
foundation of our economy and has become one of the safest investments
in a time of fear and uncertainty. For those of us who earn a living in
the green industry, that’s good news.
Sources:
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2008/12/15/daily17.html
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.banks16dec16,0,4125638.story
http://greenbiz.com/blog/2008/12/02/recession-green-fix
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aGZs6vevDXyg&refer=home
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-12-15-Pelosi_N.htm
http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/2758601.html
http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-heads-state/11680400-1.html
EcoBroker Certified® agents are often recognized for their outstanding community work and no one epitomizes this EcoBroker spirit of involvement more than Meghan Clair of Windermere Real Estate Wailea, LLC in Maui, Hawaii. Clair, a Certified EcoBroker® since October 2007, lives, learns and teaches green building, real estate and sustainable living ideas throughout the community in many ways. She helps write articles for a variety of real estate trade and better living magazines in Hawaii. She has been a prime resource for a number of reports on incorporating green into personal and professional lives. Clair has organized the nationally accredited “Houses That Work” green building seminar on Maui and has volunteered as a team leader for Habitat for Humanity’s green building projects. She has even organized beach restoration and park clean-ups. Additionally, Clair is currently involved in the production of a web-based television show titled “EcoHome,” in which she explains green features in real estate and green remodeling and interviews established green business owners about products specific to the housing and construction industries on Maui. Clair was recently featured in the Maui Weekly, December 17, 2008 article Green House by reporter Jessica Baker. Nice work Meghan! Read the entire article here.
EcoBroker Certified® agent Ofe Polack gives advice in a recent Real Estate Q&A session that appeared in the December 6th issue of the Union Leader. The subject: What a Buyer’s Agent Can do for you When Buying a Home. Polack talks about how a Buyer’s Agent can do everything from locate suitable properties to help muddle through the many contingencies of a contract. Read Ofe’s advice about Buyer’s Agents here.
John Beldock, President and CEO of EcoBroker International, Inc., spoke at this year’s Energy Star Summit in Denver, Colorado, December 2, 2008. Beldock’s presentation offered the audience an exciting and fresh look at the green financing world we’re seeing and what to do about it. Congratulations to Beldock for helping make the Energy Star Summit a smashing success! Reference the 2008 complete E-Star Agenda.
- Have you talked to the press and been quoted in an article? Let us know! We love hearing about and sharing all the great things our EcoBrokers® are doing. Please email Mark at mgashler@ecobroker.com if you would like to appear in next month’s EcoBrokers® In the News section.
Upcoming Events You Won’t Want to Miss!
In the interest of ongoing education and networking, we have compiled a
list of events across the country that EcoBrokers® will enjoy
attending. Attend a conference or expo and you’ll collect
information, meet the experts, bump into like-minded professionals in
real estate and other industries, and potentially interact with
consumers who’ll become your next buyers or sellers! Here are just a few
examples of such events happening around the country. For additional
green events, please visit the EcoBroker website at:
http://www.ecobroker.com/userdef/eventscalendar.htm
-
Go Green Expo
January 23 - 25 – Los Angeles, CA
The Go Green Expo invites both consumers and business owners to make our communities greener, one city at a time.
www.gogreenexpo.com -
The Annual Conference on Clean Air, Mercury, Global Warming & Renewable Energy
February 1 - 4 – Phoenix, AZ
USA's Largest Energy & Environment Conference & Expo
www.euec.com -
RETECH 2009 – Renewable Energy Technology Conference and Exhibition
February 25 - 27 – Las Vegas, NV
Join the premiere trade gathering of the renewable energy industry in the United States. RETECH presents a powerful opportunity to network with industry leaders and companies in wind, solar, hydro, ocean, geothermal, biomass and waste energy, plus the full range of biofuels.
www.retech2009.com -
BuiltGreen Conference 2009
March 6, Seattle, WA
This event features keynote speaker Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a products expo.
www.builtgreenconference.com -
BuildingEnergy09- The Building Energy Conference & Trade Show
March 10 - 12 – Boston, MA
Workshops and sessions by more than 150 experts on a wide range of topics – climate change in the U.S. and abroad, carbon stabilization, high-performance buildings, adaptive re-use, renewables, natural daylighting, near net zero energy buildings, wind power, green design, integrated water systems, solar applications, financing green projects, human health issues, and much more. Hundreds of the latest green products are featured.
www.buildingenergy.nesea.org -
Indiana Building Green Symposium 2009
March 12 - 13, 2009 – Indianapolis, IN
The third annual Indiana Building Green Symposium 2009 brings together nonprofit, education and civic organizations as the largest annual green building event in Indiana. Organizing partners include local chapters of: USGBC; AIA; BOMA; CSI; IIDA; ASHRAE; Ball State; and the Indiana Housing Authority.
http://www.bsu.edu/capic/buildinggreen/ -
Energy Trust Better Living Show
March 27 - 29, 2009 – Portland, OR
The Northwest’s largest sustainable lifestyle show. In case you haven't noticed, green is hip. That means new products, new ideas and evolving attitudes. Now there's an event in Portland where it all comes together in one place. And best yet, admission is FREE! We'll introduce you to businesses and groups in our region that will help you make choices you feel good about. All presented in an entertaining way like you've never seen before. It's simply too good to miss.
http://www.betterlivingshow.org/ -
World Wellness
April 4 – 5, 2009 – Albuquerque, NM
One of the first consumer shows to expand the traditional definitions of “wellness” and “sustainability” into a synchronistic whole by featuring speakers, products and services in its program that are focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. Attendees emerge not only connected to others in their community, but also educated, inspired and empowered to take action during this critical time of global change.
http://www.worldwellness.org -
EARTH DAY
April 22, 2009 - Celebrations everywhere!
http://www.earthday.org -
NAHB National Green Building Conference
May 8 - 10, 2009 – Dallas, TX
Get contacts, tools and ideas that are good for both the environment and your bottom line. The NAHB National Green Building Conference is the only national conference targeted to green building for the mainstream residential building industry.
http://www.nahb.org/conference_details.aspx?conferenceID=59
EcoBroker Social Media Sites Launched
EcoBroker is officially entering the social media world! That’s right,
now you can visit our new blog, our MySpace page and, for our certified
members, a special networking page on the popular Ning web site. Links
to the pages can be found below. Check them out today!
MySpace
– This is one of many tools we plan to in 2009 to help spread the word
to consumers and more real estate professionals about the value of green
real estate and working with a Certified EcoBroker®. Visit
the site, send us a friend request, leave us a comment, and tell all
your friends about it! Check it out here:
http://www.myspace.com/ecobrokerinternational
EcoBroker Blog – Read
headlines about fellow EcoBrokers® across the country who are
making a difference in their communities. Have an idea for a story? Have
you received some exciting press lately? Maybe you or someone you know
is interested in becoming a guest blogger? Let us know! (Coming to the
EcoBroker web site
very soon.)
Certified EcoBroker® Networking Site
— Are you a Certified EcoBroker®? Would you like to share your
experiences, photos and videos with your fellow members? With the
Certified EcoBrokers® Ning
networking site, you can do all that and more! Hundreds have already
signed up—why wait? Please note that this opportunity is restricted to
certified members only. Our Ning networking site has replaced the
EcoBroker List Serv. Here’s the link to sign up:
http://ecobrokers.ning.com/?xgi=5I6tmO8
Please stay tuned for more exciting social media news from headquarters!
Build Green Business with EcoBroker's Online Tools...
Send Your Buyers & Sellers Links to the Latest "Green" Topics
Simply go to the
ECOBROKER "Green" Topics page
and select a green topic. Once you have the topic page open in your Web
browser, copy and paste the Web address into an email and send it to
your buyers and sellers. Include the topic's introductory paragraph to
pique interest. Below is an example. Just
copy the link and initial information below and include it in an email
to your buyers and sellers who may be interested.
Snapshot
& Benefits:
Most people aren't aware that air
leakage amounts to 30-40% of a home's heating and cooling bills.
Stopping air leakage is important not only for energy savings, but also
for protecting your home from the damaging effects of moisture. Air,
leaking into walls from the interior of the home, carries humidity with
it.
EcoBroker Helps You Establish Lasting Relationships with Green Builders That are Here to Stay
You’ve just earned your EcoBroker Certified®
designation and now you may want to consider using the Green Builder
Letter of Introduction on the Marketing Materials page of EcoBroker.com.
Simply
log in to your account, click on the Marketing Materials link in the
left-hand toolbar and look for the "Green Builder Letter of
Introduction." This customizable letter template for Certified
EcoBrokers® can be used to introduce yourself to green
community development experts, building construction contractors and
community planners who are eager to find trained professionals like
EcoBrokers® to market their properties. Seemingly insulated from the
current recession, green
building is growing. The value of green construction increased
five-fold from $10 billion in 2005 to as much as $49 billion this year,
and could triple by 2013 to nearly $150 billion, according to a 2009
McGraw Hill Green Outlook study. Why have green buildings become so
popular in a struggling industry? Could it be that $10 billion of green
materials to date saved 400 million vehicle miles traveled, 9.5 billion
gallons of water and .03 quadrillion quads of energy (Greener World
Media, Green Building Impact Report 2008)? Could it be that companies
who are housed in “green”-certified commercial buildings have realized
that annual employee productivity gains exceeded $170 million as a
result of improved indoor environmental quality? (“Green Building Impact
Report 2008;” Greener World Media) EcoBrokers® who have formed a
symbiotic business relationship with a local green builder realize that
this is also an opportunity to build a resource portfolio of product and
service providers that can be advantageous to your clients.
EcoBroker to Launch Elite eb-TEAMS in January
Many EcoBroker® members have asked for a way to collaborate with each other to improve their market impact and penetration–especially online. Well, we have listened!
On January 15, 2009, we are launching our eb-TEAMS initiative. An eb-TEAM (as in “EcoBroker TEAM”) is an elite group of EcoBroker agents who work in non-competing market areas. The purpose of these groups (we will have several launching at the same time) is to enable a powerful mastermind environment where members can help each other improve their marketing presence without fear of giving away secrets. In addition, eb-TEAM members will receive comprehensive online marketing mentoring from Michael Russer (a.k.a. Mr. Internet®—the industry’s leading online marketing expert), receive special privileges and be held accountable for implementing what they learn.
While all EcoBroker® designees are invited to attend the eb-TEAMS launch Webinar in January, not everyone will be invited to be an eb-TEAM member. This is only for those who are truly committed to their business and the EcoBroker specialty. Upon conclusion of the Webinar, you will be required to complete an application to determine whether you will be an accepted candidate for one of our eb-TEAMS.
IMPORTANT: To even be considered as an eb-TEAM member candidate, you must attend this launch Webinar. Just click the following link to register.
EnergySavers.gov
Administered by the U.S. Department of Energy, EnergySavers.gov provides
consumers with free and inexpensive strategies for saving energy and
money through the cold months, as well as energy-saving investments that
can provide savings over the long term. You'll also find information on
financial assistance for energy-saving improvements. It's a great site
to email your clients. Check out their web site
at:
http://www.energysavers.gov/
Order Your EcoBroker® Shirts, Totes, Mugs and Stickers at EcoBroker's New CafePress Store
Just in time for the holidays, EcoBroker has opened its CafePress store. At the EcoBroker Store, you can get all of your custom EcoBroker gear. From shirts and caps to bumper stickers and more, we've got the gear you can proudly display wherever you go! Please visit the store at http://www.cafepress.com/ecobroker. These items make great closing gifts, tradeshow and event giveaways, and are just a great way to spread the word about EcoBroker and making green choices in real estate.
Not finding what you're looking for? Send us an email at customerservice@ecobroker.com and chances are we'll be able to find it or add it!
EcoBroker Awards & Accolades...
2008 Top Green Building & Business
Certifications Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability
(LOHAS) Journal
25 Trends Driving Today's Market
REALTOR Magazine
2006 Education Program
of the Year
Real Estate
Educators Association
Learn more on
EcoBroker.com
Contact Us
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29029 Upper Bear Creek Rd., Evergreen, CO 80439 • 800-706-4321