If you’ve not already done so, it’s time to go green for St. Patrick’s Day. There are many reasons to do so, particularly if you’re in the real estate market, but the main reasons to go green boil down to the simple reality of supply and demand.
The building industry consumes 14% of the country’s potable water. That is 15 trillion gallons of water a year! It consumes 40% of our raw materials. That 40% translates into 3 billion tons of raw materials a year! And the country’s building industry consumes 39% of the world’s energy sources every year!
Science tells us that our environment is helped and more protected when we go green. Green practices in our homes and offices help reduce waste, conserve natural resources, improve air and water quality and help protect our ecosystems and biodiversity. The health of our planet, our people, our animals, our food chains, and our overall quality of life are improved as we improve our air and water quality. Noise pollution reduces when we go green as well.
Going green also helps our wallets and bottom lines. By reducing our energy consumption, we cut our energy bills and we increase our asset values and profits. Simply put, we help make our dollar go farther. We also decrease our marketing time by reducing our energy consumption.
Specific to the real estate market, studies by the National Association of Realtors tell us that 88% of home buyers consider high efficiency standards, green building standards and clean heating/cooling systems when they consider purchasing a home. Practices such as caulking and sealing cracks in homes that cut carbon footprints by 865 lbs. a year matter to buyers.
And just as these specifics matter to buyers, the National Association of Realtors has long established its Green REsource Council to research and recommend green building standards throughout the real estate industry. Couple the NAR Green REsource Council with its special Green Designation and Benefits Program tailored specifically to real estate professionals and know that the National Association of Realtors is committed to going green this St. Patrick’s day as well as every other day of the year.
