HomeGreening 101.3 Your house is like a cardboard box

HomeGreening 101.2 Your house is like a box

HomeGreening101.1 Your house is like an igloo

The best land usage on your home’s property.

When people think of green in the home, the last thing that is paid attention to is the landscape and the benefits that come with the property.  Some say that there is no such thing as a green home because the land that it replaces is never the same as the original ecosystem that existed there before building.  However, the impact of your house is really based on the amount of original ecosystem that surrounds it on the property.  The fact that new track homes are clean with new lawns and asphalt driveways are not anything like or resembling the original ecosystem.  This is where home owners can make a quantifiable difference in the environment for the better.

The soil of the earth and it's plants are like the lungs of our planet.  It's approximated that 3% of the square footage area, not counting roads, of the United States is inhabited by residential and commercial buildings.  If you had a lung blockage of 3%, you'd be in the hospital or at least on medication.

The goals for responsible stewardship of your property is to reduce waste, retain and utilize resources, and replenish surface foliage.  Waste is anything that doesn't stay on your property or contaminates the environment.  By reducing the use of petroleum based asphalt or non porous concrete as walkways, a home owner can reduce waste from leaching and water damage.  Water management is important part of sustainability and pertains to land use as well.  The water on your property should be properly used and distributed to foliage and returned to the water tables for natural runoff.  Natural run off can turn neighborhoods into swamps as they were originally.  So home owners are encouraged to use municipal systems if there is a need in your local community and retain water for personal use in a rain water collection and irrigation system.  Water is a resource to conserve and utilize with care and your property can take advantage of that to enhance the ecosystem.

The GAPScore looks for design techniques that incorporate these goals into the property and work with the environment regardless of the lifestyle changes of the owners.  The percentage of your property that is open soil for foliage growth is an important aspect and urban dwellers are generally at a disadvantage when the amount of space available is taken in consideration.  The amount of physical surface area of the globe is expanded when you build a structure.  The area that used to be earth covered by the roof now contains walls with greater surface area.  This extra area can be covered with foliage that would increase your land use management skills and have a better impact on the environment.  Homes with green or vegetative roofs, living walls, and vines on the walls are more environmentally compatible than a building without.  So, if your lot size is environmentally challenged for living space and the ecosystem, then there are always techniques to enhance our environment.

The landscaping for green techniques are using native plantings for decoration with a dual purpose for aesthetics and the environment.  When a tree is planted in the parkway of your house, it's to beautify the neighborhood.  When you plant a tree and decorative grasses on your property, it looks great while providing resources for composting, wind breaks, air quality, natural habitat and shade for energy efficiency.
Here's some great links from Better Homes and Gardens and the Landscaping Network for your information.

Better Home & Garden green-landscaping

Landscaping Network.com landscape-design

Driveways have never been an issue until now.  The appraisers are looking for paver, crushed limestone, and porous concrete or materials for driveways because they are more expensive to install but also have a green sustainable potential benefit.  The amount of water that stays away from nonporous concrete and flows through to the earth below is better for the environment.  The less area used by a driveway is better also.  So, urban and city residents have an advantage by not having a driveway, sharing or using a public alley way as a driveway.

Land use from neighborhood development has design water management techniques that flows surface water past natural aquifers and tributaries.  Areas that may have had surface water or flooding during wet seasons are now dry areas.  This makes for a stable dry ground area on which build.  It takes a lot of water in the soil to fill aquifers and it takes a lot of time for the ground to soak up and relaese that much water.  When the water is passed through sand like ground it can move the earth and cause sink holes, sliding or sink-age in entire neighborhoods,  Storm water management tries to reduce the risk of sinkage by diverting water away from neighborhoods.  Many times this system can be efficient to the point the soil doesn't get replenishment.  Plants can only absorb so much water and the water moves too fast for the aquifers to replenish.  So through water management and land management skill, the water on your property can stay on the property longer and distributed slowly and responsibly through the newly created soil from your luxurious vegetative landscaping.  This will help provide cleaner drinking water for generations to come.  By using the ecosystem with your land, your communities can stay more sustainable.

Value of Green in a House? A Study from Evan Mills

Shows how fuzzy the appraisal process can be when green doesn't have a baseline. 

Here's a link for the download of 2015 reports.  It's really quite interesting.

htmlhttp://evanmills.lbl.gov/green-appraisals.html

That's why we made GAPScore.com

Dear Steve, The truth about the climate crisis is inconvenient to Big Polluters. But you know better. That’s why we’re counting on you to fight alongside us to spread climate hope. When you support Climate Reality today with a gift of $25, $50, or $75, you’re supporting thousands of well-trained leaders on the front lines of this important fight. Plus, you’ll get an exclusive chance to win one of five signed copies of former US Vice President Al Gore’s new book, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. ENTER TO WIN The truth is, climate solutions exist, and they’re not inconvenient. Renewables have never been as cheap or as readily available as they are today. Solar jobs are growing 17 times faster than the rest of the US economy. And almost every country in the world has agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Your gift today can help make those solutions a reality. Vice President Gore’s new film An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power isn’t just about one man working to solve the climate crisis – it’s about people like you, Steve, who are stepping up to join the movement. Thanks to your support, we can fight back against a White House that denies the climate crisis and prioritizes the profits of Big Polluters over our planet. We can equip thousands of new activists with the tools to empower their communities to take climate action. And we can educate future generations to embrace clean energy solutions and foster a more sustainable future. Don’t miss your chance to win a signed copy of the companion book to the film An Inconvenient Sequel. The deadline to enter is August 25 so don’t miss this exclusive opportunity! Support the climate activists of today, tomorrow, and future generations. Now is the time to be inconvenient. - Your friends at Climate Reality

WIN A SIGNED COPY OF VICE PRESIDENT GORE'S NEW BOOK AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER ENTER TO WIN

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and DC, 13 years or older. Begins July 25, 2017 ends August 25, 2017. To enter and for Official Rules, including odds, and prize descriptions visit www.climaterealityproject.org/win.

© 2017 The Climate Reality Project DONATE Click Here to Unsubscribe

This was good enough to put on our blog.  "Thank you" to the Climate Reality Project.

Dear Residential Industry Leaders,

I found that AI changed the Green Appraisal addendum as of May 16th.

http://www.appraisalinstitute.org/assets/1/7/ResidentialGreenandEnergyEfficientAddendum.pdf

Here's a link for our new beta site. GAPScore Beta 2017

I will be giving a presentation on the GAPScore program and how it influences the the residential related industries.  Your attendance would be greatly appreciated.

MRED office conference room

Address: 2443 Warrenville Rd #600, Lisle, IL 60532

Phone:(630) 955-0011

July 11th     1:00-2:30

Only 30 seats available

My doors are always open to people that promote the green.  Please call me at 312-292-8575 or email gapscore@gmail.com.  Look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you very much.

Best Regards,

Steve Pohlman