We are excited to be sponsoring the 2011 Seattle Green Home Tour, hosted by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild. This year’s tour will take place Sat & Sun, April 16th & 17th, 10am-4pm, and is free and open to the public. An astounding 28 tour sites in Seattle and on the Eastside will highlight deep green
Save the date – May 24th – for our most innovative housing event this summer. The Backyard Cottage Design Challenge Showcase! This backyard cottage showcase will include the work of over 35 local architects and designers who are combining good design with livability and sustainability. You will have the opportunity to view all design challenge
In a previous post, we gave you the low down on Seattle’s new ordinances regarding Backyard Cottages, now we want to explore whose building them and how the process works. Now that backyard cottages are zoned citywide, they’re beginning to pop up all over the place, and in a plethora of delightful flavors. While they
Lead-based paint was used in more than 38 million homes until it was banned for residential use in 1978. For those renting, buying or renovating a pre-1978 home, receiving a copy of the EPA’s lead pamphlet is federal law, and duly warns against things like letting your children chew on the windowsills. Lead has been
As the mortgage and credit crisis continues, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is becoming a lifeline for homebuyers seeking affordable mortgages. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development the number of FHA-backed home loans rose from 3.7% in 2006 to 21.1% in 2009. Why are FHA loans so attractive? Because
Save the Planet AND increase Quality of Life (Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities: Models for 21st Century Living) By John L Talbott, PE (Findhorn Foundation) Tuesday, January 26th, 7-8pm, Capitol Hill Space is limited! Please RSVP info@infinitiRED.com How can humanity create truly sustainable settlements for the 21st century and beyond which preserve, maintain and enhance the
Keeping an eye on upcoming green building trends is an important part of our work, and each new year brings a plethora of new predictions. Will the green building industry boom this year? How far will the envelope be pushed? What will homeowners and buyers be paying attention to. All good questions, and there are
Sightline’s Daily Score featured an article this week entitled “Walkable Neighborhoods Are Worth More”, which summarizes the findings of recent studies on walkability and its relationship to home prices. CEOs for Cities, a national network of urban leaders building and sustaining the next generation of great American cities, took it upon themselves to ask –
Need a little inspiration? Well we did! So, last Thursday we headed out to Clearwater Commons for a presentation and tour of Snohomish County’s first Low Impact Development project, hosted by the Snohomish County Sustainable Task Force. That’s right! County ‘Development’ guidelines are officially being rewritten thanks to the passion and perseverance of an amazing
This is a recent commencement address for the University of Portland by none other then Paul Hawken – entrepreneur, visionary, environmentalist and author of Natural Capitalism and The Ecology of Commerce. His words are not only inspiring but hit you right where it matters. Please give it a read! When I was invited to give