Mike Dressler on Green Building, Buying and Living

California leads the nation in Sustainable Home building regulation. The CALGreen Building Standards Code which took effect January 1 of this year provides strict efficiency codes for all new construction. However, the vast majority of homes in Belmont Shore and Naples were built well before efficiency standards were even a glimmer of an idea. So the importance of retrofitting our existing homes with sustainable features will undoubtedly become the focus of attention as we move closer and closer to a truly sustainable community.

Yes, I’m a Real Estate Agent, so most of the time I have houses on my mind. I am interested in what we can do to take the under-performing existing homes we live in and make them lean, mean, high-performing machines!

Sustainable homes are one very important component to a happier and healthier environment. And in tough economic times like these, it’s also important to note they can put some extra dollars in your pocket.

However, sustainability in the home is not about just about using less. Many people imagine that to be efficient, they have to limit themselves to a two-minute shower or live by candlelight after sundown. Not true. Being efficient is not only achieved by limiting our consumption. It’s about getting more out of what we do use. It’s about performance!

I would like to open a discussion about how to make our homes and our community as a whole perform even better. In terms of our homes, this means making them more energy and water efficient, promoting ideas for recycling and reuse, and improving the indoor air quality of our homes which in turn helps our bodies perform better.

Please stop in time to time to join the conversation. We will be discussing the many ways in which we can improve our homes and our community in order to effectively achieve a standard of sustainability that will improve the quality of our homes, health, environment, and even our pocketbook!