Excerpted from On Common Ground Magazine — summer 2008 
Seeking Green
REALTOR® Associations provide a helping hand to achieve sustainability.
"The green turning point for Tampa Florida-based Kerry
Mitchell was when she was diagnosed with emphysema
in 2003. She came to Florida in 2005 to manage two
real estate offices and started to read about poor indoor
air quality and related topics.
She took a year off and founded Green Real Estate Education
in 2006. In a little more than a year her firm has "green
certified" more than 3,000 professionals in nine states.
"We train our students to learn of local initiatives from
utilities and to get involved in promoting MLS additions
for energy efficiency and fast track permitting (for
green building)," said Mitchell, whose students earn a
Green Certified Real Estate Professional certification.
The program utilizes local utility and green-standard
experts, keeping its training relevant to REALTORS®'
home states.
Mitchell said green branding can help revitalize sluggish
real estate markets. Underscoring the need for
REALTORS® to become knowledgeable about sustainability,
Mitchell cited a Consumer Energy Study by
www.energypulse.org that found:
- 86 percent of Americans would choose one home over another based on energy efficiency.
- 78 percent of Americans who have bought property say nobody talked to them about energy efficiency.
- 62 percent of people want energy efficient dwellings.
- 63 percent say energy prices have increased enough to make them consider changing their consumption habits
"Actually, 95 percent of the consumers have no clue
what is available for them," Mitchell said of green
building materials, energy efficient appliances and other
means toward sustainability. "It is their REALTOR®
who needs to educate them. REALTORS® can effect
[green] change faster than any other profession. They
represent the built structure!"
Mitchell has conducted trainings for the Sarasota Association
of REALTORS® (SAR). In 2007, SAR formed
the Green REALTORS® Alliance of Sarasota (GRAS),
which operates as a steering committee."
http://rodomino.realtor.org/smart_growth.nsf/pages/ocg_summer2008?opendocument
The Push for a Greener Superbowl
The President of Green Real Estate Education Speaks Out
My group Green Real Estate Education has been promoting the basics of becoming "green" to the real estate industry for some time, and now I would like to discus the merits of a "Green Superbowl." It is a "must!"
Green Real Estate Education has instructed more than 3,100 real estate professionals in nine states, and is now pushing my hometown to green the biggest game of the year. The Superbowl will be held again in Tampa, Florida in February. They have the opportunity to really make a difference. Many stadiums are going green, so why not here in Tampa Bay?
Florida is becoming green in its initiatives, and our governor is really terrific. Plus the NFL has made such a difference in their tree planting and recycling programs in years past. But now they need to take their efforts to another level.
I am contacting the management of Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Specifically, I am recommending that they work with green vendors, and make upgrades such as high efficiency lighting on the field and install low-flow toilets. These are upgrades that can be on-going during the regular season.
The stadium's management company would see a huge decline in operating expenses, so it is a win-win situation. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, many commercial buildings that go through a rating process are seeing a reduction in operating costs. It is mind boggling to think of the amount of greenhouse gasses that could be lowered if homes in over 40 countries turned off their lights at half time even for 30 seconds.
I have met with Stephanie Owens Royster, director of public relations for the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee, and Jack Groh, Environmental Program Director for the NFL. They have done some terrific outreach in the past, and I urged them to go the extra mile and take this to a new level. I did get a good response, and they said they would be back in touch. I hope so.
Kerry Mitchell is the founder and course developer of Green Real Estate Education, which is on target to educate more than 20,000 real estate professionals in going green by 2009. Mitchell established the recognized certification for the real estate industry, the GCREP.GL. She worked for 14 years as a licensed real estate broker in Maryland and Florida, where she now resides.
Find this article at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-superbowl-460423
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