Your Guide to Greening Your Association
If your association is planning to go green or greener, C.A.R. has created a brochure to help. Your Guide to Greening Your Association includes case studies from two local associations and a ton of resources. Here's the link to this document.
If your local association is contemplating “going greener,” here are some other examples of efforts undertaken around the state that can serve as inspiration or a resource:
Malibu Association of REALTORS®
Launched by Malibu Association of REALTORS® former president Christine Rodgerson, the "Sell a House, Plant a Tree" program encouraged REALTORS® to purchase a “green” closing gift in partnership with local nurseries, which agreed to offer discounts to participating REALTORS®.
Oakland Association of REALTORS®
* Switched from a print newsletter to a digital version.
* Recycling: The group actively recycles paper, printer cartridges, computer equipment, and other items.
* Donates office furniture and equipment to a local shelter, along with left over food from events.
* Offering a third-party “green” certification course to its members.
Orange County Association of REALTORS®
The group, acknowledging that many Orange County cities are going green and it is becoming increasingly important for its members to be educated, has begun the process of going green. The association has accomplished the following:
* Established a Green Task Force committee
* Created a green Web site (www.ocar.org/green/green.htm ) with links to green resources, including available tax credits.
* Scheduled two NAR GREEN Designation courses in 2010.
* Green-themed articles featured in the association’s monthly magazine.
* Incorporated “green features” into the MLS as a search attribute for homes for sale.
* Created an Internal Green Task Force to implement ways the Association can go “green.”
* Held a “Green Made Easy” event, which included prominent environmental speakers and eco-friendly vendors.
* Sponsored a booth at the Huntington Beach Green Expo in partnership with the city and the Chamber of Commerce.
San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS®:
* Launched an environmental committee, which created a successful CFL campaign, “SLO REALTORS® Give Sellers the GREEN Light.”
* Installed a new navigation button--Green House Effect--on its Web site (www.slorealtors.org) to address all things green.
* In addition to promoting the EcoBroker® designation, the board of directors sponsored an affiliate member pursuing the Department of Real Estate’s course, “Green Building for Real Estate Professionals,” which qualifies for three Consumer Protection credits.
* Added an “eco-environmental” list of features on its MLS database.
* In October, the group held an ECO-EXPO at the Botanical Gardens in El Chorro Regional Park, near San Luis Obispo. The Botanical Gardens venue is made entirely of recycled materials, including straw bale and adobe construction. The morning program featured the Department of Real Estate’s “Green Building for Real Estate Professionals”; the afternoon program featured tours of green-built buildings, exhibits, and demonstrations from green-focused builders and suppliers.
Scenic Coast Association of REALTORS®
The Scenic Coast Association of REALTORS® (SCAR) formed a Green Task Force in early 2009. The group's objectives are:
1. Raise membership’s awareness of the five Key Green Principles (energy efficiency/conservation, water conservation, resource conservation, livable communities, and improved air quality).
2. Provide membership with tools and information regarding sustainable building and to be an advocate for green principles and a force for creating sustainable communities.
3. Educate SCAR’s membership on green requirements as mandated by the State of California. 4.Promote and offer Green Designations such as the Eco Broker® designation, NAR’s Green designation, “Green Building for Real Estate Professionals,” and available and suitable Green Building Education Courses.
5. Create a substantial information source for green building for membership and their respective clients.
6. Incorporate green principles into the SCAR’s daily operation.
South Tahoe Association of REALTORS®
The group’s MLS Committee has set up “green features” in its MLS to be used as selling points for homes for sale. A member of the association and C.A.R.’s Green Task Force is involved with “Green Initiatives” with the local Chamber of Commerce, City, and County.
Trinity County Association of REALTORS®
* Development of a 13,000-acre community forest on public lands. Restoration of the Trinity River fisheries.
* Participates in the reduction of fire fuels around communities of interest.
* Management of a 40-mile Weaverville Basin Trail System, etc.
Victor Valley Association of REALTORS®
* The Victor Valley AOR (VVAR) established a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mojave Water Agency on behalf of the Alliance of Water Awareness and Conservation to increase awareness about the need to manage and conserve the water resources in the High Desert, and to provide practical solutions to conserve water.
* The VVAR desires to increase member awareness of the current and future impact of air, water, pollution, trash, and hazardous waste environmental issues on the real estate industry, and to encourage member participation in government planning activities, i.e., advisory panels, task forces, committees, etc.
* VVAR recognizes that water supplies in the High Desert are diminishing and that there is a need to identify and implement ways to encourage conservation. The VVAR and the Mojave Water Agency work together to disseminate periodic information to its membership about water conservation through the Association's Web site and periodic publications.