Kirkland Highlands Real Estate Buzz

Here is some “green” news in Kirkland, WA. Both articles are important, so here they are straight from their source.

The first is from Kirkland E-Updates:

  Betsy Adams - Education/Outreach Specialist

Green Groceries

A normal trip to the grocery store involves hundreds of decisions that have a real environmental impact. Make a few simple changes in your shopping habits to have a positive impact on the world:

•Buy locally-produced organic foods
•Look for items without extensive packaging
•Buy recycled products & paper products containing post-consumer waste
•Use a reusable shopping bag to carry your groceries

Call (425)587-3812 or email recycle@ci.kirkland.wa.us for a free reusable shopping bag.
Want to make your own bag? Check out www.morsbags.com

Local Litter Pickup

Spring’s a-springing! Now’s a great time to spot and pick up litter, before new spring leaves hide it. Consider taking a bag with you on walks to collect trash and litter that you see along the way. You’ll help protect wildlife, improve water quality, and make your community a little bit more beautiful.

Save the Date!

April 19th 
-Invasive Plant Removal @ Cotton Hill Park (9 to 12)
-Residential Recycling Collection Event @ South Kirkland Park & Ride (9 to 3)

April 22nd - Earth Day

April 22nd, May 6th, May 20th
-Natural Yard Design
A series of free workshops on how to design a yard using natural yard care practices. Topics include garden design, managing pests without harmful pesticides, building healthy soils and reducing water usage. For more information or to sign up, please contact Betsy Adams.

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This just in from Marie Stake, the city communications director:

Kirkland’s Green Building Program Recognized by Master Builder’s BuiltGreen^TM 

Kirkland, WA –  In January, the City of Kirkland launched a pilot Green Building incentive program that offers priority permit processing to encourage sustainable building in the construction of new single family residences.  Yesterday, the program received a BuiltGreen^TM Hammer Award in the category of “Built Green Advocate, Public Sector” presented by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. Kirkland Mayor Jim Lauinger and the City’s Green Building Team accepted the award at the 2008 BuiltGreen^TM Conference and Expo held in Seattle, Washington.   “This award recognizes the City’s commitment to sustainability,” notes Mayor Jim Lauinger.  “Kirkland values its natural resources and this program helps to protect them.” Two Kirkland businesses were also honored.  CamWest Development, Inc. received a Green Hammer Award in the category of “Builder, Large Production” and David Manning, Marketing Manager for Triad Associates, was honored with the BuiltGreen^TM Pioneer award.   To be eligible for the incentive, plans for new single family development must achieve a level of four or five stars under the BuiltGreen^TM program or a silver or better rating through the LEED^® for Homes program.  For more information, go to www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/kirklandgreen, email greenbuildingteam@ci.kirkland.wa.us or call 425-587-3225.

The City of Kirkland is making a great attempt to Go Green are you?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about a free Built Green seminar in downtown Kirkland.  Ironically, I had a class about Green Building and real estate at Windermere Real Estate on the very same day.

During the class, I asked questions about what people can do on a daily basis to decrease their carbon footprint  and maintain a ”green” living lifestyle.  There are a lot of things we can do on a regular basis, even if one is not planning to build a new home or make a new real estate purchase.

 Here’s the articleI wrote on my eastside buzz real estate blog with some energy savings/sustainabilty suggestions.  Some of the suggestions are common knowledge, others are not.

If you have any other suggestions, feel free to add them to the list.  I’ll do another post highlighting some great books and some great local “built green”resources for materials and information.

 Don’t forget, take those shoes off when you are walking through your home! Read the linked article from my eastside blog to find out why you should remove your shoes.

Recycling in Kirkland. WA

Have you noticed these very ‘cute” new recycling containers/trash barrels down on Lake St?  Kirkland is helping to reduce your carbon footprint by providing these new fangled trash cans in which you can dump your trash and recycle that ever present water bottle.  The top part of the can is for recycled goods and the bottom for trash.  You can find three of these new cans over on Lake St. by Tully’s, Starbuck’s, and the clock tower at Kirkland Avenue.  (I wonder if the city thinks there is a correlation between coffee and recycling.)

Here is the the full news release from the Kirkland city website:

Built green is one of the most recent buzz words in real estate and remodeling. If you are thinking of remodeling or simply interested in the topic,  Kirkland is sponsoring a free seminar on Wednesday, January 23, from 8 AM to 12 noon at Kirkland City Hall, 123 5th Ave.   The Eastside Business Weekly also wrote an article about the upcoming class.

 Since green built and environmental concerns are so important to buyers today, if you are planning to remodel, it may be valuable for you to consider green built techniques.  Buyers will always be looking for that special feature that sets a home apart.    When remodeling or buying, it’s smart to  consider popular features and styles.  It’ll most likely increase the enjoyment of your home and help you make the most money when selling. Interestingly, green building isn’t always as expensive as people think, and it may even save homeowners money in the long run.

Ironically, I will be taking a class on Built Green techniques through Windermere Real Estate on the very same day.  The class I will be taking is at Windermere’s education center in Seattle.  It begins at 12:30 PM.  Hmm, making I could run from one class to the other? 

I will post an article on my www.eastsiderealestatebuzz.com blog about what I learn next week and also have a link here.