Debra Sinick

Archive for the ‘Built Green’ Category

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Kirkland Highlands Neighborhood Meeting This Wednesday

In Built Green, Kirkland WA on January 19, 2010 at 11:35 pm

Cow Poop into electricity?  Find out about at the Kirkland Highlands neighborhood meeting.

Wednesday, January 20, 7 pm

Maintenance Center, 915 8th St.

THREE interesting items on the agenda:

Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power Program This program stimulates demand for renewable energy by allowing residents and businesses to support local renewable projects including wind, biomass, and solar. Hear about:

  • How PSE’s voluntary program works
  • The impact of this voluntary market on renewable energy development
  • Spotlight on Washington dairy digesters: turning cow poop into electricity

The 116th Sidewalk Project (between 94th and 100th) will start soon!

The project engineer will present the design and the construction
schedule.

Sue Keller, Parks Board member and Highlands resident, will talk
about what’s going on in our city parks, how budget cutbacks will
affect parks, and what’s in the future for Kirkland’s parks system.

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Environmentally Sustainable Kirkland

In Built Green, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on January 28, 2009 at 10:59 am

What should environmental sustainability mean to Kirkland?

What is Kirkland doing about sustainability?

These were the questions asked at the start of the “Environmentally Sustainable Kirkland”  meeting last night by Mayor Jim Lauinger.  A group of interested citizens, mostly from Kirkland, met last night to talk about the direction Kirkland should take with sustainable and environmentally conscious living.  The people present had only one interest, sustainable living and protecting our environment for now and future generations.   Private citizens, Realtors, environmentalists, educators, retired public officials, and  city officials all participated.

President Obama’s message that we as individuals must join with our community and government to make changes was heard loud and clear by this group.   The group consensus was there’s a strong need to build community, educate, and develop individual/community partnerships  to promote sustainability.

Who can we in Kirkland turn to to help spread the word about sustainable living?   This was a question the group answered, creating a list of people and groups who could help:

  • Schools
  • Scout Troops
  • Business leaders
  • Employers
  • Media
  • Religious groups
  • Neighborhood associations
  • Builders
  • Realtors
  • PTA
  • Elected Officials-City Council-State Legislators
  • Non-profit groups
  • Hospitals

How can we use all the forces available at the federal, state, city, business, and individual level?

  • Regulate
  • Educate
  • Lead by example
  • Offer incentives
  • Develop a green business directory
  • Work parties (a very successful Kirkland endeavor already, particularly in the Highlands!)

Where is the city of Kirkland going with sustainability?

  • Easier and faster permit process for “green building”
  • urban forester program
  • 20 year forest restoration plan to remove invasive species
  • parkland acquisition program
  • recycling programs
  • encouraging “green” powered jobs
  • Kirkland city fleet- looking to hybrid vehicles, electric cars, and scooters

The question asked at the close of the meeting by one of the participants:

How do we balance the growth of Kirkland with sustainable measures?  A compelling question for everyone to answer.  What are your thoughts?

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From My Inbox: Sustainable September in Kirkland, Washington

In Built Green, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Remodeling on September 10, 2008 at 10:15 am

One of the things I really love about blogging is people in the community contact me to post different things.  It’s a great opportunity to find out what’s going on and what’s important to people in Kirkland.  Alexandra Steele, who is the Marketing and PR Director of Sustainable September 2008, contacted me about Sustainable September.  Because I’m so interested in reducing our carbon footprint and “going green”, I decided to write about this month’s event.

Sustainable September is an organization committed to local economic and environmental issues. Started in 2006 by the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, the program unites business and community leaders with the City of Kirkland.    The program runs hrough the month of September and includes classes over the next three Saturdays, the 13th,  20th, and 27th, and the Kirkland Green Festival on the 17th.  The festival will host an outdoor eco-market during Kirkland’s Wednesday Farmer’s Market.  On the 27th, homes remodeled with “green” principles in mind will be open for public viewing. More events are listed in the calendar of events on the Sustainable September website.

September 13th- Greening Your Home Remodel

September 20th-Saving Money and the Planet with a Home Audit

September 27th-Designing and Building a New Green Home

All classes are in the City Council Chambers at Kirkland City Hall, 123 Fifth Avenue in Kirkland.

The organization and its events have grown with sponsorship from the Washington State Department of Ecology, Puget Sound Energy, Waste Management, and the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce.  Other sponsors, including the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, are listed on the website.

If you attend any of the classes, let me know what you think. This is a terrific opportunity to learn more about “going green.”

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There is More Going Green in Kirkland, Washington than Saint Patrick’s Day

In Built Green, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate on March 17, 2008 at 2:08 pm

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 BuiltGreenTM 

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 BuiltGreenTM 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 BuiltGreenTM 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 BuiltGreenTM 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 BuiltGreenTM 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!

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Going Green, Reducing Your Carbon Footprint On a Daily Basis

In Built Green, buyers, Real estate, sellers on February 19, 2008 at 2:14 pm

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.

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Recycling Brought to You By Kirkland, WA

In Built Green, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on February 5, 2008 at 3:14 pm

Kirkland Trash/Recycle barrel

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:

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Free and Green, A Green Building Seminar in Kirkland, WA

In Built Green, buyers, Kirkland News, Real estate, Remodeling on January 17, 2008 at 3:26 pm

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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.

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