How to define SUSTAINABLITY

When people talk about "Sustainability" they often have very different concepts in mind. This is what I mean by SUSTAINABLE Architecture. The Living Bridges of Megalaya, in India, span rivers in monsoon season and live 500 years. They take many lifetimes to complete, but easily outlast all other brides, in this land that some years gets 25m of rain.Now that is sustainable.

MIT Entrepreneur moves business to China!

Listen to this report from PRI's Here and Now

About an foreign student and entrepreneur at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston Power founder, Dr. Christina Lampe-Onnerud, who developed a new form of Lithium Ion Battery for automobiles that actually works, and decided to move her new 'gleaming' factory and jobs to China! She really is focused upon the money she wanted from the U.S. Department of Energy, then in the same breath claims she is saving the Earth. She will not personally move to China, but Christina is very excited to be at the table, and sell out for just $125-Million.

GREENSMART TECHNICAL COLLEGE COMING TO SAN DIEGO—ALONG WITH ELECTRIC CAR ENGINE MANUFACTURING PLANT

Amptran is developing an electric engine with capacity to travel 400 miles between charges using lithium air technology. The break-through could revolutionize the car industry --and eliminate U.S. dependence on OPEC Mideast oil

In an exclusive interview with ECM, Heartland Coalition executive director Mark Hanson unveiled plans to bring Amptran Motor Corporation to San Diego and to open a new Greensmart Technical College facility in Otay Mesa, where certified electric vehicle technicians will be trained for good-paying local jobs through Heartland’s Project Greensmart, starting in spring 2012.

Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum

The Appraisal Institute recently released a three-page form called the Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum to collect information about energy efficient and green features, such as insulation values, efficiencies of heating and air equipment, high peformance windows, geothermal heat pumps, ENERGY STAR qualification or a HERS Rating, etc.  The form is meant to be used by appraisers, lenders, home energy raters and builders.  The Appraisal Institute is encouraging Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to use the form and even request it from appraisers.  This form should be extremely helpful by somewhat formalizing the process, and also by educating all of the stakeholders.

more about how this affects the Home Performance industry

more about the real-estate Appraisal Institute