My Green Sonoma - For a Healthier Lifestyle and More Sustainable World

Wildfires usually start unnoticed and spread rapidly.  Are you prepared? If you live in high wildfire hazard zone there are some steps you can take now to protect your home and your family.

Start by clearing a 30 to 100-foot area around your house and other outbuildings.   Call your local fire station and ask them for advice on how much area is recommended for your property.

Your clearing efforts should focus on the following:

•§         Leaves, dead limbs, any/all flammable vegetation.

•§         Remove leaves and rubbish from under decks and other structures and in gutters

•§         Thin a space between tree crowns, and remove limbs within 15 feet of the ground.

•§         Remove tree limbs that overhang roof areas.

•§         Ask PB&E to clear branches from power lines.

•§         Remove vines from the walls of the home.

•§         Keep grasses short

Have an Emergency "Go Kit" ready.  This "Go Kit" will come in handy in a number of emergency situations.  Some suggestions for the contents of this kit include:

•§         Water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won't spoil.

•§        Change of clothing, shoes, blanket or sleeping bag.

•§         First aid kit that including a week supply of prescription medications.

•§         Emergency tools including a battery-powered radio, flashlight, and plenty of extra batteries.

•§         Cell phone charger

•§         Sanitation supplies.

•§         Special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members.

•§         Extra pair of eyeglasses.

•§         Identification, credit cards, cash

•§         Photocopies of important family documents including bank and home insurance information, photo inventory of contents of home

•§         Extra set of car and house keys

•§         Local maps

•§         N95 dust masks to help filter contaminated air

•§         Plastic sheeting, duct tape, and scissors to shelter in place

•§         Tools: screwdrivers, waterproof matches, a fire extinguisher, flares, plastic storage containers, needle and thread, pen and paper, a compass, garbage bags, moist towelettes, and regular household bleach

•§         Confine pets to one room so that they can be located quickly. Make plans to care for your pets in case you must evacuate.

•§         Arrange temporary housing at a friend or relative's home outside the threatened area.

For more information go to http://www.fema.gov/hazard/wildfire/wf_prepare.shtm

AB 2678 was recently modified to exclude a point of sale requirement for energy audits and mandatory retrofits.  CAR (California Association of Realtors) states that a point of sale requirement is inefficient because it requires homes to turnover before going into effect.  I believe this is an accurate observation.  CAR statistics show that only 22% of the properties most in need of energy efficiency retrofits will actually be sold by 2020.  Therefore, a point of sale program does not go far enough to meet the GHG reduction goal.  Insteady I believe we should be exploring a community wide retrofit program that offers incentives to property owners to "green up" their buildings.

Energy audits during the inspection period are already a standard of care for many residential realtors including myself.  From a buyer's perspective, who wouldn't want to know how energy efficient a home is or is not? 

Cost vs benefit and cash flow limitations are the two primary reasons that most homeowners aren't taking action today to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.  The cost of gas, food, and other everyday essentials, has reduced the consumers disposable income and the ability to purchase energy efficient appliances that will take some time to reap the payback benefits. This is why I think there is merit to exploring a community wide retrofit program that provides incentives to retrofit, better utilizes market driven forces, and targets low cost, high impact retrofits to existing buildings (e.g. Light bulbs, water heaters, HVAC, and whatever their commercial equivalents might be.)  

In November 2007 the Fish and Wildlife department issued a new plan for preserving endangered species in the Santa Rosa Plain, primarily for the protection of wetlands that contain the California Tiger Salamander, and/or the following flowers:  Burkes Goldfiled, Sonoma Sunshine, Sebastopol Meadowfoam.

Burkes Goldfield Sebastopol Meadowfoam Sonoma Sunshine

On my webpage www.socohomegroup.com/mitigation I'm compiling links and information resources to help you understand what this plan might mean for you.  

 For the first time in this recent market, we are seeing a marked reduction in REO inventory.  The number of properties available has dropped from 315 at the end of March to 273 as of May 5, 2008.   In some areas, REO inventories are very low and buyers are finding that they are competing against multiple offers.  I have personally experienced this with buyers in East Santa Rosa and Windsor.  REO inventories have plunged in several areas including Windsor, Petaluma, and West County. 

West Santa Rosa remains the hardest hit with a current REO inventory of 109 homes, and represents 40% of all REO inventory in Sonoma County ... however, its important to note that 52 of these properties have come on the market in the last 30 days.

For more information about Sonoma County REO properties visit my webpage www.socohomegroup.com/reo

Here's a great opportunity to learn about what Sonoma County Government and Businesses are doing to fight Global Warming.

Climate Protection: Everybody Profits IV
Friday, May 16, 2008 8:30am to 2:00pm
Villa Chanticleer, Healdsburg


Here's a sampling of topics that will be covered.

• How does our County fit into current and proposed U.S. climate initiatives?
• Find out what actions our County governments has taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
• Learn who our climate protection community leaders are in  Sonoma County.
• Learn about the latest tools and solutions in energy efficiency, alternative fuels, water efficiency, and greenbuilding techniques.

For more information go to:  http://www.everybodyprofitssonoma.com/

Hope to see you there!

You may be eligible for a temporary reduction in the assessed value of your property.

Proposition 8, California State Revenue and Taxation Code, Section 51 authorizes County Tax Assessors to temporarily lower the assessed value of any real property when it is greater than the market value as of the January 1, lien date. To lower your taxes you will need to provide evidence to the Assessor's office that the market value of your property as of January 1, 2008 is less than the assessed value.

Go to my website www.socohomegroup.com/prop8  and fill out the required information requested and I will provide you (free of charge) with the necessary application form as well as information on comparable sales that took place from January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2008.  If you have any questions please feel free to call me at 707.538.0100.

The foundation of Santa Rosa's proposal is the Solar Sebastopol program.  The city is banding together other area cities and the county to expand the program countywide. The funds will contribute to efforts by Santa Rosa and the Solar Sonoma County partners' to increase the amount of solar installations in the County by 25 megawatts over the next three years. The goal of  Solar Sonoma County is to become a public-private consortium of local governments, solar companies, businesses, and other groups and organizations.

For more information go to www.solarsonomacounty.com.

Thank you Marty, we wish you and the Solar Sonoma County team great success!

From time to time I have buyers calling me to try and find homes that have not been treated with pesticides.  Usually these people are cancer victims but more and more people are beginning to understand the impact that pesticides have on ourselves and our environment.

If you are concerned about pesticides but don't want ants and other pests you might want to consider talking to Hitmen Pest Control.  I'm delighted to say that they are now offering an alternative product they call integrated pest management.  Rather than spraying a pesticide barrier around the house, their specialists come out periodically and inspect around and underneath the house treating only where needed.  They treat with natrual products like cloves and cinnamon.

If you'd like to learn more, you can contact them at 707-526-6055.  If you don't live in Santa Rosa, try contacting your local pest control company.  You can also access additional information through the following links:

http://www.recyclenow.org/less-toxic/index.html

http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/Integrated_Pest_Management685/

Help keep junk mail out of our landfills.  Go to Mail Preference Service www.directmail.com/junk_mail  to remove your name and address from 3rd class mailing lists.

It may not be necessary to call companies to be removed from catalog mailing lists.  I've been fairly successful sending email requests instead.  Be sure to let them know the customer or key number on the back of the catalog.

If you send out bulk mail, consider a radio advertising campaign to replace some of those mailings.

From Companies that run trucks on bio-diesel to green packaging the moving industry has entered the green movement.  Here's some companies to check out:

Earth friendly moving http://earthfriendlymoving.com/ "a buck a box a week".  This company rents heavy duty stackable moving containers from recycled materials delivered to your door in trucks running on biodiesel. When you are done with them they'll pick them up.

Go Green Moving www.gogreenmoving.com runs its moving vans on biodiesel.

www.Boxquest.com  Find and Buy recycled and used boxes, packing material and more.  When last checked there were more than 125,000 recycled boxes for sale in California including 75 in Napa and 200 in Vacaville.