Buying into the green movement -- for $395

St. Paul, Minn.-based real estate broker Teresa Boardman made a splash last week with her first column for Inman News, by proclaiming that she was "Not buying into the 'green' movement."

Boardman's point wasn't that she's against green builders who use "materials and methods that are kinder to the environment, and design buildings and homes that consume less energy." They should be applauded, she said.

But Boardman wondered if the green movement has become little more than a marketing gimmick. A TV ad for bottled water that's supposed to be better for the environment because the bottle uses less plastic got her thinking: how can anybody be hawking bottled water as "green," when it's probably better for the environment to drink tap water?

That got Boardman ruminating about whether it would be better to "recycle" existing homes, instead of building "green" homes in the suburbs that are twice as big and use more energy. She questioned "green" realtors who drive "large vehicles great distances" to show homes.

"I am not a 'green' Realtor, which is nice because I don't have to drive somewhere to buy bottled water, or purchase a more energy-efficient home in the 'burbs," Boardman wrote -- although she looks for ways to reduce her own carbon footprint to increase her profits.

Boardman's point is well taken -- how many grass-roots movements aren't co-opted by marketers? You have to wonder what role, if any, realtors can play in creating a less resource-hungry planet.

If you're a car salesman, you sell whatever rolls off the assembly line in Detroit, or Tokyo, or Seoul, right? My first take was if you want more green buildings, talk to architects, developers, builders and your local planning commission and city council.

Boardman's column was still fresh in my mind when a press release from Tahoe-Reno broker Chase International arrived in my Inbox with an entirely different perspective:

"Going green has evolved from a trend to a lifestyle as Americans have moved beyond simply recycling to pursing alternative energy sources and incorporating eco-savvy practices into a myriad of daily tasks," the press release said. "Now the real estate world is stepping up to accommodate this environmentally minded market and Chase International agents are at the forefront of advancing earth-friendly practices."

Five Chase International agents have become certified EcoBrokers, the press release said. Heading over to the Web site of EcoBroker International reveals that you, too can earn the EcoBroker designation -- by completing the required courses and paying the $395 up front costs. Keeping the designation will cost another $129 a year in renewals and a four-hour refresher course.

Why would you want to do that? Well, the reasons listed by EcoBroker International are all quite practical, and might apply to any professional designation: "Differentiate yourself," "Learn how to reduce your liabilities and those of your clients," "Create more deals," "Expand your professional referral network..."

Some of the curriculum is more about environmental health than the environment. What EcoBroker means by reducing your liabilities is teaching you to deal with issues like radon, asbestos, lead, water, and mold that can derail a closing.

But EcoBroker also promises to help realtors learn about the latest energy efficiency technologies and sustainable energy options, and show buyers how to finance energy-saving improvements into their mortgage.

“It’s not just about new construction," agent Valerie Forte says in Chase International's press release. "We have the local resources to give all homes green energy audits. My goal is to offer clients the information they need to make intelligent decisions.”

This is where my worry that a "green" realtor is just as implausible as a "green" car salesman perhaps breaks down. While it's pretty easy for a consumer to suss the environmental impacts of a car on their own -- "How many miles per gallon does it get?" -- there's a lot more that goes into analyzing whether a home is "green."

There's the environmental impact of a house's location (are we losing farm land or wildlife habitat?), the sustainability of the materials used to build it (old growth rainforest?), the resources that its occupants will consume during the home's lifetime (gas, electricity, water), the waste they will produce (greenhouse gases, wastewater), and many other factors.

Boardman, for example, wonders if anyone ever considers the environmental impacts of a big lawn that's got to be watered, mowed and fertilized? Well, yes, they do. Some local governments are adopting rating standards for new homes developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that take such factors into account.

While green realtors can't force developers to use those standards or other environmentally-friendly building techniques, they can help buyers who are interested in a house that was built with the environment in mind find such homes. They can also help those who aren't "green" for the sake of being green realize the benefits that may come with owning such a home -- creating more demand for environmentally-friendly developments in the future.

A homebuyer might like the idea of saving hundreds of dollars on heating and cooling every year because an architect knew enough to orient their home properly to the sun. Or they may be glad when a green realtor saves them the trouble of having to pull all the grass out of their yard and replacing it with native plants because their water bill is out of hand. As Boardman says, "Reducing my own carbon footprint translates into higher profits."

Is it going too far to claim green realtors will be at "the forefront of advancing earth-friendly practices?" Maybe. But there's certainly an argument to be made that realtors have a role to play -- whether they have a professional designation or not.

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