MY GREEN BLOG

 This article is courtesy of Greenopolis.com

The brewery is producing all of its microbrews from rainwater.

OK, we all know about catching rainwater to water our lawns and gardens, wash our hair to keep it silky smooth, (if only it got rid of the gray) and even filter for drinking water. Now the 5 Seasons Brewing in Atlanta, GA has come up with the best use yet. They are using rainwater top make beer! Hallelujah, Praise the Lord and pass the pretzels! This is recapturing resources that even NASCAR dads can get behind. There’s green beer in Georgia, and not the St Patrick’s Day kind. The brewers claim that rainwater is cleaner and softer than city water, which makes their beer even better. The recent rains in the Atlanta area have been a boon for the brewery, at least in terms of raw materials supply.

The brewery is producing all of its microbrews from rainwater. Working with Rain Harvest Systems, the Brewery installed a 6 stage filtration system followed up with a dual-beam ultraviolet sterilization process which results in a water quality that’s far better than Atlanta’s municipal tap water. Crawford Moran, the biermeister for 5 Seasons claims that the processed rainwater not only fulfills 5 Season’s commitment to environmentally responsible production, but it also tastes better than municipal water, which makes a smoother, better tasting beer.

The main brewery is housed in a former meatpacking facility, and they produce a over 250 varieties of beer every year., so there’s no reason to not go back night after night after night…! Besides, all the rainwater has to be good for you, right? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. So join me on the rainwater health kick. 5 Seasons Brewing has three locations in the Atlanta area to stop in and sample the best durn rainwater  you’ve ever chugged - er, uh, … sipped.  There’s the Sandy Springs at their Prado location, another spot in Alpharetta, or at their new restaurant on the Westside.



So don’t cry in your beer when it rains, make - or at least drink - beer made out of the rain!

   Here is a great article on the causes and affects of ground water pollution.. http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/how-does-groundwater-pollution-occur

Take some time to read it today.

Till Next Time,

Jeff

I recently was introduced to Beth Christensen. She is the owner of Moving Boxes Made Green, a great idea for all those moving and don't want to buy and then dispose of cardboard moving boxes.

Beth describes her company here...

Moving Boxes Made Green is a local family owned and run company providing a cost efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to purchasing cardboard moving boxes. Our boxes are 18 gallon plastic totes with lids that are ideal for both home and office moves. We deliver the desired amount of boxes to your present location and pick them up when you are finished at your new location. Our boxes require no assembly or packing tape, they can be packed a bit heaver than cardboard, and they are easy to carry and stack. We are dedicated to make moving as environmentally friendly and stress free as possible. Check out our website at www.movingboxesmadegreen.com

If you're moving soon... give Beth a call!!!

Till Next Time,

Jeff

Well here are a couple ideas for ya..

 - Check out the movie Food, Inc. Opening Friday night at the Egyptian Theater downtown. Food, Inc. breaks down the American food industry to the core... let's put it this way... there's more going on than you probably want to know but SHOULD know. Check out more about the movie HERE. 

 - Feeling like getting out and doing something good for Mother Nature? Then join other like minded folks at Seward Park on Saturday anytime between 10 AM and 10 PM for their forest restoration work. Read all about it and other events in the area at www.greenseattle.org.

Till next time,

Jeff

Well folks rates have cooled their dramatic increases and actually gone down 2 days in a row. Rates are still very low but we expect them to continue to rise as the summer goes on. I predict there will be one more drop of rates to below 5% by September... after that, we will never see them again.

There has also been lots of favorable local news.... rates are great, pending home sales are at a 2 year high, and this article written today in the Seattle Times shows that Green certified homes ACTUALLY appreciated in value over the last 2 years. You can read the full article HERE.

The writing is on the wall, buy Built Green certified homes and buy now. What are you waiting for? The bottom? It is a proven fact that the bottom can only be defined once we are on our way back up. The only thing I can say is if we haven't already hit it we are close. Get out there if you've been waiting.

Till next time,

Jeff

No one knows....

Here is the daily commentary from Larry Baer and his Market Alert website. You can join Market Alert for 15 days free at www.mktalert.net. I will definately be subscribing after my free trial is over. The information they provide is INVALUABLE!!!!

Commentary: So which is it – are rates rising because the economic recovery is gaining noticeable traction or do rising rates mean the global investment community is worried about the deterioration in the creditworthiness of the U.S. as a debtor nation?

The Fed is not sure if one of these two dynamics is at play -- or if some other factor is creating all the volatility in the credit markets.

The idea that a major shift in investor sentiment has occurred regarding the budding economic recovery -- is an extremely weak one. It is true many economic measures have turned higher – but these improvements still leave many macro-economic measures only fractionally above all-time record lows recorded within the last six months. The vast majority of macro-economic indexes remain well below values normally associated with expansion.

The argument that the global investment community is loosing their appetite for dollar-denominated assets is weak as well. Data shows international demand for American financial assets is as high as ever, even as the value of the dollar slides and the U.S. deficit expands. Data compiled by Bloomberg show the Federal Reserve’s holdings of Treasuries on behalf of central banks and institutions from China to Norway rose by $68.8 billion, or 3.3% in May, the third most on record. The Treasury Department said bidding from foreigners was above average at last week’s $101 billion three-part note auction. To lay last week’s major swoon in the debt markets at the feet of massive incoming government supply misses a key point, the $2 trillion dollar supply inbound into the credit markets from Uncle Sam has been public knowledge for months, the likelihood that market participants just woke up to that fact last Wednesday is beyond ludicrous.

There are all kinds of suppositions floating among market participants regarding the cause(s) behind the swoon in the credit markets. There are an even larger number of theories focused on what the Fed should do to stem the crash and to push borrowing rates back to notably lower levels. Many are suggesting the Fed needs to immediately expand their funding authorization for the direct purchase of Treasury debt obligations from its present level of $300 billion -- to $1 trillion dollars or more. Others argue the Fed simply needs to make it abundantly clear to market participants that the central bank will hold their mortgage-backed security portfolio to maturity – reducing any threat to other mortgage investors that the government will become an aggressive seller of mortgage-backed securities somewhere down the road. Proponents of this argument believe that if this particular threat is eliminated -- one of the major root causes behind last week’s crash in the mortgage market will be greatly reduced.

I have no idea what the “right answer” is – and I think it is a very safe bet to suggest the Fed is doing a lot of collective head scratching right now as well. Central bankers will not want to appear as though they are reacting to every market swing by doing something instantly-- for fear of losing creditability in the global investment community. If the capital for significant expansion of their direct purchase programs is going to be authorized -- and/or if they are going to make a dedicated commitment to hold their mortgage portfolio to maturity– and/or if they are going to do something not yet on investors radar screens – it won’t likely happen in a breathless rush. The next regularly scheduled Federal Open Market Committee meeting is set for June 23 – 24^th. At least until then, like it or not, volatility levels in the mortgage market will almost certainly remain inordinately high.

Hopefully when I blog next... rates will have settled down. As for now it's exciting times.

Till Next Time,

Jeff

On May 1st a new regulation came into effect on appraisals used for conventional mortgages (those purchased by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae and < 417K). The new guideline states that appraisals need to be ordered via a 3rd party Appraisal Management Company (AMC). Having come from a company where this was the norm (as was low appraisals, upset borrowers, and poorly paid appraisers) I was content with the fact. But now I am starting to really see how poor this guideline is in practice across the industry. See the following:

A. Appraisers now have no contact with Loan Originators. Sounds good on the face but believe it or not, there are responsible and ethical appraisers and loan originators out there. Appraisal conditions need to be met and running them thru a 3rd party can be exhausting. Things get lost in translation and time is wasted.

B. Speaking of time. Prior to may 1st, I could get an appraisal back within 5 days. Satisfying even the strictest lenders submission policy. Now appraisals are taking 10+ days to even get scheduled. Who knows when the actual report will come in. This factor makes 30 days locks very interesting. Should loans really take longer than 30 days?? NO.

C. The Cost is totally off. For the past 3 to 4 years appraisals have been $450. Now the AMC determines what to charge... and don't think the appraiser get's that full amount. Appraiser's are now beholden to what the AMC determines this appraiser should be paid. I mean the AMC has to make a profit right???? RIGHT???

Though I think more problems will arise. These are the main ones effecting the consumer and I thought you should know. So make sure you schedule those appraisals fast. I have linked an article on the issue from the Seattle Times HERE if you'd like to read more.

Till Next Time,

Jeff

PS. If you agree with this rule being bad for consumers... please SIGN the PETITION at www.hvccpetition.com.

I thought I might be a good time to profile a few gadget’s that are out on the market that will help you make your lives a little greener.

Apple recently released its new Mac Book which boasts a battery life which is 3 times my current notebook. I can tell you that I think about that when my computer is about to die and I’m desperately trying to find an outlet in the airport. But what about its energy efficiency??? Apple boasts that their new Mac Book only uses ¼ of the power of a single light bulb. Someone had to test this and sure enough Smart Money Magazine did. Their results concluded that it used about half the energy of a light bulb. They were running a DVD but I won’t get on Apple’s case for this. Half the energy of a lightbulb??? That’s pretty good in my book. Smart Money Magazine did report that the new Mac uses 25% to 55% less energy than four comparable laptops. Way to go Apple!!!!

With that in mind I wondered how much my actual computer used (amongst other appliances) and found another gadget called the Kill a Watt. All you do is plug in your appliance or anything into it and it tells you how much energy it uses. This would be a great help in finding out which items in your home or office suck the most energy. Of course… don’t just use the info it provides, do something with it. Search Amazon for the Kill a Watt and you’ll be on your way.

The final product I found is not really a gadget but we LOVE it here at Go Green Mortgage. It’s called GreenPrint and it basically cuts out banner ads and those blank pages that sometimes print at the end of a print spool. It also keep s track of what you’ve saved. Currently GreenPrint has saved over 5 Million sheets of paper, over 3.5 Million pounds of carbon emissions and 600 trees. The best part is it’s free for PC users (sorry Mac fans, it’ll cost you 29 bucks). You can get GreenPrint at www.printgreener.com.

Till next time,

Jeff

Go Green recently had our first training session with Aaron Adelstein from Built Green. We wanted to learn more about their organization and where their focus was heading in this recession. Built Green is a non-profit associated with the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. They help to designate standards for green building within the 2 counties as well as around the state of Washington. They certify residential projects on a 5 star scale based on their checklist. You can learn more about Built Green at www.builtgreen.net.

One of the main focuses of Built Green over the next 6 months is certifying remodeling projects. This is great info for our staff at Go Green Mortgage because that is where we want to help borrower’s the most. In most mortgage transactions there are monies leftover after the closing. Typical rule of thumb is there can be no more than 2% or $2,000 (whichever is less) in cash back to borrowers on non-cash out transactions. This additional cash presents a great opportunity for borrower’s to make Green upgrades to their homes with this extra money.

If you are anything like me… then you realize that going green can be expensive. This is why I have adopted a 1 project every 6 months to a year policy. We at Go Green believe that every little bit helps, and with this method, every person can do their part and non break the bank. Please feel free to give us a call to learn where to best spend that $2,000 for your home in a Green upgrade. Maybe it’s new appliances… maybe a new water heater… maybe insulation for your attic.

You may be like me as well in the fact that you have no interest in selling your home in this market. So what better time to start making those little upgrades to differentiate your home once the market turns?? During our training, Aaron mentioned that studies are now showing that “Green” or “Greener” homes are selling for more per square foot (especially on the east side), are more resistant to depreciating changes in the market, and are being preferred by buyers over similar homes that do not have green upgrades. That’s great news for everyone!!!!

Keep all these things in mind over the next year. Look around your home and decide on your next project. Keep it simple… a rainwater collection system costs under $100 and a little manual labor to install. You’ll also be doing your part for economic recovery by investing in sustainable products, a key to recovery and our future American industry.

Till Next Time,

Jeff