Article Title: On the verge of going green

Excerpt: The Webster family's farm, three miles south of Norwalk, is about to be engulfed by residential development. Construction of the Burl Oak subdivision, which will create 32 high-end homes, has already begun, and to the south, Doug Redenius has platted his property into 48 lots and is considering options for developing it.

Excerpt: Preliminary ideas include co-op housing, semi-permeable surfaces instead of storm sewers and shared land for agriculture, geothermal heating and composting toilets. "The goal," said Susan Webster, a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Mid-America Group Realtors who is working on her ecological broker license, "is to encompass as many ecological aspects as economically feasible." The Websters are among a growing number of Central Iowans who are interested in green residential construction techniques. Although demand for sustainable building is not high enough to drive stores and developers to make these products widely available yet, several Des Moines leaders have begun to make the public more aware of the green building choices they have when constructing or remodeling their homes.

Excerpt: Comparing the prices of green certified products to those of standard products is difficult given the range of products available. There may be a small premium for some green-certified products, while others have been driven down by a greater demand. Also some sustainable building practices come at no additional cost, such as how a home builder orients the house.

Excerpt: "'Green building' is more about building relationships than buying a product," Halfhill said, "and the best results come from a team approach focused on the long-term impact of a home on its occupants and its community." "More people are coming to the table every day and there's a lot of enthusiasm about it right now," said Hentzen, "but it's going to take time, effort and education and steps forward to really get it to move."

Article Title: Energy Efficiency Highlight of Rebuilding Together Low-Income Home Renovations: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Excerpt: The Energy Efficient Homes Initiative, a national partnership between America's oil and natural gas industry and Rebuilding Together, incorporates energy efficiency into home renovations provided to low-income homeowners, many of whom are elderly, disabled or have young children. The initiative is an additional component to the 18-year-old national Rebuilding Together program that will revitalize nearly 10,000 homes this year. Rebuilding Together Metro Denver will renovate 39 homes throughout the area this year, with Robert (Bobby) Simpson and Francis (Tubby) Peyrouse's home undergoing the energy efficiency renovations.

Excerpt: In addition to making homes more energy-efficient, the initiative also provides low-income homeowners with materials and information to help them use energy wisely in the future. Additionally, Rebuilding Together is distributing energy efficiency information and tips to volunteers and other participants nationwide, and conducting outreach and education programs geared to increasing energy efficiency with low-income homeowners and others.