Blogs

Please welcome this week's guest blogger Laine Seaton. Laine is the executive director of the Environmental Fund for Arizona.

Minnesota is kicking our butt. No, I’m not talking ice hockey or the fact that they have 10,000 lakes — yes, it’s not just their state motto.  Rather, I’m talking about their killer support for their environment — hey, they have 10,000 lakes to keep pristine remember? But seriously, Minnesota is leaving us in the dust when it comes to supporting the environment through workplace giving. What’s that you ask? Workplace giving is just that – where employees in companies, cities, counties, universities, or really any organization can give to charities through their workplace, usually via payroll deduction.

Welcome to the second installment of our weekly green news roundup. Feel free to send along any stories you'd like to share by e-mailing me at kasia@azbigmedia.com

Also visit AZ Green Scene for informative articles focusing on sustainability endeavors in the Valley and state.

AZCREW Luncheon 11:30am-1pm
Arizona Biltmore Hotel 

Speakers:
Scott Kaplan — Senior Vice President, CBRE
Larry Ellermann — President, Ellerman, Schick & Bruno Architects 

With so much going on in sustainability these days, I always find it difficult to narrow it down to just one thing to write about. Instead, I've decided to post a weekly green news roundup with some interesting green stories from around the Web. Enjoy! Feel free to send along any stories you'd like to share by e-mailing me at kasia@azbigmedia.com

Also visit AZ Green Scene for informative articles focusing on sustainability endeavors in the Valley and state.

Large-scale residential home building may still be a few years off, but at least prices have started to show signs of firming up.

According to a new report from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, home prices in the Valley could stabilize this spring.

The latest Arizona State University-Repeat Sales Index (ASU-RSI) shows single-family home prices fell 17 percent from November 2008 to November 2009. That compares to the less than the 20-percent drop from October 2008 to October 2009, and the 23-percent drop from September to September.

Preliminary estimates for December and January show a year-over-year drop of 13 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade. (Clarence Darrow)

In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it. (Marianne Williamson)

These inspiring quotes encourage us to work together to create a stronger community with a brighter future.  And the good news is that community involvement is as fulfilling as it is necessary to maintain a healthy region.

With the green movement spawning so many new ideas, business opportunities and lifestyle changes, there is no shortage of organizations to join that help promote a healthy environment. Whether your focus lies in nature and the outdoors, conservation, beautification, green building, livability or sustainability, there are ample ways to make a difference right here in our Valley and State.

CANstruction is a design/build competition where teams of architects, engineers and contractors build giant structures made of virtually nothing but canned food to help fight hunger. At the end of the competition, all of the canned food is donated to St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance to help aid people in hunger around the Valley.

The 4th Annual Canstruction competition is being held Feb. 19-20 at Fiesta Mall, located at Alma School Road and U.S. 60 in Mesa, Ariz. Eight teams will showcase their talents by designing and building giant structures (10’ x 10’ x 8’h) made almost entirely out of canned foods. 

As the U.S. economy recovers, emerging trends in demographics and consumer behavior will become major drivers of new housing opportunities, resulting in a residential market vastly different from the one that existed prior to the recession, according to Housing in America: The Next Decade, a new research paper authored by John K. McIlwain, senior resident fellow, Urban Land Institute/J. Ronald Terwilliger Chair for Housing.

“The old ‘normal’ will not return,” McIlwain predicted. “Over time, a new mode of metropolitan development will emerge, presenting opportunities and stiff challenges. Those who fail to understand these new trends will find themselves building what is no longer in demand.”

Two key predictions from Housing in America for the decade ahead: home appreciation will slow considerably, to about 1 percent to 2 percent annually; and the current U.S. homeownership rate, now at 67 percent (a decline from the record high of 69 percent at the height of the housing boom) will fall further, to about 62 percent.