Lancaster PA Real Estate Blog

As 2008 draws to a close, I decided to go back through my 350+ articles and pull out my favorites dealing with Lancaster PA green building and real estate subjects.  Whew!  There were a lot of them, which is why I guess people call me a "Green Evangelist" for homes in these parts. 

I've had the great fortune to be associated with some great people over the last 3 years, people who are the true "movers and shakers" in the green revolution in Central PA.  In particular, I'd like to thank A. Tamasin Sterner or Pure Energy, Kim Patrick of Lancaster County Career & Technology Center (LCCTC), Dave Sheridan of the Green Building Association of Central PA (of which I've been a member since 2006), and Steve Mellinger of Blue Moon Enterprises.  These folks have allowed me to get to know them and share in their dreams for the industry over the years, and I am grateful to them an many others.

So, without further ado, here's my retrospective.  If you're into green real estate I hope you click through to my website www.yourlancasterhome.com as well for other local links and info.

1. Bamboo Flooring at Costco
2. Green products for sale at Costco
3. Compost Bin Designs
4. Building a Compost Bin Plans
5. Recycling Building Materials
6. Rain Barrels - Rainwater Harvesting Projects
7. Lancaster PA Home Perfomance Contractors
8. Inside a Home Energy Audit - Video
9. Carbon Offsets - Responsibility or Sham?
10. Solar Hot Air Heating Systems
11. Solar Pool Heater Project
12. PA Consumers Are More Interested in Green Building
13. Ten Tough Tips for Saving Energy in PA or Anywhere
14. Water Efficiency - Green Resources
15. Home Insulation - "What's An R Value?"
16. Green Roofs - Lancaster City Project 
17. "Greenwashing" On The Rise As Green Becomes Chic

I did a three-part series on preparing your Lancaster City home for winter (which apply in any cooler urban setting)

1. Energy Efficiency - Fireplaces Can Be Trouble
2. Using the Sun to Heat Your Lancaster City Home
3. Preparing for Winter - City Row Homes

I did some interviews of green building industry players:

1. Kim Patrick - Lancaster Career & Technology Center
2. Rick Martin - Energy Star Wheatland Custom Homes
3. Tom Reilly - Lancaster Insulated Concrete Forms Homes (this post got over 300 comments!)

There were some important local Lancaster green building events I covered for the blog:

1. Lancaster Green Home Tour
2. Mount Joy Green Home Tour LCCTC Event
3. Lancaster Solar Hot Water Heating Open House
4. Home Depot's "Eco Options" Event
5. Lancaster's First Concrete Home - Tour

I also pioneered blogging about Pennsylvania's "Keystone Help" Financing for green home improvements:

1. Using Keystone Help Financing For A New Gas Furnace
2. Reviewing High Efficiency Gas Furnace Installation Using Keystone Help PA
3. Keystone Help Financing Growth

Lastly, I posted an article on Roots Market, where my family loves to shop for locally-grown produce.  "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" is a great green movement that saves fuel and labor at every level.

I'm looking forward to pushing the Lancaster PA "greening" agenda in 2009!  If you're a green vendor and would like to be featured on these pages I'd love to meet with you.