Tucson and Green Resources

As 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011 Co-Chair of Tucson Association of Realtors' Green Committee, I have been charged with addressing many issues related to being a more sustainable Association & community. Presently, there are three subcommittees; education, greening the MLS & marketing. Most exciting for me is partaking in the public policy realm & education. These are two near & dear agenda items where I believe we can make a real impact. Greening our existing housing stock, promoting, & I mean REALLY promoting infill, are critically and truly green issues. We need to remove the barriers to infill so that we promotea more urban and vibrant lifestyle for all Tucsonans. And finally, educating our fellow agents & the community on the simple, inexpensive things they can do to green their home are key elements to our efforts. Keep in touch with me so we can discuss ways to improve our results.

Of Late...

In April 2010 we hosted a discussion on the modern streetcar at TAR. This was very exciting & enlightening as we had Jim Glock, Director of the City of Tucson's Transportation Department speaking, as well as Adam Weinstein developer of the Mercado District & Steve Farley Arizona State Representative & champion of transit. It proved to be an informative and lively discussion on the exciting changes to come for our fair city.

Later that same day, we hosted Where the Green Homes Are at TAR. Builders had an opportunity to showcase their product at TAR for agents and the public. Brad Lancaster spoke aabout the different ways to prepare a home for capturing the rainwater and directing it.

In October 2010 we hosted Jerry Yudelson at our Association to discuss his newest book on our next crisis: Water... It was a well attended event and so much to learn on this front.

February 2011, we hosted Watershed Management at our Association to learn about this grass roots amazing nonprofit organization and their fabulous programs. James Macadam spoke to us about what Watershed Management is doing for the Tucson community.

Article - NAR's Green Resource Council

Nicole penned the following article for NAR's Green Resource Council regarding the formation of the Green Task Force at Tucson Association of Realtors.

Tucson REALTORS® Launch Green Committee

There was much conversation about sustainability and the growing green movement throughout the Tucson Association of REALTORS® in 2007. Eventually, the conversations culminated in a small meeting of like-minded agents and staff who were committed to moving our Association in a positive and more sustainable direction.

This was the creation of the Tucson Association of REALTORS'® Green Task Force. We agreed at our first meeting, in July 2008, that we would focus on four core areas of interest:

• Public policy - Land use codes that impact how well our community is planned (or not very well planned...);
• Education - To make our members and the public more aware of local green issues and how they relate to housing;
• Marketing - To help spread the word;
• Technology - Specifically, integrating green features into our MLS.

At that meeting, we broke into groups to address the topics in more detail and discovered that, busy as we are, we have a dedicated group of REALTORS® willing to come together to support each other and share what we learn to further our shared beliefs. Our first meeting was very encouraging.

We've had to stretch our modest budget, but that's not kept us from moving forward. It's forced us to cautiously use our resources and to educate our members and the community in a very thoughtful manner.

One way we've done that is by participating in a locally produced Home Show. As a part of that venture, we hosted the first ever Green Home Show in Tucson.

Guest speakers

We've had speakers come to explain the mechanics of installing a photovoltaic system. This sparked a lot of discussion about different roof structures, issues related to homeowners associations, tax rebates, and the different utility companies and their own rating systems.

Our most successful - I would say wildly received - meeting to date was a presentation by Brad Lancaster, a local rainwater harvesting and permaculture expert who lives in Tucson but is sought after throughout the world. Brad is lively and entertaining, while delivering very useful information. His compelling presentation convincingly explains why citizens of the desert need to collect and direct our meager 10-12 inches of annual rainwater and how we can essentially triple that number if we do it right. The result is less dependence on our diminishing groundwater supplies.

This meeting was widely publicized in the local press, which led to us gladly pulling more and more chairs out to receive our unexpected guests. It generated so much discussion and excitement that it reignited a conversation about our own Association installing a cistern.

Installing a cistern

The Green Committee has begun collecting contributions from interested members toward this goal. Our cistern will be installed front and center - plainly visible to our members and passersby to demonstrate that the Tucson Association of REALTORS® is using and reusing its water source wisely. We are anxiously awaiting the day we can install it!

We are also looking forward to our next big step, which will be to provide educational opportunities at the Tucson Association of REALTORS® that will include a rollout of courses for NAR's GREEN designation and the EcoBroker® designation. These are phenomenal opportunities for our members to learn about green and more sustainable measures, right here in their own community. Further, this will translate to added value for their clients and in their own lives.

Green sharing

As a Committee, we're still evolving. What's exciting is that we all bring so much to the discussion. We've enjoyed sharing our experiences and learning from each other. We've had the chance to exchange the names of green businesses, talk about how we make our businesses greener, and share ideas for lessening our impact on our fragile desert environment.

We've had tremendous fun getting to know each other, and we've broadened our conversation - all the while forming profound friendships and strong business alliances. It's been a very exciting venture thus far!

Nicole Brule Fisher is a Realtor in Tucson, AZ and a Green Designee.