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Californians for Homeownership was founded in response to the California Legislature’s call for public interest organizations to fight local anti-housing policies on behalf of the millions of California residents who need access to more affordable housing.
The Champions of Home Impact Awards honor California REALTORS® who have made a significant impact on their communities through volunteer efforts.
HAF plays an active role in addressing the ongoing housing affordability challenges facing California.
Make A Donation to HAFC.A.R. stands ready to assist REALTORS® who have been impacted by wildfires through its Disaster Relief Fund and NAR's REALTORS® Relief Foundation.
California Disaster ResourcesScholarships for California students planning to pursue a career in real estate.
Find out more information on key diversity and inclusion programs and projects available.
Fair Housing Latino Professionals Network C.A.R. Women's InitiativeNew to the industry? YPN is a network to sharpen your skills, heighten your leadership, and connect with fellow REALTORS®.
Rising Star AwardDownload and share the official 2024 C.A.R. Member Benefits Guide.
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New Member FAQs New Member FAQs Glossary Service ProvidersC.A.R. provides tremendous member value through its innovative tools, services and education. Learn more about C.A.R. membership and dues and NAR membership and dues.
C.A.R.'s annual consumer advertising campaign creates awareness of the REALTOR® brand and demonstrates the many benefits of the consumer-REALTOR® relationship.
Smart Zone provides tools and insights necessary to convey your unique value proposition, effectively market your services, keep your clients abreast of current real estate market trends and help you achieve success in a dynamic industry.
Explore the implications of the landmark Burnett v NAR antitrust lawsuit's outcome for REALTORS®, the industry, and your business.
C.A.R. is a statewide trade association dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate.
Annual ReportThe CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® is committed to bring you tools and information to help you succeed. Here are some of the innovative tools, services and education C.A.R. provided to help you achieve your professional goals.
C.A.R.'s Media Center houses the Association's news releases, media guidelines, and logos.
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Our goal is to provide information to homeowners, REALTORS®, and the general public on how to green their living spaces. We aim to provide insight into how to green your home, your office, and your life.
The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® is doing its part to become a more environmentally friendly organization and will lead the way toward a greener world.
Did you know that in the United States, homes are responsible for 21 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions? That fact, plus rising energy costs and a decision by California’s Public Utilities Commission mandating that new housing developments are "zero net energy" by 2020, has caused consumers, homebuilders, homeowners, property managers, REALTORS®, local governments, schools, and others to focus on the energy-efficiency of homes and buildings.
That’s why real estate is a green issue.
As these groups and individuals seek ways to reduce the energy costs of homes, even more emphasis will be placed on eco-friendly designs and cost-savings. If you are a homeowner, there are steps—most are relatively easy—that you can take to make your home more energy-efficient; if you are a future home buyer, there are features and “green ratings and credentials” that you should look for in your future home.
Individual buildings alone can’t solve global warming, thus part of the key green principles focus on a larger scope: livable communities. A livable community, by encompassing all of the previous four principles (energy, water conservation, resource conservation, and indoor air quality), is built with the intention of providing a healthy and sustainable environment not just for current residents, but future generations to come. Livable communities often arise from sustainable development practices—development that promotes positive economic growth and social objectives. By taking into account what building principles will be best for both the environment and residents, livable communities can boast a plethora of benefits, such as cleaner air, reduced traffic congestion, open space for recreation, and natural habitats and often greater economic vitality.
Energy efficiency and energy conservation are two similar, but different, methods of reducing overall energy usage. Energy efficiency means achieving lower energy use through specific steps, such as installing appliances, equipment, or lighting that uses less energy. For instance, replacing your current refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR refrigerator would be an energy-efficient move. Energy conservation, on the other hand, means changing your behavior in order to save energy, such as turning off unnecessary lights and using your air conditioner/heater less frequently. By finding ways to conserve energy and become energy efficient, you can not only reduce energy bills, but also decrease the need to generate electricity.
If you are just starting your home search, consider buying a home that embodies the key green principles (efficient use of energy, water, and resources, high indoor-air quality, and is in a “livable” community). Green homes are not only more cost-effective in the long-run, they also are healthier and more durable than the standard home. The first step to finding a green home is ensuring that the house you’re interested in is built to green standards. Calli Baker Schmidt, director of environmental communication for the National Association of Home Builders, advises, “Find out if the builder is a member of his or her local home-building association’s green building program.”
The ENERGY STAR home certification was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The ENERGY STAR qualification is mainly based on the energy efficiency of a home (as opposed to other green home certification systems that take into account all five of the green principles).
When purchasing a new home, home buyers and REALTORS® can look for homes that have earned the ENERGY STAR label—homes that have been inspected and tested by an independent Home Energy Rater to ensure the home meets the EPA’s guidelines for energy efficiency.
In addition to national initiatives, the state of California has been implementing many emission reduction programs in recent years. The state’s most comprehensive plan, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Assembly Bill 32 - Núñez), caps California’s greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by 2020. How does this plan impact homes? According to the California Energy Commission, in order to achieve the desired greenhouse emissions level, all new homes will have to be zero net energy.
Additionally, the state has established a goal of reducing emissions to 80 percent below 1990 emission levels in 2050. Like the national policy, the state hopes to achieve these goals through the implementation of numerous green initiatives such as the Green Building Initiative, as well as multiple conservation programs, like Flex Your Power.
Here’s a list of some key green terms to know and understand.
Alternative Energy: Energy derived from nontraditional sources (e.g., compressed natural gas, solar, hydroelectric, or wind).
Carbon Footprint: Carbon footprint refers to the overall carbon emissions created by a building, including its construction and operation.
Carbon Neutral: A claim made by some companies and developers to describe a building or product whose net carbon emissions are zero. This is very difficult to achieve and truly possible only if something doesn’t emit any carbon at all or soaks up as much as it emits.
Carbon Offsets: Carbon offsets allow people to pay money to fund a forestry project, renewable energy project, or research into renewable energy technology in order to offset their carbon emissions.
Fossil Fuels: Fuels including coal, natural gas, and oil that are used to generate electricity.
Going Green: Going green can relate to numerous parts of a person’s everyday life. From transportation choices to a home’s design features, going green can mean different things to different people, but its core theme embraces the idea of taking steps to reduce one’s overall impact on the environment. This can occur through reducing energy usage, recycling, utilizing public transportation, buying products locally, or designing or remodeling a home so that it is more energy efficient.
Greenwashing: Greenwashing is the practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology, or company practice. Essentially, selling something as green when it’s not, i.e., “Come check out our eco-friendly gas station!” Another example is a homeowner/REALTOR® referring to his or her home/listing with a few green features as a “green home.”
Green Enhancements: Green enhancements are changes and improvements made to a home that make it more environmentally friendly.
Photovoltaic (PV) Panels: Panels that can be fitted to a roof or a post in the ground, which convert visible light into direct current (DC). Once connected to the power grid, they can provide no-cost solar energy for decades. While the up-front costs of PV systems are still high, federal, state, and local incentives and rebates, as well as drastically reduced energy prices, help the systems pay for themselves more quickly.
Sustainability: The World Commission on Environment and Development defines sustainability as “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” In reference to a building or business, it’s an approach that evaluates environmental, social, and financial factors equally.
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC): VOCs are organic chemical compounds that are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. They can have short- and long-term adverse health effects. In the home, VOCs are often found in paint, cleaning supplies, building materials, and furnishings.
Zero Energy Home: A zero energy home (ZEH) combines state-of-the-art, energy-efficient construction and appliances with commercially available renewable energy systems, such as solar water heating and solar electricity. The result is a home that produces its own energy—as much as or more than it needs.
Alternate definition: Zero net energy homes use energy-efficient construction, equipment, lighting, and appliances with renewable energy systems to return or create as much energy as they take from local electric utilities on an annual basis, by using windmills, solar panels, or generators.