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Making Your Grass Greener Kermit the frog should love it. Everybody wants to be green. Now it s the real-estate industry, out to save energy, save the planet and save money for their clients. With only a little effort, you can find green brokers, green homes, green contractors, even green mortgages. Top that off with green tax credits and you, too, might acquire a tint. Commerce follows the Zeitgeist. Some greenies are moved by conscience, others by fears of rising energy costs. In numbers, they re still a niche market, but their influence is pushing into the mainstream. Here s where the green grass grows: Real-estate firms. What happens when they go green? First, they advertise as pro-planet, to attract like-minded clients and stand out from the crowd. Second, they re up on your issues: how to cut energy bills, find tax breaks or state grants for green remodeling, qualify for a green mortgage and connect with sympathetic architects and contractors. There s even a new designation-EcoBroker -for agents and brokers who take special online courses in environmental and energy issues. So far, nearly 250 people have qualified in 38 states, the District of Columbia and parts of Canada . Some 500 more are in the pipeline. If energy prices keep rising, you ll see a stampede. Ecobuilders. Various labeling programs exist for new houses built with energy savings in mind: Energy Star Home, Built Green, Build It Green and so on. To qualify, they have to be more efficient than homes built to ordinary building codes, You can expect tight construction, superior insulation, advanced heating and cooling equipment, high-performance windows, good ventilation and-for those who go further--recycled components and building materials containing fewer chemicals and less glue. More than 10 percent of new homes last year were labeled Energy Star, says Steve Baden, head of the Residential Energy Services Network . And they re not just high-end. John Beldock, EcoBroker s CEO, says that green residential building now teaches almost every price range. | 
