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　　From Newsweek

　　By Jane Bryant Quinn

　　Dec.4, 2006

　　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 (more on this below) 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 (listings at ecobroker.com). 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 (RESNET). And they're not just high-end. John Beldock, EcoBroker's CEO, says that green residential building now teaches almost every price range.

　　Existing homes are getting greener, too. To help with energy improvements, your stare may offer low-interest loans or grants. State and federal tax credits are on the table. To find a green builder or remodeler, click on "Partner List" at energystar.gov, Also, put "build green" and the name of your state into a search engine and see what comes up.

　　Home energy ratings. Your utility may offer free or low-cost energy audits to suggest ways of cutting your heating and cooling bills. For more formal audits, green builders and lenders are turning to certified "raters." Homes are awarded points on a scale of one to 100, depending on their energy efficiency. Each rating comes with a list of possible improvements you might want to make, as well as an estimate of your savings in energy bills

　　Why would you pay $350 to $600 for a rating? Lenders might require it, if you're borrowing money to add energy-efficient systems to your home. States might require it for people applying to affordable-home lending programs. In bum real-estate markets, a good rating might help sell your house-especially if you're listing with with a green broker. For certified raters, go to resnet. us and energystar.gov(But try any freebie from your utility first.)

　　Green mortgages-otherwise known as Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs). You usually qualify if you're buying a new Energy Star home or planning cost-efficient upgrades on an older home. Various types of loans exist; often, they let you borrow more money than would normally be the case. If the loan is done right, you'll be able to handle the higher monthly payments because you’re saving so much on your energy bills. You might also get reduced closing costs. The largest program allows loans up to $417,000, depending on where you live, but it's possible to borrow up to $1 million or more. If you're upgrading a home, part of the money goes into escrow until the job is done.

　　In theory, any lender can offer EEMs. In practice, they're hard to find. Few banks have bothered with the programs or trained lending officers to handle them. People don't know they exist, so there's slim demand. And besides, most buyers can already borrow as much as they need.

　　But EEMs are good for extra financing, and lenders should soon catch on to their value as marketing tools. To find these loans, it's helpful to use a green mortgage broker. Look for the names of lenders and brokers on the Energy Star site. The Indigo Financial Croup serves five states and is preparing to go nationwide. Indigo's Joel Wiese says his clients are saving 20 percent to 50 percent on their utility bills--more than enough to cover their higher mortgage payments.

　　One warning: beware the "greenwashers". Those are brokers and builders who say they're saving the planet but-like the Wizard of Oz-just give out green glasses, to turn a brown world into an emerald shade. Go beyond the press release. Be sure to get real green for your green.

　　词汇注解

　　重点单词

　　real-estate /'riali'steit/

　　【文中释义】adj.房地产的，不动产的

　　【大纲全义】n.不动产，房地产adj房地产的，不动产的

　　client /'klaiant/

　　【文中释义】n.顾客，客户

　　【大纲全义】n.律师等的当事人，委托人;商店的顾客

　　tint /tint/ I

　　【文中释义】n.色彩

　　【大纲全义】n.色彩 v.给淡淡地着色

　　conscience /'kɔnʃəns/

　　【文中释义】n.良心

　　【大纲全义】n.良心，良知

　　qualify /'kwɔlifai/

　　【文中释义】v.使具有资格

　　【大纲全义】v.(使)具有资格，证明合格;限制，限定;修饰

　　sympathetic /simpə'θetik/

　　【文中释义】adj.合意的

　　【大纲全义】adj.有同情心的;赞同的;和谐的 n.交感神经

　　architect /'a:kitekt/

　　【文中释义】n.建筑师

　　【大纲全义】n.建筑师;设计师;;创造者

　　designation/,dezig’neiʃən/

　　【文中释义】n.名称

　　【大纲全义】n.指出，指明;任命，选派;称呼，名称

　　label/'leibəl/

　　【文中释义】v.标注

　　【大纲全义】n标签 v.把…….称为;用标签于;用标签标明;标注

　　ordinary /'ɔ:dinəri/

　　【文中释义】adj.普通的

　　【大纲全义】adj.普通的，平凡的，平常的;平庸的

　　code /kəud/

　　【文中释义】n.规划

　　【大纲全义】n.代码，代号，密码;法典，法规，规划 v.把……编码

　　ventilation /venti’leiʃən/

　　【文中释义】n.通风

　　【大纲全义】n.通风，流通空气

　　beware /bi’wɛə/

　　【文中释义】vt谨防

　　【大纲全义】v.当心，谨防

　　超纲单词

　　like-minded adj.有兴趣的 remodel v.改造

　　ecobroker n.生态经纪人 pipeline n.审核中

　　stampede n.惊慌行为 emerald n.草绿色

　　重点段落译文

　　青蛙柯米特(经典木偶剧里的角色)应该会喜欢这样。人人都想变成绿色。现在，为了节约能源、节省地球资源和为客户省钱，在房地产业也出现了绿色。你很轻松就能找到绿色经纪人、绿色房屋、绿色承包商甚至绿色抵押贷款;最后还有绿色税收抵免——可能你自己也沾上了点绿色。

　　商业紧随时代风潮而行。一些环保产品的出现是出于良知，另一些是由于担心增加能源成本。从数量上看，绿色环保市场仍然是一个缝隙市场，但其影响正波及主流市场。某些行业中的绿色产业正处于发展之中：

　　房地产公司。它们走绿色路线的表现是什么?首先，房地产公司在广告中以“亲近星球”自居，来吸引有此兴趣的客户并从众多公司中脱颖而出。其次，它们了解你所关注的问题:如何减少能耗支出;如何寻求税收减免或是得到州政府对房屋环保改造的补助;如何取得申请绿色抵押的资格(更多的抵押款);或是如何联系到合意的建筑师和承包商。如今甚至出现了一个新的称呼用于指那些上过有关环境和能源知识的专门网络课程的代理商和经纪人一一生态经纪人。到目前为止，在美国的38个州、哥伦比亚特区和加拿大的部分地区，已有将近250人获得了这种资格(名单所在网址为ecobroker.com )。还有500多人正在审核中。如果能源价格居高不下，可能会有更多的人对此趋之若鹜。

　　生态建筑者。针对那些新修建的、带有节能理念的房屋，眼下有着各种各样的标签，比如:能源之星家园、绿色家园、绿色建筑等等。为了达标，这些房屋必须比按照普通建筑标准建造的房屋更加高效节能。它应该具备紧凑的结构、优良的隔热性能、先进的供热及制冷设备、高性能的窗户、良好的通风性以及—讨于那些更高标准的环保房屋而言—含较少化学成分及粘胶的再生部件及建筑材料。住宅能源服务网(RESNET)的老板史蒂夫·巴登说，去年有超过10%的新住宅被贴上了节能明星的标签。而且它们不全是高档住宅。生态经纪人公司的首席执行官约翰·贝尔多克表示，现在的绿色环保住宅几乎各种价位的都有。

　　您要注意的是:要谨防“绿色骗子”。很多经纪人和建筑商说是在节省地球资源—其实就像童话故事《绿野仙踪》里的巫女一样——仅仅是给人们绿色眼镜，使一个棕色的世界加上了绿色的遮蔽。不要尽信新闻报道。为了您的健康，要确保您得到的是真正的绿色。

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