There is nothing like that deeply satisfying feeling of living in a green built home. You may also be one of the thousands of folks who have retrofitted and older home and remodeled it with sustainable materials. Undoubtedly, this type of home is not only a a true haven but also a much healthier place to live.
Find a Realtor who gets it. Look for either NAR's Green Designation or an EcoBroker. They have formal training and understand the mindset of a green home buyer. More importantly seek out an agent to whom green is not just a marketing word but a passion. Ask probing questions and get a feel of who they really are.
These types of boilers have been around for a very long time, but they have changed quite a bit. They are now very efficient, comfortable and do not require as much maintenance as their older counterparts. Wood burning furnaces now produce as much as 90% less emissions than a wood burning fire place. The pellets used in these boilers are made from waste material and wood, of course, is renewable. A nice feature of this type of boiler is that pellets are added as needed by the use of an auger and the only maintenance required is filling the hopper and removing ash.
The third way to ecoomical enrich our core belief system is through knowledge. As we read more, travel more, do more, our belief is nourished. Personally for me, going off to college in Texas, some 800 miles away from Alabama, and studying, traveling and meeting people from around the globe enriched my belief in myself immensely. Just by me getting a 4 year degree, fostered my belief in myself to an all time high. It allows me to feel that I can hang out with the educated, if you will.
Millions of people Sustainable Homes like the Conservers don't have to be at the mercy of the economic tide. They can take charge of their lives to improve their financial well being and quality of life as well by joining the Conserver Economy. The Conserver Economy is green in many respects, emphasizing the careful use of resources, even if the motivation is more about saving money than saving polar bears.
Everyone's career is not necessarily their passion and their passion is not necessarily their career. For me it is. I had held over 25 professional positions since graduating from high school and knew for myself that I wanted my career to be my passion. If my passion was not part of my career then it was just a job and I was not interested in another job.
As a mathematician in college, I found that numbers and statistics can be manipulated to show any perspective that a person is trying to convey. The numbers themselves don't lie, but the "orientation or interpretation" of the numbers is what is important to verify. Yes, 2008 wasn't the most glorious real estate market Northern Virginia has ever experienced, but then again it wasn't the worst either. Good homes, priced correctly for the market, are indeed selling. The key is to price the home in the market that one is presently in, and not for the glory days that are past.