Now that the Oklahoma Green Building Summit is behind us I wanted to thank each of you who attended and for the planning committee's efforts during the year in readying this event and help at the show last week!!
I especially want to thank Andrea Palmer with Guaranteed Watt Saver Systems and
Todd Booze
Kathy Kastner with OSHBA for all that they did in getting the venue planning and conference administration addressed and I think everyone would agree that it was a first-class event, as I had many mention it to me personally.
Also a special thanks to Realtors Sarah Bytyqui and Gayle Hough on their focus on the Real Estate community and push to get industry attendance at Summit. We are especially appreciative of their efforts with MLS and the new partnership that has been formed with OKMAR through this process. This new relationship will set that stage for further collaboration between our industries to a level never experienced before!!
I would also like to thank State Sen. Todd Lamb, who kicked us off on the first day. He illustrated the huge impact the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association has on Capitol Hill. Sen. Lamb said this is due, primarily, to our lobby efforts which are focused on the marketplace and not on government mandates. For example, the Right to Remedy issue was facing an uphill battle, he said, with comments such as "You are bringing nail clippers to a gun fight" at the start of the day. By the end, the issue passed because of the membership interest, the credibility and the ethical stance the association carries, Sen. Lamb said.
On Tuesday, the meeting venue at Midwest City's Reed Center was a big plus, as vendors enjoyed being right in the middle of the break-time and lunch crowds.
The Tuesday conference was well-received. Habitat builder John Fowler attended the early-morning, code-update session. "Minor details can cost big bucks on the long run." Others said: "I feel sorry for the guys who aren't learning this stuff and are building like they always have. The next thing they know, they'll have to tear a whole second-story off."
Look to more about green building over the next few months on Utube. We spent time with builders and others Tuesday asking them on camera to answer some of these questions:
-
Why I build green?
-
What are the most important points for Realtors to know when showing a HERS-rated energy-efficient home?
-
Why am I attending the summit?
-
What does the customer have to benefit in buying an energy-efficient home?
-
What are some of the energy-efficient programs ONG and OGE offers?
-
If I'm a Realtor whose client wants an energy-efficient home, tell me about the new HERS listing on the MLS?
-
Why is it important for one particular builder to be a trainer of energy-efficient construction?
Thanks to all those who took the day out to educate themselves on an issue that's not only good for the environment but also becoming more and more a customer request.
