REMAX Real Estate Center

We’re Green!

It is with great excitement that the owners, agents and staff of RE/MAX Real Estate Center announce that we have “Gone Green”!

Over the past few months we have analyzed all aspects of our facilities and business operations with the goal of identifying opportunities for eco-friendly business practices. The following list of initiatives is just the beginning of our effort to create an environmentally sustainable business. We welcome any and all ideas which will help us further our goal of minimizing our impact on the planet while maximizing our effectiveness and service to our clients.

We’re Paperless!

Paperless Deal Files – Starting January 1st 2008, we will process all deal files electronically. Instead of turning in a paper copy to the office, agents will simply scan their deal and forward to our administrative team. This will save paper, folders, staples, storage costs and time, as well as increasing efficiency and service to our agents by allowing us to access their deal files remotely.

Paperless Faxing – All incoming faxes during business hours are received as .pdf files by our office staff and immediately forwarded to our agents’ via email.

Paperless Billing – Agents and all vendors receive their bills via email.

Paperless Accounts Payable – To minimize the massive amount of waste associated with the bills we receive, we request e-billing statements from our vendors whenever available.

Green Electricity
Electricity for the office is purchased through Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power Program. http://www.pse.com/solutions/forbusiness/Pages/businessGreenPower.aspx
While we pay a premium to be part of this innovative and important program, we feel it is important to be at the forefront of a forward-thinking movement focused on reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, building a wider range of renewable energy sources in our region and raising community awareness about the benefits of green power.

Interior and Exterior Lighting
1. By switching to fluorescent lighting, in all fixtures both inside and outside our building, we are saving money on electricity and doing our part to save the planet as well. See the following Seattle PI article and the incredible statistics related to the benefits of fluorescent bulbs: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/athome/285006_lighting16.html
2. We have found that our fluorescent tube fixtures (which are made to fit four tubes) provide sufficient light for business purposes with 2 or 3 tubes.

Water
1. By the Summer of 2008 we will have transitioned 100% of our landscaping to drought-resistant options which require little or no water and no pesticides (learn about Xeriscaping here: http://www.squidoo.com/xeriscapehome).
2. Leak Detection System – We recently installed a state-of-the-art leak detection system on the building’s main water line. This system alerts us if any water runs continuously in the building for more than 20 minutes.

Recycling
Paper, Plastic and Glass - All paper, plastic and glass products used by the office are recycled with Waste Management Company.

Electronics – We use www.earth911.org to find our nearby recycling center for all of our outdated or broken electronics.

Fluorescent Lamps – Ecolights Northwest (www.ecolights.com) collects and recycles our fluorescent bulbs, batteries (including NiCad) and televisions.

Eco-friendly Coffee and Water Service
Guests of RE/MAX Real Estate Center will be offered shade grown, organic, free trade coffee and tea, as well as earth - friendly drinking water.

Office Supplies
We have moved to using only FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified paper with a minimum of 30% post consumer recycled content. This paper meets and exceeds all EPA recommended standards for sustainability.

Heating and Cooling
Our building’s heating and cooling system uses economizer technology to sense the temperature of the outside air and use it to cool the inside of the building if the outside air is colder than the air inside the building. This technology saves energy and the need for cooling chemicals by avoiding the need to create artificially cooled air.

Cleaning Supplies
We use biodegradable cleaning products from such companies as Method and Seventh Generation. These products are non-toxic and also free of chlorine, phosphates and petroleum-based ingredients.