Sustainability

Thanks for visiting our site that is designed to provide you with resources related to Sustainable Practices – both in your practice and in the buildings that you sell. We are very excited about this project and hope that you find value in this resource. The field of Sustainability is ever-expanding, and PMAR hopes to keep you up to date on the latest information..

Sustainable practices covers a broad number of topics, and so our goal was to organize the information in a way that would make sense and save you time and energy. Download an overview here. Please feel free to make suggestions, we expect the site to grow and evolve. You can e-mail PMAR Chief Operating Officer Michele Holen with your feedback.

PMAR has achieved Sustainability at Work’s silver certification and is recognized for its leadership helping make Portland one of the cleanest, most sustainable cities in the country. To earn this honor, PMAR completed numerous actions to benefit our local economy, our community and our environment, which were verified during an onsite visit with Sustainability at Work Advisors. Read more here.

What does Sustainable Practices mean?

The definition of Sustainable Practices is living your life in a way that uses resources in a responsible way. This could mean buying a house with energy efficient features or buying a home that has been renovated using non-toxic and/or recycled/salvaged materials. Both of these are examples of using resources in a more responsible way. One addresses the growing scarcity of the resources that we currently use (water, energy, clean air, food, raw materials) and the other addresses improving the quality of the air we breathe and water we drink. Both of these practices will result in a planet that is able to support life well into the future.

Why is this important to my business as a Realtor®?

Many consumers today expect Realtors® to understand the concept behind Sustainable Practices, and to help them think through these issues as part of their decision making process. As we are in the business of selling buildings, it is important that we understand the financial aspect and livability issues of different properties. With many of these issues, we are not expected to be experts, but to have a basic understanding and provide access to good and reliable resources. This is where the website comes in.

What kind of information can I find on the site?

The site is organized into four main sections:

• The “Welcome” section: information on Sustainability 101, and the benefits of sustainability.
• Realtor® Education: an extensive list of certifications, classes, and electronic publications that Realtors® can use to become educated on sustainability issues.
• Realtor® Business Practices: Helpful hints for Realtors® on how to incorporate sustainability into their office.
• Homeowner Resources: An extensive section on cash and tax incentives available for sustainable home improvements, organized by project; information on recycling, sustainable home preservation, solar panels, and much more.

The site is updated quarterly, at minimum, to ensure information is accurate and up-to-date. Per policy, we only link to non-profits or governmental agencies. The one exception is in the Realtor® Education section, where we do link to a few for-profit education providers.