The Green Side of Reno
April 28, 2008
On April 25th, the City of Reno displayed a number of its city-owned alternative-fuel powered vehicles and machines. The vehicles showcased included the Toyota Prius hybrid car, an E85 police car (85%enthanol/15%gasoline), a solar-powered diesel Kubota 4X4 and a Zap scooter, powered by a 36-volt motor.
The display was organized to highlight the City of Reno’s commitment to making green living a top priority. There are approximately 750 combined pieces of equipment and vehicles in the City of Reno’s fleet which save approximately 35,000 gallons of gas per year.
Another green side of the Greater Reno area is the Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful organization, dedicated to a cleaner, more beautiful region through education and promoting active community involvement in various recycling and clean-up events.
Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful was the first organization in the region to establish an Adopt-A-Park event. The organization also sponsors Adopt-A-Spot, Open Space, River and Neighborhood Cleanups as well as Christmas Tree and Phone Book Recycling.
Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful will be presenting “Waste Warriors” a 45-minute educational program on litter reduction and recycling on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Duncan-Traner Community Library (admission is free).
On May 10th, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful will also sponsor an open space clean-up day from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
For more information on the “Waste Warriors” presentation, contact the Duncan-Traner Community Library at 333-5134
Click here for more information on the open space clean-up Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful
If you are considering a move in or to the greater Reno area, please contact me for neighborhood information and market conditions.
Here is a toast to the green side of the City of Reno and to the Keep Truckee Beautiful organization.
greenUP!
April 21, 2008
In honor of Earth Day, which was celebrated here in Reno yesterday at Idlewild park (over 5,000 attended), I thought I would highlight the Reno-Sparks-Washoe County greenUP campaign.
The greenUP promotional campaign began on April 17 and will continue through the month of May. The campaign is headed by the Nevada Small Business Development Center, the cities of Reno and Sparks, and Washoe County with the purpose of involving business, community organizations, institutions and private citizens in taking positive steps to make green living a way of life throughout the region. The campaign promotes events and activities that are related to environmental education and what we can do now and in the future to make sustainable living a reality.
The greenUp! campaign is not only an annual promotional event, it is also an on-going endeavor through out the year. You may visit the greenUP! website, at anytime for updates on news and events promoting sustainable living.
The greenUP! campaign targets the communities of: the Lake Tahoe Region, the Truckee Meadows area, the cities of Truckee , Carson City , Sparks , Reno , Silver Springs, Gardnerville, Dayton , Minden , Fernly, and Fallon and all the communities and towns in the Truckee River and Carson River watersheds.
Green living is not only a factor in our quality of life but I believe it will also affect property values in the future. Sustainable living is fast becoming a factor in how cities are rated by “Best Places to Live” lists and in how young professionals choose where they want to live and raise their families. Each and every one of us must do our part now to preserve our lifestyle and property in the future.
Note: April 26 ends the City of Reno ’s Clean and Green project. Please refer to my March 25th post for details.
Visit the greenUP! website – Click here
Sliver of Silver for Distressed Homeowners
April 14, 2008
There may be some good news on the horizon for distressed homeowners. If your loan is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you may find a sliver of silver in your dark cloud.
For sellers who find they are in “upside-down” mortgages (the seller owes more than the current market value of the home), there may be some help coming your way.
Associated Press (4/11/2008) reports that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are going to allow more distressed homeowners to sell their homes for less than they currently owe on their loans. Fannie Mae is hoping that by being cooperative with the short sale of a property they will be able to stem the tide of future foreclosures.
Fannie Mae is encouraging the companies that service their loans to be more cooperative with homeowners who are in default and owe more than they can sell for. They are also encouraging real estate agents to consider short sale properties as a viable option for their buyers. In the past, short sales have been difficult to get approved and the process for approval could be a very bumpy road for the distressed seller and potential buyer; many real estate agents, buyers and sellers would not even attempt a short sale transaction because of the difficulties. Fannie Mae’s announcement should make the approvals easier to get and the road much smoother which, in turn, makes it a viable option for the home seller and the home buyer.
A short sale may not be the answer the delinquent homeowner is looking for since it will not allow them to keep their home; but it will help with future credit issues as the loan will be reported as “settled” on credit reports, without the dreaded “foreclosure” on their credit report. This could be especially helpful to those whose only credit issue is their mortgage payment.
If your house payments are currently in a default status, be sure to contact your loan servicer (the company you make the payments to) to see if you can qualify for any of their “work-out” options. If you do not qualify for a “work-out” program, talk to the person you are working with about the possibility of a short sale.
If you are a buyer or seller in the Reno-Tahoe area, contact me with any questions you may have regarding your real estate needs or concerns.
Extreme Planets and Birthday Parties!
April 8, 2008
One of the excellent offerings here in Reno, missed by many locals and visitors alike, is the Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center.
The planetarium features a 60 seat capacity dome theater, star observing, hands-on displays in the exhibit hall, and a classroom for educational purposes. The Planetarium also offers facilities that are able to accommodate special events such as birthday parties and business meetings.
You can see light shows, star shows and full-featured films daily in the theater courtesy of the Astronomical Society of Nevada.
The planetarium was the first atmospherium in the world. The dome theater and 360-degree projector was the first to simulate day and night skies with a full range of atmospheric conditions with a 360-degree range for horizon-to-horizon images. The theater now uses the Spitz SciDome projector with surround sound for its presentations; some in 3-D. Fleischmann Planetarium is one of the few planetariums in the world to feature this digital state-of-the-art projector.
If you can’t find anything at the movies to see, you should check out the Planetarium’s current offerings such as: Dark Side of the Moon, a full-dome light show, Extreme Planets, a full-dome star show, Journey into Amazing Caves, a large format film. There are several other presentations as well so be sure to check their website for all features and schedules.
Making It Great…..Really Does
April 1, 2008
20 years ago, the City of Reno began its plan to make the biggest little city in the world, the greatest little city in the world. Because of the Making It Great master plan, the city and the surrounding area just keeps getting better. As Cindie Geddes puts it, Reno did not wait to get on the bandwagon, “they built the bandwagon”.Making It Great is Reno ’s master plan to promote business, reclaim the environment and provide a quality lifestyle for its citizens. Once again, the efforts of the City of Reno have been recognized. CNN has ranked Reno as 54th in their Top 100 Places to Live out of 296 Census-designated metro areas.The selection was based on the best blend of business environment and quality lifestyle. The Reno-Sparks area received high marks for its outdoor recreation opportunities such as skiing, night life entertainment (which included our world renowned casinos), cultural venues such as the Nevada Opera and our stunning scenery.
On the business side, high marks were received for our business-friendly environment and tax incentives for the renewable energy industry. Our great climate and health infrastructure were also factored in the equation.
This kind of recognition can only be accomplished by a City with a vision; but even more than a vision, it is a city that knows how to put that visionary plan into action.
Here’s a toast to our City and our City Council for Making It Great to live and work in Reno .
