"Buyers wanting to upgrade to a new home but who are concerned about the subsequent tax increase should consider renovating existing homes. These buyers can reduce their environmental footprint and gain substantial long-term tax savings. Sarasota is ripe with renovation opportunities.”

-Grant Castilow

Florida House Retrofit Update

Sarasota Herald Tribune | March 14, 2008

Steve Ellis and Grant Castilow of MyGreenBuildings are in business to make a profit. But they're also dedicated to more than just black ink on the profit sheet. For them, it's all about being green.

The company is donating its services in the retrofitting of the Florida House Learning Center, which was just moved to a new location on Beneva Road a few months ago.

Ellis, speaking right now at the Make It Green Seminar at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, said Florida House has changed people's lives, but it’s almost 15 years old and needs to be retrofitted with the latest green technologies. The problem is that this takes money -- and the county government is not exactly flush right now. So to continue Florida House's mission as a model of sustainable building and living, donations are needed from both private businesses and individuals.

Ellis acknowledges that his company will benefit from the publicity the Florida House project will generate. "But it sends a big message" to homeowners who may be considering remodeling their inefficient older houses, he said.

"There are 5 million of those in Florida," said Ellis. "If $50,000 were spent on making each house green, that's a $250 billion industry.

"If we could get just 15 percent of that market, we would be happy," he said, again drawing laughter from the audience.

“Building green is a lot of fun and a passion for us,” he said. “Also, Grant and I are going to try to make as much money as we can from it. We are spending an awful lot of money promoting these ideas so the whole community can move forward” with being green.

View Article >>