Christina Ivazes has just become one of the very first EcoBrokers(R) in our area. To her, it's another natural spoke in the conscientious wheel of her life's passions. To locals, it means a lot more than we might initially imagine.

First, there's Green Real Estate, which is about selling and seeking out homes that are energy efficient. Christina Ivazes is a REALTOR(R) with Keller Williams Realty who focuses on the environmental impact of our lives. Now with her new EcoBroker(R) status, she is more equipped to increase her green real estate services... And yet she also does so much more.

From her own personal, day-to-day standpoint, she walks her own talk by recycling and re-using anything and everything possible. She's also in the process of "greening" her home little by little, as Christina knows that these changes can't be done overnight. She serves her clients well by extolling her knowledge of and practicality about green building, remodeling and designing, as well as sharing the extensive resources she has for both homeowners and homebuyers.

For instance, when working with clients seeking a home, Christina takes into account certain details of their lives to help paint a more harmonious picture for them in the future. This might include considering where the parents work and where the children go to school (to foster less commute time and more family time). She may feel out whether a smaller house might actually work better for them (since it can contribute to lower utility costs) and talk about the significance of trees and windows (for shading and warmth) ~ All of which help create a greater quality of life for Christina's clients. Hence, she's keeping an eye on the impact we as individuals have on the larger community/world, and is helping to promote specific awareness about this.

For Christina, the "green thing" came about long before real estate. "Living in Nevada County for 15 years, you can't not be into the green thing;" she tells me, "from the Haute Trash Fashions Shows I was involved in to a general focus on quality outdoor living." And "they're years ahead," she adds, in comparison to us in the Sacramento area. "Even Roseville has adopted energy efficient building standards."

So why exactly are we so behind? Christina surmises that we're so "loyal to consumerism - which gives more power to industry, big corporations, oil companies and healthcare for preventable diseases - that we can hardly imagine how the quality of our lives will actually improve by having less, living more and making conservation and prevention a way of life." Our priorities really affect public policy, which then, of course, affects our lives and the planet. The upshot is that "the timing is right for environmental awareness and commitment to conserve resources - in large part due to Al Gore's movie 'An Inconvenient Truth', gas prices and the obvious effects of global warming on our daily lives."

The timing was also right for Christina when she had the opportunity to move to Sacramento and really get involved in public policy. Real estate for her, she says, "is the door to eventually become a green developer and initiator of positive energy efficient/sustainable standards for the state of California and the US. It's all begun to blend together nicely with my EcoBroker(R) certification, which provided even more extensive training in environmental building and design that is now more practically applied to my real estate clients on a daily basis."

Christina continues, "The EcoBroker(R) resources I have available for my clients are tremendous, such as a link that will show all of the energy efficient rebates and tax breaks based on your zip code. I'm continually thinking about how to save resources and how to pass this information on to my clients. For example, I purchase the low energy light bulbs for my buyers when they move into their new home to get them started the right way on saving energy. These light bulbs can be expensive, but SMUD subsidizes them at local discount grocery stores so they are affordable to the general public. I am also working on several green vendor services in the form of coupons to give to my clients when they purchase a home through my company, I-Visions Real Estate."

The personal side of Christina is made up of three grown daughters, six grandchildren and one wonderfully patient husband. As full as that seems, there's still room in Christina's heart and life for much more. She was a teacher for seven years and has always been an avid volunteer. (She worked as the head coordinator to build a skate park in Grass Valley for over 5 years.) In her spare time (which is fleeting these days) she's also an artist, a writer and a photographer.

Yet Christina's also a bridge facilitator, not only within the green community - bringing together other local green professionals - but with communities, families and individuals as well (both in the English and Spanish-speaking communities). Christina says she considers herself "an advocate for the Spanish-speaking community," a cause that is close to her heart after living in Mexico off and on for many years.

"Creating consciousness where there is none" is a life path for Christina. She still has visions in her head of a built-in kitchen recycling and composting station she was once cognitively designing, and she's surprised to see that something like it hasn't yet really come to fruition, even in the green developments she has seen. Currently, she's working on collaborating with her neighbors to start a composting project in their community garden.

But business is a driving force in her life and Christina is always thinking re-sale value when she works with her clients. That's a focus on consequences, the long-term, the future for her clients, our families and our planet. She understands that throwing out old assumptions about such things as green design/living ends up a win-win-win (for the seller/builder, buyer/resident and community/planet). She's versed in going through the assumptions that are causing limitations in our lives and are keeping us from looking at the big picture. And she points out that it's not just the old 'extreme idealism'; rather, it's "practical, smart, responsible living!"

Do you want to get greener but are worried about high costs? Green does not have to be more expensive. It's much more cost-effective in the long run and is also much healthier. As well, the rebates and ratings being offered for green design are growing (Ask Christina about the HERS and Energy Star Household ratings).

How about compromising comfort? Do you assume this will be necessary? Because it's just not true. Green thinking, designing and living is not only beautiful, luxurious and healthy, it is a prosperous and benevolent investment for ourselves, our children and our world, and "it starts with the initial home purchases we make," says Christina.

"Are we buying more home than we need? Are we driving more than we need to? Are we tearing out the old and creating more garbage for the landfills when we can use what we have and just reinvent it to be more effective and efficient? Are we over improving our homes without creating real value for ourselves and the next generation? These are important considerations to make," says Christina, who facilitates an often overlooked preamble to our lives by simply asking the right questions.

Christina offers a free initial consultation for homeowners who are interested in making the right choices for future resale value. The consultation also includes referrals to her team of green vendors and service providers that may be helpful in their home improvement process. For buyers, she also has a team of professionals to assist in the purchase of a home that may need energy efficient upgrades such as mortgage lenders that offer Energy Efficient Mortgages, Rehabilitation Loans, and HERS raters. Call Christina at 916-788-8817 or email her at christinaivazes@kw.com with any information or questions you may have.

Christina says that EcoBrokers(R) intend to be "part of the solution" and that Keller Williams uses a "highly ethical model" for real estate services. (Check out her EcoBroker(R) website under her new business: www.ivisionsgreenrealestate.com). And she's very enthusiastic about the pairing. "Now, I can represent myself more accurately in my real estate services, by providing the value that is aligned with my vision!" she exclaims, still hopeful that although Sacramento is still fairly far behind, she can contribute to us growing into a leader instead. All we need to recognize is that 'Green is the Smart Thing to Do' and is truly "the wave of the future" ~ one we should all thoughtfully consider rolling with.

[Christina Ivazes is offering a free HERS energy rating ($300 value) on closed escrows to all sacramento.downtowngrid.com members who list or buy through her].