Some different bits of good news floating around town right now, on a variety of fronts.
Most prominently, the SJR is reporting that the first green roof has hit Springfield. It's always exciting to see the first of something. And it's nice to see that the architect stepped forward to suggest it. Hopefully it goes well, and we'll see a follow up article next spring about expanding the green.
Most interestingly--to me, at least--Illini Bank is advertising that it offers Energy Efficient Mortgages. That is, getting (I assume--more on this in a moment) Energy Star certification for your house can lower your monthly mortgage bills, or trying to get it can get you more money for energy efficiency improvements when you refinance. Of course, you have to get certification--and Illini says they'll pay for the rater review.
This actually pretty great news. One of the difficulties in making energy-saving investments in a house is that they may not pay off before you move, if you're like me and still basically a vagabond. EEMs, as they're known, incorporate your energy savings into your mortgage. The banking industry likes them because by not spending money on energy, you have more money to spend on your mortgage, which means you can buy more house. I like 'em because (in theory at least) it ought to go in reverse, too. If they're going to afford you a bigger house, they ought to also cut you a deal on the interest rate. (Which is, after all, partly an indicator of riskiness; fewer bills == less chance of the bank not getting theirs, so the interest rate ought to drop off a smidge. Please note however that things that make sense to me rarely get reflected out in the real world.) Regardless, though, this is one of those detailed, wonky things that can pay a double-dividend: once in promoting energy saving, and once in helping lower-income families buy into good houses.
Anyway, the fine print on the ad says it's a limited time offer, and sadly I can't find anything on their website to point you to (tsk tsk, Illini). But if you're moving soon or thinking about refinancing soon, or don't have many scruples, give them a call and talk to them about their Energy Efficient Mortgage, and see if you can get an energy rater. My understanding was that Springfield didn't have anyone doing that, so if you get one, let me know how it went.
Finally, and most mixedly, I saw a sad little basket of "homegrown" zucchini at Schnucks yesterday. I assume "homegrown" means local, rather than just the manager has a garden and got tired of eating zucchini. It was empty, which is good news, but rather marketed, if you ask me. That said, they did have a big banner that proclaimed a commitment to fresh & local.
So: we're greening our buildings, we're greening our financing, we're greening our food. Not a bad weekend, I'd say.