Mountain lion, car jacker, toxic cloud, and of course, earthquakes. Palo Alto has had its share of emergencies that have affected individual homes to large of the community.

Palo Alto wants to be ready for any emergency or disaster that may befall the city, and Officer Kenneth Dueker of the Homeland Security & Public Outreach Division of the Palo Alto Police Department is reaching out to citizens for volunteers.

Dueker encourages new and long-time residents to take part in the city’s Block Preparedness Coordinator Program, which is part of a disaster plan that forms a partnership between the community and the city so each block and neighborhood can connect to first responders quickly and provide them with critical information about each neighborhood when a disaster takes place.

Check out these eye-opening statistics: Palo Alto’s daily population surpasses 100,000 people, over 35,000 of which includes the Stanford campus population. The population is more than that during football games, big events and the holidays. The city’s 61,200 residents live in 30 neighborhoods on a 26-square mile stretch.

There are only 10 policemen and 32 firefighters on duty during the day. He noted it takes 15 to 20 firemen to respond safely to just one structure incident. Daily calls for incidents average 17 to the police department and 20 to the fire department. In short, if faced with a big emergency situation, the outcome could be disastrous.

“We have to change the way people look at disasters,” Dueker said. “The city wants residents to be resources; not victims. The key to response and recovery must be communication.”

The key is for citizens to be able to provide critical information regarding initial damage, transportation, resource sharing. In short, they need to be part of the recovery process, the “eyes and ears” of the city when a disaster happens.

The plan is to have a coordinator for each block that can meet with neighbors and create a neighborhood directory, distribute information to and from the city, and serve as a communication node for emergency/disaster situations. Above this level would be a neighborhood coordinator, who would do the same thing at a wider scale.

With this emergency program in place, vulnerable neighbors, displaced citizens, damaged structures will be immediately identified and the information can be given quickly to FEMA.

“There are lots of worries, but preparing for disaster is a priority,” said Dueker. “We are looking to you to tell your help, to contact clients who are interested so we can be set up to  respond in an instant.”
 
Dueker indicated BPC and NPC training classes are available. To sign up to be a block coordinator or learn more about the program, e-mail Palo Alto Neighborhoods.

A while ago, I wrote about a sustainable business, Yemm & Hart, that recycles wine corks into cork flooring. Here’s better news. Now they’ll pay you a “cork redemption” fee! You, your group, or business can even collect wine corks on behalf of your favorite non-profit organization.

While were on the topic of cork recycling, here’s a completely different idea:

You’re crafty and want to show off your cork collection? See what katecontinuing has done with the baseboards of her home.

As I’ve gone door-to-door to organize the neighborhood to prepare for emergencies, residents have asked about Palo Alto’s new Reverse 911 emergency notification system.

The City of Palo Alto has launched a new Community Alert and Notification System (known as “Palo Alto CANS”), a reverse-911 emergency notification system.

The City of Palo Alto strongly urges all residents to register their contact information into the secure Connect-CTY database to make sure they are ready to receive important information from the City at all times.

Is it annoying to hear a pre-recorded message? Sure. But I’m glad to know that the system is working and I’ll hear about issues in my neighborhood as they come up.

What about security?
Of course you’re concerned about adding your unlisted number or cell phone to yet another database. The good news is that the information will be accessed by the City of Palo Alto only for purposes of community alerts and notification. System provider NTI does not sell, lease, share, or rent personally identifiable information (names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) to any companies or persons outside of NTI.

Get Connected
Signing up is part of being prepared for an emergency. Palo Alto CANS is enabling the City to target specific blocks or the entire population regarding time-sensitive matters. Notification examples include: disaster information, crime bulletins, power outages, and other related urgent or time-sensitive information. Most recently, we received an air-quality warning relating to smoke from wildfires.

Primary residential and business phones in Palo Alto are automatically included in the system. However, you can opt-in with preferred contact information. Log on to the site to make sure

• Your number is correct and up-to-date; and
• You list your notification rental
  • Email
  • Text message
  • Cell number
  • Work number

If you have a call blocking service, you can receive the city’s alerts by adding 650-329-2498 to your approved number list.

Alright, how do I log-on?
Visit the City of Palo Alto website, click on the Emergency Information icon on the home page, and go to the link that says “Sign up Now Palo Alto CANS – Services by Connect-CTY” to enter your information into the secure database. Residents can opt-in to provide up to three phone numbers and two e-mail addresses.

No residential Internet access? Access the system on computers at local libraries. Or call me and I’ll help you get set up.

City Staff in collaboration with the Palo Alto Neighborhoods (PAN), local industry, and Palo Alto Neighborhood Disaster Assistance (PANDA) volunteers worked together to determine what the needs are for the community and how the new system might be used. 

I am grateful to Sheryl A. Contois, Director, Police Technical Services, for providing the original information for this post.

Wired Magazine posted a brief description of an English eco-friendly subdivision that capitalizes on prefab construction to drive down cost ($118k+), construction time (five weeks!), and waste.

Offsite manufacturing of major components for these 145 homes makes it easier to use green materials, like insulation from recycled paper and lumber harvested from sustainably managed forests.

What else could you want? How about greater energy efficiency, better indoor air quality with good ventilation, and solar heating.

The author of Wired’s post would like to see some of these homes grace US shores. So would I. But we don’t need to ship the components from overseas to get the same benefits. Major green building conferences are filled with domestic manufacturers, products, and companies.

What US builder will take the lead in our new ecologically aware world? I look forward to finding out, soon.

Once a property is fully foreclosed by a bank or lender and listed for sale, it is commonly referred to as a REO (Real Estate Owned) listing. Most bank owned properties are listed with local real estate agents. Good buys are available. They require research, preparation, patience & persistence. Buying a bank owned home isn’t easy and it’s not without risk. The list below should be useful if you decide to take advantage of today’s unique REO buying opportunities:

1. Choose a real estate agent who is familiar with REO practices to help you navigate the process, confirm property values, and negotiate terms. (My contact info is at the top of this page.)

2. Get pre-approved by a qualified lender. The banks have already been burned — why would they consider your offer without written lender approval or proof of funds?

3. It’s “buyer beware,” folks. Most bank owned homes are exempt from typical seller disclosures and are sold “as is.” Don’t expect banks to pay for repairs or upgrades, although it never hurts to ask. Lenders will allow you to get all the inspections you want, at your expense, and your agent can use the results for negotiating terms with the bank. If substantial work needs to be done, have a licensed contractor take a look before you write your offer or have your agent negotiate an inspection contingency.

4. Making an offer: Your agent should find out if there are any existing inspection reports on file, what work (if any) the bank will agree to, and if the bank requires a special purchase agreement form or other special requirements. (Many banks will only respond to offers written on their own forms; CountryWide requires buyers to be pre-approved by CountryWide, even if you’re going to use another lender.)

5. Pricing your offer: Most REO properties are priced to sell and will likely sell within 15% of the list price. I’ve seen better properties command a bidding war, selling for more than asking price. If you lowball your offer, don’t be surprised if the bank doesn’t respond at all.

6. Once you know what you want and can afford, be prepared to write several offers before you get one accepted. Asset management companies, the third party hired by lenders to liquidate foreclosed properties, are typically overwhelmed and routinely take longer than expected to respond. Unlike traditional sellers, lenders do not review files or consider offers on weekends and holidays.

7. Financing: For qualified buyer and investors, exploring financing options with the REO lender may produce a better-than-market interest rate, reduced down payment amount, or other financially favorable outcome. (You’ll still need a prequalification letter from any lender just to get to the bargaining table.)

8. REO sales are void of emotion for the seller. They make their own rules. Decisions don’t have to makes sense to anyone but the bank. If you (and your agent) understand this basic principle, you might just be a good candidate to buy a bank owned home.

Thanks to Michelle Brown of Financial Title for the original list.

While venture capitalists are pouring money into Silicon Valley green-tech companies, cities in other states are making bold moves to build green communities.

On May 4, 2007, a class EF5 tornado, nearly two miles wide, destroyed 95% of Greensburg, KS. Left with a blank slate and true the the nature of their self-sufficient image, the community made a committment to rebuild as a model 21st century “green” rural American town.

According to ABCNews.go.com, “Since just a few days after the tornado, the small farming town has made ambitious plans for rebuilding green, from a wind farm at the electric plant to green homes and businesses.” The plan calls for mixing urban amenities with a rural setting.

All city-owned buildings will be built to meet LEED Platinum standards and homeowners are being given big incentives to rebuild green. I hope that they will be utilizing tornado-resistent technologies, as well.

The non-profit group created to support Greensburg’s Green intitiative has launched a One Million $5 Donations Campaign to show that a million small things make for big change. You, too, can donate to help them out.

Besides you, the government, and insurance companies, others have come in to help.

In a prime example of integrative learning, architecture students at Kansas State University have designed eco-friendly and weather resistant cubes that help make the city sustainable.  These 10′x10′x10′ modular structures have different educational and functional aspects, like public showers and toilets using recycled rain water and recycling bins with an interactive learning system. KU students are also designing a fine arts center.

Maxon, a District Energy and Green Power developer, is developing the “Energy Master Plan” for the City Of Greensburg in close cooperation with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the EPA.

Thanks to Maxon Energy for the photo used above. Before and after satellite photos are also enlightening.

Compared to Greensburg’s committments, Santa Clara County’s change-out-your-lightbulbs campaign seems a bit feeble (although each person should be doing this, and other small steps, too!).

All this stuff we hear about living green. There are so many things that we can do that are easy. Here’s a behind-the-scenes tube about our stuff.

Why watch it? Well, from its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world.

It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever. (description from dotSUB.com)

So, you want to refinish the floors or that dresser (with potential!) you found at a garage sale. Forget the noxious odors and health risks associated with paint strippers.

aMAIZEing^TM Biobased Solvent & Stripper is a 100% bio-based solvent and stripper, derived from corn and soybeans. It and similar products made by SoyClean and  Molecular Tech Coatings Inc.’s EFS-2500 removes adhesives, paint from concrete, masonry, wood, metal and other surfaces.

aMAIZEing can also be used to remove graffiti from concrete if your place gets tagged on a regular basis. Or it could be time to move.

Fidelity National Title is the most recent title insurance company to offer customers an eco-friendly alternative to traditional paper-based closings. According to a recent announcement by account manager Desiree Baker, they are providing the following earth-friendly solutions:

1. An online application utilizing e-signatures (original notarized documents will always need to be hard copies).
2. Online document storage to eliminate the need for paper. New software helps transaction coordinators streamline and automate their workflow.
3. Paper document conversion into PDF files that can be delivered to any email address.
4. Online view of property disclosure details that can be accessed by internal and external users.
5. Single property listing websites to eliminate the waste associated with property fliers. The vast majority of buyers now search online.

A paperless system seems like an easy solution to reducing the reams of paper used in a typical real estate transaction, but it’s been a long time coming. Congratulations to Fidelity for making it possible.

Keeping up with the Joneses effects investment decisions, according to a couple of Stanford U. profs. Fear of missing out seems to be a driving factor. We don’t want to be poor when everyone around us is rich.

Making the wrong decision is not as bad as not making the right one. After all, when the bubble bursts, everyone loses together.

This certainly explains all the new Rich Dad fans vying to be landlords during the real estate boom. Now that foreclosures and tighter credit have driven prices so low, where are they? Waiting for the market to turn again, of course.

Meanwhile, the savvy investors are quietly picking up bargains every day.