- sydheiskanen
HOW CAN WE HELP?
Let's take a journey and talk about how real estate can help heal the planet.

Everyone’s journey towards sustainable living starts somewhere. My journey started in fear, a place I hate to be. My first baby was born on a beautiful, sunny, 65 degree day... in December. So while I enjoyed the sun shining in through the hospital window, I had to wonder about the world he (and now also his sister) would inherit from us. Would we see these record-breaking temps in December, year after year, indefinitely? What happens to agriculture then when growing seasons shorten due to erratic weather? What happens as we slowly eliminate one key species after another from our delicate ecosystems? What happens to the ocean if we just *keep* throwing plastic into it? By now, just a few short years later, we're closer to having answers to some of those terrifying questions. And those answers are equally terrifying. But we're also many significant steps closer to understanding the solutions to these problems. And real estate is one of them. You heard right. The Goliath industry that is our built environment is actually part of the solution to climate change, pollution, chemical flows and waste. Homeowners, builders and developers can actually help to *heal* the planet of some of the damage we've caused during the last handful of generations. Generally, buildings are regarded as strictly environmentally destructive. We start by extracting resources from the earth, which then need to be manipulated chemically or mechanically into forms Mother Nature herself couldn't recognize, which are then shipped across the world, emitting carbon dioxide as they go, and are then built into a non-recyclable house or office building. But are buildings really non-recyclable? Actually, we're learning that they're quite recyclable. And, if built properly, they can extend ecosystems, and help cool our cities, and create community and educate and produce energy and food and inspire ideas. This blog is going to share these ideas and many more. We'll touch on everything from sustainable home-buying to regenerative building practices and healthy interior design. I'll share my own journey as well. The good, bad and ugly. Because hey -- I'm here to get better one step at a time, just like you.
Thanks for tuning in. If this kind of content isn’t up your alley, you can of course unsubscribe. But I hope you won’t. I hope you’ll stick around just long enough to learn that you, whether you’re a future homeowner, a current homeowner getting ready to renovate or a developer, *you* have an important part to play in the healing of our planet. For ourselves, but even more importantly, for our kids. And their kids. There are so many things you can do.
We’re here to give you hope, but more importantly, to give you tools that you can use to make a big difference.
Syd