A group of Sanibel residents have formed an alliance to educate and encourage the residents and property owners of Sanibel Island to become leaders in the use of renewable resources.

Sanibel Alliance for Renewable Resources (S.A.R.R.) will provide residents and property owners with helpful tools and information to operate or renovate their homes, with considerations toward conservation and sustainability. With improvements such as using Energy Star appliances, solar hot water heating systems and proper insulation, homeowners will reduce energy use and expenses while ensuring a green island for future generations on Sanibel Island.

“This is a very exciting new endeavor for the Island,” said S.A.R.R. chair Sarah Ashton. “People want to do the right thing environmentally, particularly when they can save money in the process. We want to focus on programs that will conserve water and energy and have a payback for the property owner. We hope to become a source for resources to assist them to do that.”

The first S.A.R.R. initiative is to educate and encourage residents and property owners to consider Solar Hot Water systems. There are current financial benefits from the State and Federal government and we are speaking with vendors about possible additional savings.

Ashton is a Realtor with RE/MAX of the Islands and earned her National Association of Realtors “Green Designation” in May 2009. Other members of the alliance include:

• Mark Anderson, President, Benchmark General Contractors
  
• Sarah Ashton, Realtor, RE/MAX of the Islands
• Mick Denham, Mayor, City of Sanibel
• Aaron Fields, Co-Owner, Advance Solar & Spa
• Carla Johnston, Former Mayor, City of Sanibel
• Jeremy Kane, President, Hillgate Communications
• Kathy McCabe, Owner, Island Renewal LLC and Green Home Owner
• Geoffrey W. Roepstorff, CEO, Bank of the Islands
• Robbie B. Roepstorff, President, Bank of the Islands
• Sonja Smith, Executive Director, The Condominium Associations of Sanibel, Inc. (CASI)
• Kevin Vertesch, Vice President, Dan Hahn Custom Builders

If you would like to join S.A.R.R., or for more information, please visit www.sanibelenergy.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 9:08 am and is filed under Sanibel Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.