I love reading blogs about how to create a vertical garden on the South wall of a house, or how to attach a DIY solar heater to your living room window. The only problem is that right now, I’m a renter, so major modifications that could get me further off the grid just aren’t within my grasp.
With the “greening-up” of almost every other industry, this problem got me wondering what advances had been made in the area of more eco-friendly property management. I was pleasantly surprised at how many resources were available, and thought other enviro-renters might be interested in the findings, so here they are!
1. Ask Your Landlord About Their Green Credentials
They might laugh, and they might stare, but the fact is you won’t know until you ask. Landlord software blogger Chris Borman reports that “there is a growing trend towards certifying ‘green’ property managers and it’s being led by organizations such as the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) and National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI). NAR offers a property management track within its Green Designation and NAHMA and NAAEI jointly offer the Credential for Green Property Management. Both programs are designed to increase knowledge of sustainable practices among property managers.
Unfortunately, green “certification” programs are popping up all over the place and some even allow applicants to self-report their level of sustainability, without independent inspection. If you’re interested in learning more about what these credentials entail; why green property management is important; and what the future of green property management looks like, check out the rest of Chris’ post
here.
2. Forget Craig’s List
Sometimes you have the good fortune to find out that a friend of a friend is leaving their super-efficient apartment just as your lease ends, and you can move in for the score. More often than not, you’re stuck slogging through scam ads on Craig’s list, hoping that there will just be windows that actually open and a yard for your tomatoes. If you’re looking for a truly green rental, why not start your search at
GreenRenter.com?
This website offers multiple ways to search residential and commercial listings in the U.S. and Canada, and includes a Green Renter Score for each property which takes into account a building’s green features, its location and the breadth and innovative-ness of the measures employed.
3. When In Doubt, Ask For Help
A quick find-people search on Twitter revealed (dun, dun, dun!) the
@GreenLandlady, aka Kimberly Madrigal, a speaker, writer, Property Owner and Manager interested in sustainable improvements and their effect on the bottom line. Kimberly’s blog includes great articles on all sorts of aspects of creating and living in greener rental properties. My favorite part of the site was the
Tools tab, which includes links to cools resources for renters and property managers, like tools to track and assess building energy and water consumption and a “Walkability calculator” for assessing how close your apartment is to the things you need.
If you’ve got other tips for finding green rental properties and encouraging your landlord to make efficient upgrades, please share them in a comment!
Image Credit: Flickr Creative Commons – boliston
Tags: green business, green power, landlords, rental properties
Wow Beth, thanks for mentioning GreenLandlady.com. A reminder to readers that multi-family also includes condos and co-ops, so if you’re looking for information for renters on our site, look under the RESIDENTS tab.
My advice to potential green renters is to stand in management’s shoes and think green, as in money. What utilities do you pay for and what utilities does the owner pay for? Open a dialogue with management and focus on the changes they can make to common areas or units that will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also save them money on their electric or water or other utility bills. I know it sounds selfish, but remember the end goal is carbon reduction.
Look at your own lifestyle too. Is your cell phone charger plugged in when you’re not charging anything. Anything with an LED clock or light or sitting in Stand-by mode awaiting a click of a remote is draining power. Plug devices and appropriate appliances into power strips and then be sure to shut off the strips before you leave the house for the day or when you go to bed at night.
When you’re out apartment hunting, ask questions about faucet and showerhead flow rates, look for CFL’s in units, are the appliances Energy Star? You may get blank stares but you will start that property manager to thinking about these changes and that may be the first in a long productive march toward greening their building. You can make a difference!
Thanks for providing EcoSpheric readers with this additional information Kimberly!
power strips are very useful but they octopus connection is dangerous:-,