Apartment Blog

We’ve posted a few articles previously about how to ‘go green’. It’s a major focus in today’s society. Everyone is concerned about the environment, me included. So slowly I’ve started making adjustments to my daily living. But recently I read an article called ‘The Cheapest way to Save the Earth’ by M.P. Dunleavey. This article talks about ways to conserve the earth by consuming less! That’s the way you save the earth and that’s the way you save your dough!!

She explains that our society tends to spend money in order to effectively better our efforts, such as ‘going green’. When I was recently shopping for baby clothes, I found myself reaching for the organic onesies feeling relieved that somehow I would be making a difference by purchasing them. While the notion is correct, these efforts-such as purchasing organic foods, clothing and other items-can help, but the point is to conserve our natural resources. Reduce, reuse and recycle.

The way this article put it into perspective for me was that everyone should know what their carbon footprint is. The definition can be found in a description on the National Geographic’s Web site:

“When you eat an egg, you’re not just eating an egg. You’re eating the gas the truck used to deliver that egg, the coal used to generate electricity for its refrigeration and the resources used to boil, poach or fry that yummy egg. And that’s your human footprint-how much of the world you use in your lifetime.”

So simply put, it’s better not to create the carbon in the first place. You can do that by thinking of what factors are involved from the moment something is produced to how you consume it and how much that costs the environment.

Three tips this article gives for reducing the amount of your carbon footprint initially are:

1. Reducing your use of fossil fuels. This can be done by making sure your transportation is as fuel-efficient as possible, such as tires being properly inflated, up to date on tune-ups and oil changes, etc. Another way is to drive the speed limit-so take it easy on that gas pedal! And of course the best way to save is by using public transportation whenever possible.

2. Unplug your electronic devises. This is a step I am constantly on top of at my house. Ever since I saw an episode on Oprah where she recommended this. Everyday, or whenever these items are not in use, unplug them. Such as your lights, kitchen devises, cell phone chargers, computers, etc. Power is constantly generated through the outlets when items are plugged in.

3. Control Temperature. Heating and cooling your home consumes a lot of energy, so why not be smart about it so you’ll save? Instead of going straight to the air conditioner when you’re feeling warm, why not open a window for some breeze. Or use a fan. A nifty little piece of advice Dunleavey wrote about is to use the ceiling fan in combination with your air conditioner. By increasing the air circulation, you can actually cool down your home a few degrees!! Good to know….

So while the effects to your wallet and the earth won’t be immediate, over time you’ll notice the difference. And your bank account and your environment will reap the benefits! I’ll leave you with just one more little tid-bit that Dunleavey wrote about, that I of course found interesting. Did you know if you ‘Green Bag’ your lunch instead of eating out, you could save tons of money and spare the environment millions of non-biodegradable packaging! I always bring my lunch, but that was purely to save on the expense of eating out. Now I know I’m also helping the environment! Another check on my ‘going green’ efforts!! Whoo hoo!!

I found this article online and it has changed the way I drink water. Bottles, Bottles, Everywhere by Ramon Cruz has opened my eyes to what damage can be done by simply drinking from the plastic water bottle on my desk. Like every health conscientious American, I make a effort to consume eight glasses of water a day. In doing this, I tend to drink a lot out of water bottles. But the harm that I’m doing to the environment could be comparable to the harm I would be doing to my own body if I didn’t consume that water. A person needs to drink water throughout the day in order for their body to work properly; your blood has to carry oxygen to your cells and needs water to do this. Water also helps you digest food and get ride of waste in your body. But by drinking water out of plastic bottles, I am overflowing our landfills and contributing to global warming. Sure recycling would help, but “less than 20 percent of the 28 billion single-serving water bottles that Americans buy each year are recycled.”[1] Therefore, most of those water bottles are resting in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the plastic to decompose.

And what for? “More than a quarter of all bottled water is just processed tap water, including Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani.1” Yet bottled water consumption is continually growing each year. So there needs to be a better plan of action to tackle this wide-spread damage! The article suggests several options. One being if you purchase bottled water make sure you recycle the container. I know this option isn’t the easiest for me because the community I live in does not collect recycling (which I plan on discussing with them in the near future). So the second suggestion is what I’m doing now. I drink tap water. I have a water filter at my home and at the office where I consume my water daily. And since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food & Drug Administration’s standards for bottled water, I’m drinking water that is just as safe as, if not safer than, bottled. I also drink out of a reusable container so I won’t be throwing away numerous plastic or Styrofoam cups a week–which also harms the environment. Be sure you don’t reuse single-use water bottles; doing so can expose you to bacterial build-up and carcinogens leached from the plastic.

The ‘Green Living’ bandwagon is continually getting new members and I encourage all of you to hop aboard and do your part in helping our environment!

[1] http://green.yahoo.com/blog/climate411/91/bottles-bottles-everywhere.html

You’ve seen recent posts about how you can do more to protect the environment and conserve our resources, such as recycling and reusing. But what other efforts are being done around you that you may not even know about? Did you know that apartment communities are making great strides to improve their communities to increase their ‘going green’ efforts? It’s true!

It all starts with construction. Recycled materials can be used, low VOC paints, carpets and other indoor products are making their way as well as heating and cooling systems that are geothermal based (meaning it draws upon the earth’s temperature to supplement traditional systems). Many products are out there for construction companies to use, such as biodegradable linoleum and industrialized recycled polmer (for carpet tiles).

So why aren’t all apartment communities being converted using more environmentally friendly efforts? Well that’s a simple answer, money! “Green construction is often looked at as costly and can seriously hurt the project’s bottom line. Using environmental design is normally estimated to cost as much as 15 percent more than traditional jobs[1].”

Even so, the costs for going green may increase for the developers but they do the exact opposite for the tenants. Having more energy efficient & water saving devices in the apartment community will help drive down costs for residents, which is ultimately what every renter wants!! And given the increased demand of environmentally friendly communities, I’d say resident’s voices are being heard. Many renters expressed that they would pay more in rent if they would be living in a building that makes efforts to conserve and recycle. Because when you think about it, having those amenities will actually save you more money in the long run with reduced electric and water bills!!

So ask your apartment community if they’re doing their part!

[1] Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Jun 25, 2004 by Ezra Fieser

Going green is instrumental in keeping our planet alive. So do your part to make sure you aren’t over using our resources and depleting our reserve. Here are some water and energy saving tips for your home.

○ Compact fluorescent light bulbs are an efficient lighting source for your home. They conserve energy by using less wattage while also creating the same brightness as incandescent bulbs. And they last longer too! (Which saves more $$)

○ Don’t let your faucets leak or drip water!! This is one I get on my boyfriend about ALL the time!! When brushing your teeth, you just need to wet the tooth brush. Turn off the water. Put the toothpaste on the toothbrush and start brushing. When you need to wash the toothbrush and spit the toothpaste out, then turn on the water. Doesn’t seem like you’d save that much water but twice a day for 365 days a year-it adds up!!

○ This is an interesting tip that I had never heard before but am definitely going to do from now on, put lids on pots to avoid heat waste and help water boil faster!!

○ Use cool/cold water whenever possible as using warm or hot water requires more energy to heat.

○ Use rechargeable batteries.

○ Use the natural sunlight during the day instead of using electricity! The sun is the brightest and cheapest source of light around!

Do you have any other helpful tips for saving water & energy around the home? Let us know!! We all need to do our part!

Source: www.alephnull.net/eco/saving

As you know, For Rent Media Solutions is environmentally friendly. Our efforts have extended not only to the paper our magazine is printed on, but also within our own office! So to help you do your part, we’ve complied a few tips to help your office be on it’s way too!

1. Have a recycling coordinator. This person in your office would be in charge for arranging the collections, placement of the bins, public awareness, etc. Choose a person who actually cares about recycling and who would see it through.

2. Organize the collection process. The recycling coordinator needs to find out how the recyclable materials will be disposed of. Whether it’s an employee who delivers the recyclable materials to a recycling center or your janitorial staff collecting it, make sure there is a process in place!

3. Get Recycling Bins. In order for your employees to recycle, there needs to be a place for them to leave the items. When you find bins to use, make sure they are clearly labeled for what items go in it. (I.e. Aluminum Cans) And I would advise you to tell your employees (or have it written on the bin) that the items need to be cleaned first!

4. Consider the location! First off, you’ll want to have multiple bins for your office to ensure maximum participation. Use central locations such as break rooms, office work rooms, etc.

5. Announce the program. What good is having a recycling program in place, if your co-workers don’t even know about it! Make sure you announce the program to everyone and let them know the benefits of having it. Send out reminder emails occasionally too so they’ll keep it on their mind!

Now you know some tips of how to create an office recycling program, here is the fun part-incentive! Make this a competition with co-workers. Have them compete for “Recycler of the Month” or have departments compete for a party each quarter! See how many participants you get then!!

Source: www.greengiftguide.com

We at For Rent Media Solutions are continuing our efforts to be environmentally friendly. All FRMS newsprint pages are printed on recycled paper. Our coated paper has a percentage of recycled content, depending on the availability. All of our insert cards are printed on a UV press that uses non hazardous inks and emit no VOC’s into the atmosphere. We also recycle all of the metal for the plates and the ink/water/fountain solution. And all waste paper is returned to the mill to be used in recycled papers.

So take a cue from us! When you’ve finished searching for apartments for rent in For Rent Magazine, be sure to recycle it!

Thanks!