Life In An Apartment Rental - Keep Apartment Renting Green
By Christine OKelly
Many people feel that apartment renting means that in order to enjoy the benefits of an apartment rental they need to abandon their eco-friendly lifestyles. Options such a geothermal heating are simply not available to renters and things such as xeriscaping the front lawn need to be cleared with the property manager. Many other steps can be taken to offset your carbon footprint and protect the environment.
Saving Energy And Water
Reducing the amount of energy, heating, and water you consume while enjoying apartment renting is one of the easiest steps you can take. Simple things such as leaving lights off, switching to efficient bulbs, and opening window coverings are a good start. Electronics with a standby mode use a lot of energy when they aren't being used. Unplugging them when they aren't being used can lower energy bills by a hundred dollars or more every year. Phoning the power company and switching to a green energy supplier is also possible, depending on where you live and how the utilities are set up in the apartment rental.
Apartment renting also gives you an opportunity to conserve water. Switch original fixtures with efficient ones and add things such as flow controls to you apartment rental. When you move out, simply exchange them for the originals. This makes these items usable even if the property manager doesn't want to install them himself. If you would like to save 4,500 gallons or more of water every day, eliminate meat from your daily diet. That is how much water is used to get one serving from the cow to the table. Save leftover water for plants, have quick showers instead of baths, turn water off when you aren't using it, and only run full loads through washing machines and dishwashers.
Cutting Back On Waste
A large portion of household waste comes from leftover food that is tossed into the garbage. Instead of tossing leftovers, reuse them to make the next meal, eat them, or freeze them. Anything else that can't be used can go into an indoor composting system that can go under the sink or in a corner. Recycling bins also come in compact sizes that are perfect for an apartment. Start a group recycling plan that includes things such as composting and charity donations that can be used by the entire building. Lastly, stop the delivery of junk mail and change over to online billing.
Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle
Teach others by living an environmentally responsible lifestyle yourself. Opt for air drying instead of using the dryer, use homemade cleaning substances, and use bikes, walk, or ride the bus to get around. Start container gardening indoors and out. Improve your green lifestyle by growing vegetables on the patio. You can even take steps to encourage a green lifestyle throughout the building by creating a carpooling program and showing others how you have incorporated the green lifestyle.
Getting an apartment rental doesn't mean abandoning your green life. Apartment renting is a great way to get creative with your beliefs and encourage others to do the same. Who knows, if others start to follow your lead, it may even have a bigger impact than it would if you were living in a house.
About the author
Christine O'Kelly writes for the property management company Beal Property LLC in Chicago. Beal Properties leads the way in apartment renting with a variety of apartment rental options throughout the Chicago area. from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com
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