We all want to do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprints and live more sustainable lives, but that can seem difficult, if not impossible, when you don’t own your home or apartment. It may seem as though the options available to homeowners just don’t exist for renters. Installing insulation, erecting solar panels, or replacing your windows? Probably not an option for your rental apartment in the big city. In general, it can feel as though you don’t have control over your living space when you’re in a rental situation.
Well, guess what? There are most definitely things you can do to make rental living eco-friendlier wherever you are, and today, we’ve put together some helpful hints to get you on your way.
It’s all about location, location, location!
When you’re looking for an apartment, did you know you can search for eco-friendly complexes and amenities? Rental search engines allow you to search using terms like green, energy, high-efficiency, and sustainable. You can look for amenities like car-charging stations, energy efficient appliances, and even greenhouses. You can also search for LEED certified buildings.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is one of the most popular green building certification programs used worldwide.
Another thing to consider when searching for your new home sweet home is its proximity to public transportation. Living within walking distance to the subway or the bus is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. And get your daily steps in, too!
Lastly on the location front, and something many of us get an A+ on here in NYC, is living small. You know that 2-bedroom apartment you shared in college with your 6 best friends? Well, the smaller your apartment, the less energy is needed to heat and light it, decreasing its overall footprint. And living with others decreases your personal footprint, too, as sharing energy bills, appliances, and common spaces automatically means more people can live with less stuff.
And besides saving money on your utility bills, you get the added bonus of saving on your rent, too!
Speaking of energy…
Just because you can’t install solar panels on the rooftop of your building doesn’t mean you can’t make cleaner, greener, renewable energy choices. Many of the larger utility companies are now offering green power options. Give your current utility company a call to see what they offer. If there aren’t any options, search “green energy suppliers” in your area. They will work with your existing energy supplier to make sure your energy is supplied by clean energy sources. There may even be offsets to compensate for your household energy usage.
You can try using “Ecosia” to do your sustainability searching, sustainably. They’re a certified B Corporation that uses revenue from ad sales to plant trees. As of 2018, they’ve planted 30 million of them.
And that’s not all…
Even if you can’t switch to a green energy supplier, you can be still be greener with your apartment energy usage. For example, it takes energy to heat the water for your shower. The longer you run your hot water, the higher your energy use — and your utility bill!
Pick up a water efficient shower head and try setting a timer on your bath time. Cutting out just 3 minutes under water will save almost 10 gallons of water! When doing your laundry, choose the cold water setting and make sure the washer is full to maximize on both water and energy saving.
Switch to more energy efficient lightbulbs and appliances, and be sure to look for the Energy Star logo. In the winter, switch to thicker curtains to prevent heat leakage from windows you probably can’t replace and use a door draft stopper – a rolled up towel actually works perfect for this. In the summer, be sure to keep your ACs off when you’re not home to enjoy the cool air.
Reduce. Reuse. Refuse. Recycle.
After you’ve walked over or hopped a train to your local grocery store with your reusable totes, picked up some locally sourced goodies, said “no, thank you” to those plastic bags because you brought your own, and cooked a meat free meal for your roommates (or some version of that), remember to recycle everything you can. Stay up to date on the rules of your rental trash disposal situation and sort, separate, and clean appropriately. We searched “NYC Recycling Guide” and immediately found all of the info we needed. And while composting may seem far fetched for a rental, some cities have municipal sites where you can do drop-offs. There was a helpful link to that on the NYC site, too!
Be a Karen. Ask to see the manager.
Want to make bigger changes or see what else you can do to be more sustainable? Talk with the folks who manage your rental about any concerns or ideas you have. If there’s an idea that can help save the planet and your landlord some money, it’s a win-win on both ends. Definitely reach out to your super or landlord if any of your faucets are leaking, toilets running, or even if you just can’t get to the ceiling to change your lightbulbs. Been there, done that, didn’t have a ladder. They are there to help, and if their help can help you live your most sustainable tenant life? Ask for it!
