Green Living
Even when you’re renting, it’s possible to go green at home. Apartment communities are making an effort to offer energy-efficient environments and living spaces with better air quality.
“It is my belief that people inherently want to do something that’s good for the environment, but they have to see savings,” said Curt Mann, president for property operations and asset management for Atlanta-based Cortland Partners, which manages apartment communities in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas.
Becoming ‘energy smart’
While apartment dwellers’ top priorities still include ample closet space and kitchens, Mann says eco-friendly features in communities and apartment units are becoming more sought after.
For example, the common areas in Cortland’s communities have LED and CFL lighting and motion sensors to save energy.
Cortland Partners is preparing to rent a new “energy smart” unit at its Hunter’s Ridge community in Norcross. The unit will have Energy Star appliances, low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint, carpets made of recycled materials and CFL lights. Another key addition, which Mann calls the “green bling,” is the Nest Learning Thermostat, which is touted as being able to learn living patterns, program itself and adjust the temperature when homeowners are away, to save energy and money.
To live in the “energy smart” unit, it works like this: The company will determine monthly utility savings (likely $40 to $50 a month) and renters will pay half that amount more in rent (units typically range from $650 to $900 a month).
Going smoke-free
Creating better air quality at home also is an aspect of living green. Smoke-free communities are starting to pop up in Atlanta, such as Peachtree Park, a 300-unit Aimco community in Buckhead that is among 20 Aimco communities nationwide making the transition.
“For us, we look at it as an amenity,” said Jacqui Shapiro, Aimco’s smoke-free initiative project manager and director of marketing.
Smoke-free common areas were launched in spring 2012 and now the company requires new renters and those renewing leases to agree not to smoke on the property.
Taking a new approach with smoke-free living has several benefits, according to the company. They include: creating more pleasant common areas and grounds, improving residents’ health and wellness due to better air quality; reducing lingering smoke odors/litter; enhancing safety with fewer fire hazards; and demonstrating a greater environmental responsibility. It could take until summer 2013 to cycle through all the renewals and be completely smoke-free, Shapiro said.
Decorating for renters
Kim Myles, former winner of HGTV’s “Design Star” and host of HGTV’s “Myles of Style,” suggested two ways to live more eco-friendly, even when you’re renting. Myles offered design tips in a recent sweepstakes conducted by Apartment Guide, based in Atlanta, and shared some tips with Homefinder.
1. Reuse and upcycle
Visit secondhand stores, yard sales, estate sales and websites such as Craigslist and Freecycle to hunt for furniture, accessories and artwork. “Start there before you buy something brand-spanking new,” Myles said. For example, you can take an end table that has seen better days and repaint it with a low- or no-VOC paint.
2. Add a rug
A large area rug can be a quick pick-me-up in a rental space, especially if the carpet is not in the best condition. Look for rugs made of natural fiber, sisal or jute. “They’re kind of plain and I am a color girl. They are super easy to paint. You can stencil those rugs,” Myles said. She said companies such as Unearthed offer natural paints that are 100 percent VOC-free.
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