Going green and being earth-friendly is easier than you might think. Lynn, the owner in our video, collects greywater for the landscape, and has outfitted her eco-friendly property with reclaimed timber and second hand furniture gems.There are many little things you can do to help reduce landfill waste, clean the air, and preserve the natural landscape. These tips benefit the environment and your wallet. Being environmentally friendly is just good economics.
1.Change regular light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). CFL’s use 75 percent less energy and last about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb, so you're not only saving energy but money, too.
2.Encourage your renters to keep the thermostat at 78 degrees in summer and 70 degrees in winter. Try using a programmable thermostat. Even adjusting your thermostat by a couple of degrees helps conserve resources.
3.Ask your renters to recycle. Make it easy by posting instructions at your home, along with clearly marked receptacles for newspapers, aluminum, glass and plastic.
4.Reduce the junk mail that is sent to your vacation property. The Direct Marketing Association has a free service that allows you to opt out of catalogs and junk mail.
5. Xeriscape - When choosing plants for your yard, pick varietals that are native to your area — they will require less water than their more exotic relatives. Like Lynn in our featured video, you might also consider collecting rainwater.
6. Encourage your renters to use public transportation - Motivate renters to take advantage of public transportation if it's available in your area. One of our Community members provided a discount for car-free guests, as well as complimentary transit passes.
7.Turn down the thermostat on your hot water heater. Some manufacturers have set their heaters to 140 degrees, a temperature that can be scalding. Turning your hot water thermostat down 20 degrees can save you between 6 to 10 percent in energy bills.
8. Consider buying bamboo linens and blankets, and stocking your vacation rental with biodegradable soaps and other green cleaning products.
9. Scout out second hand furniture. Lynn found some great antiques for her vacation rental, and with persistence you can too. Scour Craigslist, Goodwill and other second hand outlets.
10. Consider eco-friendly flooringlike cork, bamboo, Plyboo, and linoleum. Lynn used reclaimed wood in her glamorous tent, but there are lots of forest-friendly options out there.
Have some great green tips to share? If so, join our Community to share and learn from others.