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I’ve seen many discarded on the street, curbs or sticking out of dumpsters. And I’ve owned or used my fair share as well. Yes, I’m talking about mattresses.

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When the Energy Squad assessed my home for inefficiencies a while back, it was noted that my attic insulation was a little sparse. Since then, adding more insulation has been on my to-do list. During the course of a busy year, however, the task got pushed out.

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Occasionally I catch people browsing my recycling bins on the curb in search of aluminum cans. One such individual dressed in a business suit drove up to my recycling bins – and others on the block – to harvest cans.

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While gas prices have leveled off in recent months, I think we can all agree that the days of cheap gas are over for good. As people continue to look for ways to save on gas costs, more and more are turning to electric vehicles.

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Green isn’t a really a destination so much as a journey. When CFLs first hit the mainstream market, many folks scoffed at the higher cost, the funny shape and the inconvenience of special recycling.

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Spring is in full force across the country. Meanwhile, property managers have been busy preparing their properties for warm weather. Landscapes are being aerated, dead tree limbs removed, and flowers planted everywhere you look.

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Green is the thing! As more properties begin to implement green technology, it may be time to take an inventory of your properties and see where you can implement energy saving measures. While green technology is being implemented in corporations throughout the U.S., many of us have yet to do so.

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You’re probably familiar with The Gleaners (Des glaneuses), Millet’s famous painting of women gleaning a field of grain after harvest. The women in the painting aren’t likely members of the farmer’s family and they aren’t helping with the harvest either. But they are valuable members of society fulfilling an important function: Making use of what’s been left behind.

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Carbon offsets can help individuals and organizations balance out their production of greenhouse gases generated by fossil fuel use with projects out in the world that reduce, eliminate or offset these same toxic gases. Projects tend to focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation.

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These are mainly good times for property managers. The number of new residents needing rental housing is increasing, rents are rising, and vacancies are filling up. On top of that we learned today (11/10/11) that the average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages fell below 4 percent for just the second time in history. Freddie Mac said the rate on the 30-year fixed loan fell to 3.99 percent, down from 4 percent last week. Five weeks ago, it dropped to a record low of 3.94 percent, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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One of the perks of my last apartment in California was access to seven hens. Really, the perk had more to do with the eggs the chickens produced, but the thought of interacting with hens was strangely thrilling. I’d never been around them before and I was extremely curious. I imagined making my way to the coop with an egg basket tucked under my arm.

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As more property management companies become more environmentally conscious, property managers continue to search for more ways to go ‘green.’ One of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to reduce paper usage in your office.

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You’re not the only one making wish lists this time of year. Here’s one for your residents to check twice to make sure their next move-out is environmentally responsible. Or, should a tenant leave you with a move-out mess, this handy list will help you navigate the detritus responsibly. Thank goodness for security deposits.

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As Property Managers, we are often measured by how we get along with our clients and residents. More and more we are also judged by the example we set as the “stewards” of the buildings and grounds that compose the properties we manage.

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But no matter where you are in the world, local public transportation reduces carbon emissions for every person on board. It also reduces the number of personal vehicles on the road, thereby reducing traffic congestion. Over the course of a year, you can cut your own carbon emissions by nearly 5,000 pounds just by hopping on a bus rather than driving.

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Property managers can find ways to green their offices and green their properties in order to attract ideal residents. After all, you want the kind of residents who will respect their interior and exterior environment, believe in a minimal impact way of life, and are likely to build a sense of community. These environmentally friendly folks may be looking for new ideas on going green.

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What comes to mind when you hear the word recycling? Do you ever think of anything more aesthetic than an iconic plastic recycling bin?

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What do college campuses generate? Students. And what do students need? Rental housing.

This is certainly not news but what you might not know is that college and university campuses nationwide are implementing strategies to be more sustainable.

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Did you know the earliest form of today’s flush toilet first emerged in 1596? And while ordinary toilets today do what they are primarily designed to do – that is, flush waste away from wherever you are to a treatment plant far, far away – mainstream flush toilets haven’t undergone truly significant innovative retooling in quite some time. Meanwhile, they continue to flush about 4.8 billion gallons of water every single day in the U.S.

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It is good to prepare properties for the upcoming winter months and residents can learn simple tips to keeping their utility bills down this year. According to the US Department of Energy, properly selected and installed window coverings can save you up to 33% in heating and cooling costs.

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If your office or home environments don’t currently have a system for recycling, now is a fantastic time to develop one. Let’s start by conducting a little trash experiment. We’ll call it the 21-Day Challenge.

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You’ve probably heard of zero-waste events before. You might have even attended one. They are just like regular events, except they produce exactly zero waste.

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$3 billion in electricity. That’s how much energy set-top boxes – the ubiquitous household device that liaisons between signal and television – consume in the United States per year. Even more shocking is that 66 percent of that energy (about $2 billion worth) is used when no one is even around to enjoy the actual televisions set-top boxes enable.

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After reading about Max the Labrador, I’m thinking about introducing a new twist to our family walks. Max, who was rescued by his family from Orphans of the Storm, has learned how to recycle alongside his human family members. He actually fetches recyclable trash and helps his humans collect an enormous volume of litter by week’s end.

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