Earth Day is April 22, and with it comes a flurry of posts and articles to the Web on “how to live more eco-friendly,” and “how to protect our Mother Earth.” While all good and well to be the focus for most on one day of the year, we as property owners and managers have the opportunity to make a difference all year long. After all, the concentration of families in the average complex, when encouraged to participate in earth-friendly activities, can have a huge impact.

Here are some suggestions to creating an eco-friendly program for your property:

• Communicate! First and foremost, let your tenants know what’s going on. Send a newsletter, make a call, and/or post signs around the property. Let them know you have a program in place and you encourage them to take part. You can make a game of it or even provide incentives for participation. Just make sure they are all aware and that you are continuously enforcing a culture of green living.
• Recycle. One of the very easiest things a multifamily property can do is take part in a recycling program. Encourage tenants to separate their paper, plastic, and aluminum products, and then provide receptacles where they can be deposited. Even if your city or community doesn’t offer a pick-up service for these items, it’s a worthwhile effort to take them on your own given the impact this small gesture can have on the environment.
• Plant a Garden. The name of the game is sustainability and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon…for good reason. The list of benefits derived from community gardens is too long for this article, but you can view it on the Green Dallas website. The most immediately applicable of these, however, is its tendency to encourage healthier eating, its apparent ability to promote health thanks to the known benefits of eating locally-grown fruits and veggies, and the impact it makes on local lakes and rivers by filtering the rainwater. There’s a perk: studies show that tenants who have invested themselves in a community garden are less likely to move away. Now you have a loyalty incentive.
• Help the Community. Want to do more and give your tenants a way to get involved, meet others, and provide a helping hand? Host a “Help Our Community Day” wherein you and other property volunteers get together to do something eco-friendly for members of the community. This could include anything from planting new trees and flowers to hosting garage sales, which encourage reuse.