Resident behavior greatly affects the overall environmental impact of your property. If you are trying to promote initiatives at your property, educating residents is a critical part of the program. Whether you begin to educate potential residents on the property tour or wait until the lease is signed, it is important to start educating early. Creating brochures and documents for residents to reference are helpful as well as engaging the maintenance staff for help and troubleshooting.
Informing residents on simple things they can do to reduce energy consumption typically goes a long way. Simple ways to educate residents on energy reduction include setting and adjusting thermostats, shutting off lights and computers, reducing water usage, reducing waste and increasing recycling. To continuously engage residents in these green efforts, host resident nights or activities to keep residents involved in the overall program. Vendor partners can also help in these efforts by educating residents during these events and through other means of communication. By showing that the management team is investing time and money in these programs, residents will be more likely to change their behavior and engage in this lifestyle.