Anyone ever been in an apartment building and wanted to live greener? Here are some of my ideas, and I'm wondering if anyone has ever requested these sorts of things from a landlord, and how successful it was. Any tips for good wording, etc?


I ride my bike to work, but I'm on the 3rd story and so moving my bike up and down the stairs is a drag. It doesn't stop me from using my bike, but I know that it stops some of the other tenants. I would love if the landlord installed a small shed of some sort to keep the bikes locked up in down by the car-park.

I LONG to grow my own food, even just a little bit! We're on the main thoroughfare in a strange part of town, so I've never tried planting anything in the past for fear of some drunkard destroying my little garden one night.

I also wish there were a compost pile somewhere. I've been saving my compost and bringing it to my mom's....but that's really not sustainable (I mean the effort on this one is WAY overboard. okay for a month or so...but getting ridiculous)

putting energy efficient lightbulbs in the hallways
posted by:
Alyssum
offline Alyssum
Kentucky
210 friends
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  • Re: Encouraging Landlords to allow us to live greener

    Mon, May 5, 2008 - 10:57 PM
    >> putting energy efficient lightbulbs in the hallways <<

    This one I think should be easy enough to ask for. As the one who manages the public areas of the office building in which our company rents offices to others, I know I should have energy efficient lightbulbs in the hallways, but am not always so good about it.

    Once when I noticed a light in the hallway was out, I said to the tenant that I would put in a new bulb later that day. He said, "Okay, if it's an energy efficient flourescent."

    It made me think. I might not have put in an energy efficient bulb, I would have looked for any bulb on hand, but when he said that then I knew I must put in the energy efficient one or look stupid or insensitive.
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    • Wendy
      Wendy
      offline 58

      Re: Encouraging Landlords to allow us to live greener

      Wed, May 7, 2008 - 8:26 AM
      Please do not forget that the energy efficient bulbs pose an environmental hazard and have to be cleaned up as hazardous waste if you break one. You have to call your local health department and they have send out a cleaning crew. Do not ever throw away an energy efficient bulb, they have to be disposed of as hazardous waste as well. Although one bulb is not that big a danger, if everyone turns to these bulbs, then we are looking at a huge risk of mercurial poisoning in our groundwater. Not enough literature is put out about the potential hazards of these bulbs, so most people are unaware that they can become deathly ill cleaning up a broken bulb if done improperly.

      Not wanted to frighten people, just make them aware so they will take care.
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      • Re: Encouraging Landlords to allow us to live greener

        Wed, May 7, 2008 - 9:45 PM
        Yes, I am aware of this. I've been saving my burnt out compact flourescents so as to turn them in eventually. I hear many hardware stores will take them, as well as Ikea stores. But I have yet to try it. It does seem a bit un-sustainable to use products that are hazardous waste when one can use a regular light bulb. But we have changed nearly every bulb in our offices to the compact flourescents. At least they last a long time and one doesn't have to dispose of them as often as regular light bulbs.
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        • c.
          c.
          online 19

          Re: Encouraging Landlords to allow us to live greener

          Thu, May 8, 2008 - 6:44 AM
          From what I have read even though incandesent bulbs contain no mecury they account for more mecury polution then CF bulbs in areas where the power is supplied by coal fired power plants. Coal plants account for over 150 tons of mecury loosed into the atmosphere every year. So less power used, less mecury and if people take responsibility for proper disposal of bulbs could be a win win.......but I don't see that happening. People in general continue to disapoint me.
          So I would go look at Minor Whites , Minamata porfolio and see the future.
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        • Re: Encouraging Landlords to allow us to live greener

          Thu, May 8, 2008 - 9:26 AM
          I appreciate the reading and posting that puts any idea in perspective. The 'give and take' of lighting tech is a good place to say so.

          ...Unfortunately, GreenWashing is a corporate reality and as discouraging as any subversion of environmental responsibility.

          There are two sides to every story, and for the eco-responsible... good information and debate is important.

          An educated and balanced veiw of any topic creates the opportunity for the burden, and especially the reward, to be with the individual.

          THX for taking the time to share your perspective, good information & links, and especially encouragement...

          Jon
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          • bizilly
            bizilly
            online 65

            Re: Encouraging Landlords to allow us to live greener

            Fri, May 16, 2008 - 6:15 PM
            as far as lights; anybody no what is up with LEDs? why aren't they everywhere. i know berkeley replaced all or most of their traffic lights to LEDs and save 80,000 more a year then they had estimated. wheres the LED revolution.

            as far as landlords go this is a very important issue. unless there are some city initatives to encourage them to green up then i guess its just the sales work of selling a good idea to someone who doesnt directly benifit. i guess i would start by considering how it would benifit them and how it could be a easy as possible.

            good luck with that
            imgoing to resaerch this a little
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            • Re: Encouraging Landlords to allow us to live greener

              Fri, May 16, 2008 - 8:52 PM
              bizilly...

              leds are still relatively expensive and not commonly convenient.

              ten years ago, Blue LEDs were cutting edge of commercially available led technology. blue leds are important because the shorter wavelength allows better resolution and more information from the same intensity.

              for the last few years, the WHITE LED has gotten a lot of attention in research and development.

              that has to do with the search for combinations of organic chemistries that can be used to create tones and hues that are appropriate. usually, at least three seperate light channel chemistries are included in each device, and the three colors combine to create notes.

              years ago, chics used to be able to get make up vanity mirrors that had switched filters so they could organize cosmetics. different lighting for halogens, incandescents, flourescents, outdoors and even candles.

              now, industrial chemists are searching for combinations of compounds that produce light with spectrums appropriate for specific tasks. office light vs. cabin lights...etc.

              a few days ago, i retrofitted a led work lamp (3 led head on a gooseneck as a worklamp) for 5 ultrabright leds. 80,000 mcandelas...(20 times brighter than requiring an industrial warning) very cool...

              heres a link to a pic from my blog...
              people.tribe.net/optimus/b...4972a7c22e


              if you are interested in reading physics or science news ... this link is a reasonable place to start surfing...

              www.physorg.com/news109848190.html
              >> Scientists in India are reporting an advance toward discovering a Holy Grail of the illumination industry — a white LED, a light-emitting diode that produces pure white light suitable for interior lighting of homes, offices and other buildings. Their study is in the Sept. 9 issue of ACS’ The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.
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