Apartment Residents Can Also Go Earth-Friendly

Digested From "Renters, Condo Owners Can Take Advantage of Many Earth-Friendly Ideas"
Detroit Free Press (MI) (11/23/08) by Alex Veiga

Environmentally conscious apartment residents can take advantage of a number of products now on the market to minimize their carbon footprint, eradicate airborne toxins and increase the use of recyclables. Russell Albanese, president of the Albanese Organization, notes that among the first things apartment residents can do to slash their energy costs is to discard their incandescent light bulbs and replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs or LEDs, light-emitting diodes. Albanese's company has developed several green residential high-rises throughout New York City. Indoor air quality can be a big problem in apartment communities, especially for residents whose apartments have carpeting. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified filters for air conditioners can help trap small particles of dust and other allergens not caught by conventional filters. Also effective is a medical-grade Hepa air-filtration unit, which can absorb chemicals and odors and wipe out nearly all airborne particles. Another way to make the air inside an apartment cleaner is to request that the walls be repainted with low volatile organic compounds paints. Finally, to help save water, apartment owners can install dual-flush toilets that give users a couple of options on how much water to use per flush.