Your HOA may not like it if you put a compost pile in your front yard, or let your lawn go "au natural," but there are some things that you can do to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly that won't get you a fine from the HOA!
You can:
Buy Energy Star appliances - these are not the end-all and be-all of the environmental movement, but they are a good start.
Plant HOA approved trees and plants - Planting trees will help replace oxygen and remove CO2. The more you can plant, the better your gift back to the environment.
Use Low Volitile Organic Compound Paints (VOC) - VOC paints are non-toxic and will not pollute your indoor air.
Use LEED-Certified Building Materials - LEED Certifications come in different levels, but it all comes down to how environmentally responsible the materials are. If you are building a home, or addition, think about using a LEED certified builder and LEED certified materials.
Use Mult-Zone HVACs - Buy an HVAC system that is designed to distribute air to different parts of your home and pre-programmed times to keep the parts of the homes at different temperatures depending on usage. The initial cost will be more, but the savings can more than make up for it... and it is better for the environment!
Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs - The bulbs are becoming the norm, but you can still buy the old kind... When given the choice, take the greener compact or LED route.
Make sure that recycling bins are put in common areas with the garbage - By simply giving neighbors the option to recycle, most will!
Start a Green Committee - Join forces with your neighbors to help educate each other on green-options, innovative ways to be environmentally conscious and provide assistance to the HOA in making better decisions.
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Going Green and Your HOA
Many people throughout the Carolinas are making an effort to incorporate "Green" ideas into their daily living. Yet, for those of us who live in neighborhoods with Home Owner's Associations, being "green" can sometimes cause problems!
Energy-saving ideas such as using clotheslines, solar panels, and replacing our grass lawns with rocks and drought resistant plants are generally frowned upon in most of the covenants used by local HOAs.
So what is an environmentally-conscientious homeowner to do? The short answer is to be familiar with all of the rules and regulations that your HOA has. Know that many of these rules are standard and handed down by the builder when the neighborhood was built. Many of these are very old ways of thinking and your Home Owner's Association has the power to change these with community support.
If there is a neighborhood policy that you think is worthy of change, you are probably not the only one. The Association is made up of your neighbors and could include YOU. So get involved, rally the other "green" folks and think about what you can do to be good homeowners and environmentalists.
Ultimately, HOAs exist to protect the rights and property values of the members of the neighborhood. If you can present an argument that is accepted by the majority of the voting neighbors, you can get a covenant changed.
Energy-saving ideas such as using clotheslines, solar panels, and replacing our grass lawns with rocks and drought resistant plants are generally frowned upon in most of the covenants used by local HOAs.
So what is an environmentally-conscientious homeowner to do? The short answer is to be familiar with all of the rules and regulations that your HOA has. Know that many of these rules are standard and handed down by the builder when the neighborhood was built. Many of these are very old ways of thinking and your Home Owner's Association has the power to change these with community support.
If there is a neighborhood policy that you think is worthy of change, you are probably not the only one. The Association is made up of your neighbors and could include YOU. So get involved, rally the other "green" folks and think about what you can do to be good homeowners and environmentalists.
Ultimately, HOAs exist to protect the rights and property values of the members of the neighborhood. If you can present an argument that is accepted by the majority of the voting neighbors, you can get a covenant changed.
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