How Sustainable is Your Business?

How Sustainable is Your Business?

Monday, April 22, marks Earth Day in this country - a day to put our attention on the care and preservation of our planet home. All of the natural world -  trees, plants, rivers, oceans, mountains, deserts, animals, fish, and of course humans, are dependent on our planet for survival. We need clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, clean soil to grow. This is a day and time to think about how we contribute to the health of our world. Are we helping to create a more positive and sustainable future? Are there areas where we could improve?

As professional Realtors®, we are in a powerful position to influence eco-friendly practices and encourage healthy communities. There are a number of ways we can do this related to the housing industry. For example, educating ourselves on the current advancements in eco-friendly home technology makes us a valuable resource for our clients. With a growing trend toward alternative energy and green living, agents with this expertise are in the best position to help clients secure the type of home they seek. In this article by “Trusted Choice”, we get a good overview of  what constitutes eco-friendly homes and why it’s so beneficial to invest in them.

Essentially, an eco-friendly home is one that is built and designed with environmentally friendly materials, practices, and appliances. Here are just a few examples -

Solar power

Large window for natural light

Composting equipment

Vegetable garden

Low flow toilet

Rainwater storage

High-efficiency lighting

The advantages for including these, and other sustainable features, in a home design may be obvious, but let’s review. Since the health of our world, communities, families, and selves are at the center of eco-friendly design, these elements foster greater health and well-being overall. Some features may include a greater up front cost, but save money (in some cases, a substantial amount) in the long term. Not only because decreased usage of traditional energy is always a cost savings, but there are also government-sponsored programs for tax breaks associated with the use of these technologies. Adding cutting edge green technology to a home can dramatically raise the resale value as well.

In addition to becoming an eco-friendly resource for your clients, putting some attention on the health and sustainability of your own business is good role modeling and beneficial to you as a professional. How healthy is your business, business practices, home office, etc.? Are there things you could do to reduce your carbon footprint?

ListingsToGo supports eco-friendly business in at least one very significant way…protecting trees through paper reduction. Relying more on digital platforms for communication and marketing means less paper trash. Most of us realize by now that a good portion of marketing material ends up in the garbage once it reaches our target. That’s a lot of wastes and dead trees. Websites, emails, social media, and other online resources do not perpetuate a model of destruction and waste.  Please join us in moving more toward sustainable business practices and let us know when you’d like to get started with your new eco-friendly website.