Welcome to The New Homemaker

Photo credit: Norm on wikimedia commons

Solar panels, programmable thermostats and STAR appliances—when it comes to being green, homeowners seem to have all the fun! But there are simple ways that apartment dwellers can make their living spaces more green as well.

Search for Green
If you are in between places or getting ready to move, you can make your apartment home more environmentally-friendly by keeping sustainability and efficiency top of mind during your search. Look for energy efficient appliances, and if possible, call the energy company to see what the average energy costs were for the previous year. This can help you weigh both the efficiency of the apartment and your final costs.

Keep in mind that being green doesn't just happen inside—think about location too. By picking an apartment that is close to bus lines or near your work and school, you might be able to reduce the amount of fossil fuels you burn while traveling. While searching for a new pad, use a comprehensive rental listings site so that you can investigate the sustainability of the place before you take the tour. Keep in mind environmentally-conscious exterior features like trees and shrubs for shade in the summer and interior features such as expansive windows for natural warmth in the cooler months. ForRent.com's Amplified Apartments offers ideas for incorporating eco-friendly features like light-filled spaces into your interior design.

If a move is not in your future, the following ideas are easy to integrate into any apartment home.