“Reuse, Reduce and Recycle” is a tune my grammar school son chants all the time. He learned it in school and I have even found myself chanting it at times. And as with anything, once something gets in to your head you find yourself applying it to your everyday life.

As Earth Day approaches I am excited by how I have applied some of the “Green” principles of my son’s song to my own home staging business in Marin. As home stagers, we try to have environmentally sustainable designs that improve our environment rather than detract from it.

REUSE & RECYCLE

The most obvious is that we reuse our furniture for home staging. And when we need to add to our collection we try to buy locally so we can reduce transportation costs and waste.

When clients are thinking of replacing their upholstered furniture I suggest that they have their furniture recovered rather than just throw it away. Upholsterers can recycle the furniture to look like new, with half the waste as buying new, and half the cost.

REDUCE

Lighting is also an easy way to be eco-friendly. Before any open house Realtors turn on all of the lights in the home. This creates light and a welcome environment. This is also something I do before a party when I want my guests to feel welcome and the energy in the house come alive. But before wasting all of that wattage consider using only compact florescent light bulbs. Switching from a traditional light bulb to a CFL is a simple change everyone can make to reduce up to 20% of our greenhouse gases without skimping on the ambiance.

Another way we reduce waste is to reuse our packing materials over and over again rather than have our moving companies use new materials.

GREEN SUPPLIES

At Staged Marin Homes we also make sure our suppliers are Green. We only use painters who use no-VAC paints, and flooring companies who specialize in eco-friendly flooring such as bamboo, wood and cork.

The other conscious decision was to have all of our linens made from bamboo, a renewable resource. Bamboo is not only incredibly absorbent it is also naturally hypoallergenic, anti-microbial, and odor resistant. It is also 100% biodegradable with all sections of the plant having usable applications.

As for our cleaning supplies we use Seventh Generation, who have made the first EPA-registered natural disinfectants, or Method Home, who is the first to earn a certification from Cradle-to-Cradle, an organization that assesses the environmental intelligence of consumer products. We also endorse The Laundress and Mrs. Meyer’s to name a few other green labels.

GREEN STAGING … OUTDOORS

Finally, something we can all appreciate – plant a tree! We can each do our part in cooling the earth if we just plant a tree, a bush or even a single flower. But remember to keep your garden fertilizer pesticide-free so that all living creatures can enjoy the beautiful green environment.

This Earth Day take the time to enjoy our beautiful planet and breathe in the beauty around you.

HomeGain supports Green real estate and Green real estate professionals.