HOA Initiatives to Build an Eco-Friendly Community Association
Environmental consciousness is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and homeowners are even beginning to make purchasing decisions based on how green a property or community association is. To retain more residents and help reduce long-term costs, many Aurora, Colorado, HOAs are introducing initiatives that will help them be more eco-friendly. If you want to make your community association better for the environment without sacrificing homeowners’ quality of life, here are a few easy changes to make that still create a sizable impact.
Provide a recycling program
Almost every city and community association provides its residents with a recycling bin and weekly recycling pickup. If you don’t yet have a comprehensive recycling program in your HOA, it’s a great idea to implement one. Recycling is one of the easiest ways for an HOA and its residents to go green, and many new homeowners will expect this service just as they would with trash pickup. If you already have a recycling program in place, you can go a step further by setting up an e-recycling drop-off point in a communal area where residents can properly recycle old electronic devices such as computers, phones, televisions, and more.
Encourage composting
According to the EPA, up to 30% of all waste is food waste that could be composted. Eliminating this unnecessary landfill waste and turning it into food for your garden is a great way to benefit the environment as well as to reduce some pressure on your local waste resources. You can encourage residents to compost by hosting a composting class for all homeowners. Many HOAs also require permission from the board for residents to begin composting, so if your bylaws require this, you can be sure to provide quick and hassle-free approval to make the process easier and more accessible for all of your residents.
Construct a community garden
Creating a community garden is a great way to connect with nature and connect with your fellow residents. Set aside a communal plot of land for this project and encourage all residents to plant fruits, vegetables, and flowers together to build bonds and encourage environmental mindfulness.
Limit paper usage
One of the easiest ways to make your community association greener is by reducing your HOA’s paper usage. The easiest way to do this is by switching to paperless newsletters and notices, opting instead to email residents. You can also share news via your community website, email list, or social media platforms. Important documents such as board meeting minutes and homeowner paperwork should be made available electronically via a cloud-based system rather than printed out, although paper versions should still be made available for the less tech-savvy members of your community.
With so much to manage on a daily basis, it’s understandable that non-urgent projects like these get put on the backburner or implemented at a slow pace. With the assistance of a community association management firm such as The Management Trust, however, you can become more eco-friendly in the most efficient and effective ways possible. From planning actionable tasks to executing them on time, our HOA management services will take things off your plate so your HOA board can focus on the bigger picture. To find out more about The Management Trust’s full range of community association management services, give us a call at (303) 750-0994 or fill out our online contact form today.
