You don’t have to plant a tree to help save our planet! Holding our place in the virtual space of multifamily means being aware of our carbon footprint in the ever-changing virtual world!

Going digital can save approximately 728,000 TREES and save 1.4 trillion pounds of paper. 

If you’re in multifamily, you know you have to print paper to make some $paper$. Or do you?

5 Ways You Can Save Paper To Help Save The Planet in Multifamily 

  1. Renewal Video vs. Renewal Notices – Instead of placing multiple renewal notices on residents’ doors, try sending a fun renewal video reminding your clients why they love calling your community home.
  2. QR Codes vs. Move-in Folder – QR codes have made the BIGGEST come back! Take advantage of this feature in the Realync platform by creating a QR code for a move-in playlist of your favorite informational videos versus printing out the instructions on paper.
  3. Work Order Follow-Up Video vs. Work Order Notice – We know that follow-up and communication are key when it comes to work orders! Create a fun video with your maintenance team to send each resident after a work order has been completed!
  4. QR Code SGT vs. Traditional SGT – Use QR codes for instructions versus printing multiple copies – self-guided tours are here to stay! Utilize Realync to create QR codes to guide your prospect versus printing out instructions each time! Check out this example.
  5. QR Code at Recycling Station or Send an Email to Explain How To Recycle Properly – Create a QR code to place at your recycling centers going over how to properly dispose of recycling!

30% of printed paper never gets opened/received, so 45% gets tossed.

Dunder Mifflin is about to see a steep drop in demand with all the paper you’re gonna be saving. If you’ve made it this far in the blog, you get the secret sixth way to help save the planet in multifamily. 

6. Virtual Tour vs. Guided Tour – These gas prices are old news. Hosting a virtual tour versus a guided tour can help the environment and your prospective residents’ wallet, hah!

We know what you’re thinking, “The Cloud”, emails, virtual tours, and other channels still add to the carbon footprint. We had the same thought, so we looked into it. According to Kelley Travers with MIT Energy Initiative, “One hour of streaming or video-conferencing can emit between 150 and 1,000 grams of carbon dioxide, depending on the service. By comparison, a car produces about 8,887 grams from burning one gallon of gasoline.” This means that you could have eight hours of virtual tours and still emit less carbon dioxide than burning one gallon of gas. 

With multifamily’s current facilities, it’s inevitable that waste will be created in processes. However, you have the power to reduce the amount of waste created. Hopefully, this blog inspires you to make some sustainable changes in your processes. If not, at least you now know that you don’t have to plant a tree to help save our planet!  

Other Resources about Sustainability in Multifamily

Written by: Lauren Gebhardt (Director of Client Success Operations), Chuck Gilpin (Client Success Manager), and Sam Christie (Marketing Coordinator).