"I can't do that - I rent"
If only we had a dollar for every time we heard that statement.
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW has been implementing our community climate action program, the Community Climate Challenge since 2006. In that time we have worked with almost 4,000 households in seven regions across NSW, namely the Clarence, the Central Coast, Mosman, North Sydney, Warringah, Parramatta and the Hunter Valley.
However for some of our program participants, renting was consistently percieved as a barrier to achieving a sustainable lifestyle and reducing their ecological footprint.
While renting can have some impact, after all you do not have complete control over the physical structure of your home and finances may be limited, it does not have to be barrier to living sustainably. In fact, you can be more sustainable renting than most people are living in homes that they own!
NCC has put together the NSW Sustainable Renting Guide, with the assistance of the NRMA Insurance Community Grants Program, to provide you with a guide on how you can live sustainably when renting.
The Guide begins by looking at the law governing residential tenancies. In Chapter 2 we provide suggestions as to what to look for when reviewing properties and what minor alterations that you could make with your landlord's approval once you have moved in.
At the end of the chapter there is even a Checklist for you to take with you when viewing potential properties. The guide also provides tips on actions that you could take regarding food, transport, waste, chemicals and community action.
Although we don't claim to have all the answers, we hope we have given the tenants of NSW a comprehensive guide to living sustainably when renting.
Simply download the attachment for your copy of the NSW Sustainable Renting Guide today.
