Friday, October 3, 2008

Now Renters in Portland May Find a Green Place to Live


Now environmentally-minded, Oregon renters like eco-minded homeowners, can look for a green and healthy place to live thanks to a Portland, Oregon-based GreenRenter. The start-up launched in April. In this early stage, GreenRenter asks for minimal features to have your rental place listed, acknowledges co-founder Pam Pickens. GreenRenter provides online listings of apartments, homes, and office space with energy-efficient, good indoor air quality (vital for many people) and other green features.

As long as the building has a green benefit in any of seven areas (energy, water, building materials, operations, building surroundings, certifications and awards, other innovative green features), the building is eligible for listing, according to co-founder, Lev Tsypin.

Renters can look for efforts as small as compact fluorescent light bulbs to more valuable benefits such as a whole home air cleaner, nearby mass transit, solar panel or Energy Star-certified appliances.

Soon, GreenRenter will launch a "GreenScore" for every property listing making it easier for users to find buildings with the most green attributes. The service is free. Profits will come from ad revenue and partnerships.

In related news-you-can-use, the state of Oregon is requiring that recycling be provided to all renters. (GreenRenter is mentioned as a resource.) How can that practical practice spread to other states?

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