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What's a renter to do?

Perhaps you, like me, spent most of your adult years pursuing – through both fantasy and action -- the American dream of homeownership, a cultural narrative being re-examined by many people in light of the Great Recession.

You’ve struggled to overcome the yearning for permanence, security and control that comes with owning a place, especially when you now think of all the ways your family could live a healthier and more responsible lifestyle, such as installing a solar hot water system, growing a vegetable garden and buying ENERGY STAR appliances. And you use the renting excuse to procrastinate on eating differently and improving your use of energy and resources.

Well, let me tell you how I got over that hump. I no longer view my situation as a limitation, but instead as an opportunity to be creative and resourceful. A rental can be the perfect way to:

• Start small. For example, I view my family’s two-bedroom rental and 1/8th acre lot as an opportunity to practice for larger scale projects. I mean, there’s no point installing a greywater system if we can’t turn off the faucet while we brush our teeth. Moreover, sustainable living can be practiced to varying degrees in suburban single-family houses, downtown condos and rural eco-villages. My husband and I want time to figure out which housing style fits us best.

• Focus on what you can do, which is a lot: recycling, composting, telecommuting, weather-stripping your windows and doors, using non-toxic cleaning products, switching to compact fluorescent bulbs or reducing the number of incandescent bulbs you use, etc.

• Choose a house or apartment in a versatile neighborhood that allows the use of clotheslines and rain barrels, encourages walking, cycling and public transportation, and is close to grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants and other businesses.

• Share land, tools and services with neighbors. For example, a neighbor once offered to let me use some of her garden space to grow vegetables. I also rent plots at a community garden and have permission from my landlord to garden in the backyard.

The biggest roadblocks to practicing sustainable living in a rental situation is getting over the fear of asking people for things and letting go of a project or investment when the lease ends. Many renters are just afraid to hear the word “no” from their landlords or have to give something in return, such as sign a longer lease. (And landlords: It does help to advertise your openness to tenants practicing a green lifestyle.)

In addition, renters have to get over the psychological barrier of believing that making structural changes are a waste of time and money if they don’t own the property. For example, I’ve debated whether to create garden beds in my backyard only to have to pull the plants up should I move in a couple of years. I’ve since realized that the food I grow and the skills I build during that short time span are rewards in and of themselves. Other renters might decide to leave behind re-insulated walls or rain barrels they’ve installed as a gift to new tenants. Perhaps their investment pays dividends by adding greener housing stock to a community while giving renters the freedom to move when necessary.

Get ideas:
Re-nest.com
Low Impact Living
Permaculture for Renters blog
Renters Guide to Sustainability (This handy guide is from the Australian Alternative Technology Association, but most tips apply to Americans)
Green Renter (new national listing service)

And I encourage any of you Triad area renters out there to share your stories of how you’re practicing sustainable living at home.