Friends of the Earth

Running a business ethically is something we can all strive for. We, as business owners, want to make sure that our rental home is as green as possible while still being comfortable and relaxing. So we work hard in our vacation rentals to be better about consumption and environmental impact, and we offer these tips and products that could be applied to other rental homes:

• Artisinal soap and other products has become a fairly common practice all over the United States. Using local soaps and other toiletries supports local businesses and is better for the environment because of it. We buy our soap from a Melbourne shop called Nourish.
• This is also a great branding opportunity, as you can have custom stickers made at stickermule with your rental’s logo and give soap as a gift to guests or friends.
• Ecobee is a thermostat system that senses temperature and can be controlled remotely. If your rental is in an area that experiences hot or cold weather, this is a great way to make sure you don’t use up extra energy by heating or cooling an empty space, and can even save an average of 23% of heating and cooling costs. We prefer Ecobee in our own rentals because it’s less expensive, has remote temperature sensors for multiple rooms, and even tells you the weather outside!
• Nest is another very popular remote thermostat system, though in our own rentals, we prefer ecobee.
• This rain sensor helps us save water and the planet by shutting off the sprinkler when it rains. This saves water and keeps our plants from drowning, it’s a win-win.
• This water sensor senses any leaks from water heaters, washing machines, or other systems and can notify you using SmartThings.
• Scrollwork Doormat: This doormat is made from responsibly sourced rubber-makers that works to not harm the trees it comes from.
• Bosch Tronic 3000: Heating water takes up a lot of energy, and rarely does a full tank of hot water get used in washing a load of clothes, or a shower. This mini-tank heater only heats 7 gallons of water at a time, so the water heats faster, uses less energy, and saves water.
• A high efficiency Washer and Dryer use minimal energy and water so that our in-suite laundry doesn’t end up using more than it needs to clean up our sheets, towels, and clothes.
• Recharchable Flashlight/Nightlights sense when the lights are on, and can be removed and used as flashlights. They plug into the wall and don’t require batteries.
• We use Airfilters with a high MERV rating, changed monthly and biweekly for peak air conditioning efficiency.

Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are awesome and use Melbourne Beach more than any other Florida beach! We are careful not to interfere with their nesting and hatching and use these tools to do so:

• Red lights! According to turtle conservationists if you put red lights on your house facing the ocean it won’t confuse the turtles like artificial lights will. So use red lightbulbs like these and flashlights like these if you live in an area with nesting sea turtles.

Make sure your renters know about all the awesome eco-friendly things that your rental contains, and how they can help keep your place running green. Hopefully these tips and products were helpful.