Village Green was created to offer owners and tenants a Green alternative in property management. We are dedicated to healthy, sustainable, renewable, and efficient practices. We strive to reduce our impact on the environment while at the same time reducing operating costs for owners. It is our goal to create and maintain safe and healthy environments for our tenants. We believe that Green practices are cost effective ways to increase owners' return on investment, and increase tenant comfort and satisfaction in their homes.

By starting with the education of tenants and owners we establish a relationship built on the commitment to provide sustainable housing choices. Even a small change can make a huge difference in utility bills, which effect both owners and tenants. High efficiency furnaces, water heaters, lighting fixtures, appliances, high performance fixtures and many more options. Sustainable housing has many long term benefits to owners as well as tenants.

Why go green? "Green" is no longer simply the more expensive choice that is good for the environment. Green is fast becoming the norm in many fields. We focus on affordable alternatives that improve the value of buildings and reduce operating costs for owners. These alternatives also increase tenant comfort and retention. Some examples include, high efficiency lighting, high performance water fixtures, Zero VOC and recycled paints, non-toxic cleaning practices, waste prevention, recycling education, rapidly renewable resources, and reclaimed materials.

Why Green is the New Gold

Ultimately, sustainable practices need to be integrated into both the facility management programs that organizations implement on a day-to-day basis, as well as into their long-term capital planning process. Facility managers today are on the front-line of this process, and positioned to raise the visibility and acceptance of these practices throughout their organizations.

As such practices increasingly make good business sense, organizations will drive rapid market adoption, of which we are only seeing the leading edge today. This more holistic and socially responsible approach to facilities management will ultimately make the jobs of facility managers more critical for their organizations, as well as for future generations.

Reaping the Benefits of Green

Since energy represents the largest operational expense for most facilities, an assessment of current energy usage and efficiency is a starting point for many organizations on the road to enhancing building sustainability. The results of such an assessment can lead to the identification of a variety of potential programs in both the short and long-term to reduce energy consumption. These programs may range from the installation of less power hungry fluorescent bulbs to the retrofitting of equipment that takes advantage of new technologies to heat or cool facilities more efficiently.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 promotes adoption of such programs by offering consumers and businesses federal & state tax credits for purchasing energy efficient appliances and products. Organizations can take advantage of significant rebates from their local utility provider when installing such equipment. These rebates are not only limited to HVAC equipment. Some utilities providers also offer rebates for companies replacing windows, windows lighting and more.

By implementing practices and systems that help reduce energy costs, organizations can also take advantage of tax savings. For example, Energy Star programs under the Energy Policy Act currently enable owners or designers of new or existing commercial buildings to take a tax deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot if they save at least 50 percent of the heating and cooling energy of a building that meets ASHRAE standards for energy-efficient design. Partial deductions can be taken for measures affecting the building envelope, lighting or heating and cooling systems.