The concept is simple and it is voluntary. If you own a second home, condo, apartment or timeshare unit, reduce your energy and resource footprint by renting it for a minimal amount of time each year, then donate the net revenue to an environmental or humanitarian organization.

Vacation homes and the environment

As societies become more affluent, individuals tend to nest and expand their ownership of property. According to a study by the NAR there are about 43.8 million second homes in the US, which are investment properties and an additional 6.6 to 8.1 million-vacation homes. Although a small portion of these vacation properties are in foreclosure, recent studies indicate the number of vacation homes in use has remained steady. According to a recent study by PhoCusWright only 1.26 million vacation properties in the US are rented and according to Travel Weekly this generates $24 billion in revenue. The average cost of renting is $184.00 per day for two people. A single family or an extended family unit generally uses the remainders of the vacation properties not rented.

In the US the average vacation property is used less than 30 days per year, even though most of these properties are kept heated and cooled and at the same time the owner’s primary residence is also being heated and cooled. Vacation properties are considered to be less green in construction and use fewer renewable resources than primary homes. A number of studies indicate resource usage related to vacation properties actually shows them consuming more energy than primary homes due to poor construction, travel and other considerations.

The carbon footprint of vacation properties in the US is estimated by the Live Green, Live Smart Institute to generate approximately 204,600,000 tons of CO2 annually or about 31 tons of C02 per property per year. This number includes travel, maintenance, heating and cooling for a minimum of four months, hot water usage and is based on an average of 2 bedrooms per vacation property. Resort areas tend to be the biggest abusers in terms of wasted energy and resources. According to the Denver Post, a study of vacation homes in the Aspen, Colorado markets indicated the average vacation home was unoccupied 277 days of the year and generated 43.8 tons of CO2.

When a vacation property is rented the term for the footprint is “shared footprint” since owners are spreading the resources over multiple families or individuals and not duplicating the resources required in construction and land usage. The shared carbon footprint of vacation homes based on rental statistics is estimated to be only 39,060,000 tons of CO2 annually. With the average family of four in the US generating about 110 Tons of CO2 annually, a family with a vacation property will generate about 141 Tons of CO2. By increasing rentals, environmental construction industry experts believe the cost to the environment for new, low occupancy structures could save significant resources to the planet. Even with the impact of the current economy vacation home purchases continue to hold steady, if new buyers would consider renting when they buy they would have a tremendous impact on lowering the world’s CO2 and lowering their own resource footprint.

Donate one week to an environmental or humanitarian fund

The concept behind Share Your Footprint works like this: If each family that has a vacation home donated the rental receipts (after expenses) from just a one week rental (to friends or others) to an environmental or humanitarian fund, the net money that would go into these organizations would be approximately: $6 billion annually and that is the US only. In addition it would spread their vacation property CO2 footprint over a greater number of individuals. The gross CO2 offset from this small effort would be approximately 4 million tons per year. If rentals and donations increased the offset would also increase. In addition fewer homes would be build, fewer resources consumed, less land impacted. When a person rents a property they should turn down the water heater, heat or cooling system on their primary property to further reduce their footprint.

Renting is a good thing, unfortunately we tend to think of it as a negative, it disrupts privacy and introduces unpredicted experiences into communities. If done properly using professionals to aid in the rental and by setting limits and guidelines, renting can be a positive experience. Not everyone with the means can own a second home nor should they. Renting and donating income from a vacation property you already own is a great way to reduce your footprint and put needed funds back into the non-profit and charitable sectors. The Live Green, Live Smart Institute continues to encourage individuals with vacation properties to voluntarily start renting and start donating a % of the proceeds from these rentals to charitable organizations.

If you are part of an organization or association of vacation homeowners start a Share Your Footprint Chapter. All you need to do is get a group of individuals together that are interested in renting and donating a portion of the rent. Define your goals, help each other understand guidelines and regulations for renting, locate professionals to help with rentals, seek tax advice and begin sharing your footprint. Use of the name is freely given to all Chapters as long as they do not profit from the concept. Income generated may be used to maintain the Chapter. For more information write: editor@livegreenlivesmart.org.