Staging has revolutionized the real estate industry by maximizing homes’ appeal and potential, drawing attention to selling features, and helping buyers to imagine the home as their own, so that homes are shown at their absolute best. Similarly, a green revolution is now sweeping new home builders as public awareness of global environmental problems, indoor air quality issues, and the need for energy and water conservation has become the new norm. The importance of this movement is underscored by recent estimates that our buildings are currently responsible for 35% of North American carbon dioxide emissions, and improving them will be the quickest and cheapest way to reduce North America’s impact on climate change. Sustainable staging brings the green revolution to the real estate resale market.

This is excerpted from my article, Sustainability and Staging (PDF), which introduces the principles of sustainable design, outlines the benefits of applying them in a real estate staging context, and provides a detailed checklist for decorators, redesigners, and stagers to use in greening their staging practices.

I am thrilled that this article will be incorporated into redesign and staging training provided by CRDA instructor Val Sharp. It is my wish that it be freely shared among interior decorators, redesigners, and stagers, so that sustainable best-practices will be quickly adopted within our industry.

(But please, don’t plagiarize it for your website. It’s bad karma. You may quote it if you ask my permission and provide a link back to this post. Thanks.)

Update (4 April 2009): If you have previously downloaded the PDF, you may have found it difficult to read and print due to the background graphic. The link above now leads to an updated, simpler version for your convenience.

Update (20 September 2009): I’m delighted that this article is to be reprinted in HomeStagersTODAY, the online publication of the British Academy of Home Stagers! [29 Oct 2009: find it in the Green Staging section!]

This past July, I spent a couple of weeks planning my five-year-old’s birthday party and volunteering with the Devonian Botanic Garden to help organize their new Green Festival… plus I was asked at a networking event how to go about greening a conference. (I think now that the person I was chatting with had confused me with the fabulous proprietress of TulaJane Eco Events. Now that I know about them, #1 on my list would be to call them if resources allow!) Anyway, thoughts of how to go about making any kind of event more sustainable were much on my mind, so I did what I always do and made a list. The filters to bring to bear on all the decisions come down to the old mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle, of course; but it also includes educate, go local, and give back. Here is a round-up of 20 Ways To Green Your Party or Event, which is compiled in part from the links provided further below. (more…)