Hard to believe this is the 40th anniversary of  Earth Day. Over the years we have participated in various activities to commemorate the occasion. One of my favorite events was the Under water Clean up in Upstate New York. We would spend the AM at the bottom of a local Lake, “harvesting” items that did not belong there. It was always amazing how much junk we would collect. We would finish the event with a cook out, attempting to warm up from the hours in cold water.

My tolerance for cold water diving has been replaced with more “practical” environmental solutions. The real estate industry has numerous opportunities to reduce waste and to become better stewards of the environment. I’ve often joked at the settlement table about “how many trees died so you could buy a home”. The amount of paperwork is enormous. We have taken a stance to fight some of that waste. ALL of our contracts are completed electronically and signed digitally. We originally adopted this technique as a convenience for our clients. It’s not uncommon for a relocating family to be physically separated when the contract and counter offers are signed. By using DOCUSIGN, we can avoid creating paper copies. We can also eliminate the needless travel to and from the office to sign documents. End result-easier for all parties, less wasted paper, and a reduction in fuel. Definitely a WIN-WIN-WIN.

You may want to check out the EARTH DAY site for local projects.