Resident Guidebook
Residents Guide to Bridge at Turtle Creek GREEN BUILDING FEATURES
Welcome to the newest and best community at
Education Outreach
An educational outreach program or guided tour that focuses on sustainable living, using the project as an example. Turtle Creek will encourage each resident to become a member of the Turtle Creek “ECommunity” by joining our monthly Newsletter sent to each household. In that Newsletter we keep the residents informed of all of the offered activities and incentives for participating in our Green Resident Program. Our program includes educational information on:
Waste recycling
Waste recycling training of all new tenants by Sales Managers at contract signing
Water usage
Power usage
Pet Waste removal and disposal
Recommended “Green” Cleaning products for the home
Green Cleaning “Gift Kit” provided to all new tenants using our recommended products
Health and Exercise activities • Incentives for residents to encourage full participation in our programs
As part of our program, we will walk each new tenant through what we offer. It will help us all lead towards a healthier environment and remind us the importance of participating in recycling our waste products.
Comprehensive Green Building Signage
A comprehensive signage program built into the building's spaces to educate the occupants and visitors of the benefits of green buildings. This program may include windows to view energy saving mechanical equipment or signs to call attention to water-conserving landscape features. The signage to be installed around the complex will include:
Display of building features in the Club House
List of building efficiencies saving tenants dollars on utility costs
Signage will include Turtle Creek’s AEGB 2 Star rating
Take away sales brochures listing green features and programs
Pet waste pick up and disposal stations with signage
A building tour script for our managers to follow with all new prospective clients
Waste recycling program signage at the waste station and in the clubhouse
Waste recycling program take away brochure
On site signage at outdoor activity areas encouraging a healthy, out door lifestyle.
Recycling:
Recycling is an easy way to contribute to minimizing the proliferation of waste and growth of landfills. Turtle Creek encourages residents to separate recyclables from other trash and deposit the recyclables in the labeled containers located adjacent to the trash compactor in the parking lot. The current recycling program accepts the following items:
Mixed Paper
Newspaper/magazines
Home office paper
Junk mail/envelopes
Catalogs
Cardboard (break down and flatten)
Plastic
Plastic soda/water bottles
Plastic milk jugs
Plastic food containers (with food particles washed off)
Rigid plastic items (#1 thru #7)
Metals
Aluminum cans
Tin/Steel cans
Glass
Glass bottle
Reduce waste even further:
Stop unwanted mail
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0262-stopping-unsolicited-mail-phone-calls-and-email http://stopjunkmail.org/sample/kit.pdf
https://www.catalogchoice.org/
Transportation Options:
Turtle Creek provides the following alternative transportation options to automobile use for residents.
Secured Bicycle storage and covered bicycle racks are provided and residents are encouraged to make use of the wide array of bike lanes and trails provided by the City of
Austin . A map of the bike routes is available at most local bike shops or online at www.ridethecity.com/austinCar2Go and ZipCar Austin are car-sharing options that make it easier to live without owning or renting a vehicle. Members are able to rent for a period of time. This is a great option for those that do not own a car.
Car2Go Austin: austin.car2go.com
Zipcar Austin: www.zipcar.com/austin/find-cars
Green Building Features
Below are some of the components that contribute to the energy savings and additional ways that tenants can use the components to save even more energy.
HVAC (Air Conditioning/Heating)
The HVAC system provides an energy efficient 15 SEER unit for each apartment meaning that every apartment has individual control over their environment. Additionally, every apartment has a programmable thermostat.
Be sure to adjust the thermostat settings if your unit will be vacant during vacations, holidays, etc.
In the winter, wear a sweater instead of turning up the heat. In the summer, use the ceiling fan before turning down the temperature.
The thermostats are pre-programmed to follow the Energy Star recommended schedule.
Lighting
The lighting system throughout most of apartment and common areas utilizes high efficiency LED lighting.
Residents are encouraged to create additional energy savings by turning off lights in any room that is not immediately occupied. Turning off lights regularly can save 8%-20% on lighting energy consumption.
Keep lights clean. Why? Dust can cut a bulb’s light output by 25%.
Disposing CFLs. Like paint, batteries, and other household chemicals, CFLs should be disposed of properly. DO NOT THROW AWAY IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD TRASH. Ask the property manager where the battery and bulb disposal station is located onsite (if available), or deposit at a hazardous waste facility in your community or at stores that sell bulbs, such as Home Depot, IKEA, etc
Ceiling Fans
Every apartment has ceiling fans in the living room and bedrooms. During the summer, ceiling fans provide air movement that creates a feeling of as much as a 5 degree temperature drop and reducing the need for more cooling from the air conditioning system. During the winter, the ceiling fans can be switched to run in reverse pushing air up against the ceiling which pushes the hot air at the top of the room down to the occupied level and reducing the need for heating from the HVAC system.
Residents are encouraged to manage energy consumption by running ceiling fans in immediately occupied rooms and to setting thermostats to the Energy Star recommended temperatures. Don’t forget to turn the ceiling fans off when leaving any room.
Appliances
The following appliances in each living unit are Energy Star rated for energy efficiency and/or low water use, including the dishwasher and refrigerator. Tenants can assist in additional energy and water usage reductions with the following tips:
Only run washing machines/dryers and dishwashers with full loads. Partial loads, even with adjusted settings, waste water and electricity.
Wash laundry with cold water, instead of hot. Hot water is only necessary for very dirty laundry.
Keep refrigerators set at the minimum setting necessary to maintain the proper temperature for food storage. Keep your fridge between 36 and 38 degrees F. Set your freezer between 0 and 5 degrees F.
Limit opening of the doors and avoid leaving the doors open longer than a few seconds. It is better to open the door multiple times than to leave it opened for an extended period.
Keep the freezer full. It works more efficiently full than empty.
Use the air-dry option on dishwashers.
Scrape dishes instead of pre-rinsing them. Dishwashers made in the past 5-10 years can clean even heavily soiled dishes without pre-rinsing them.
Use microwaves and crock pots to cook small meals.
Keep the inside of your microwave clean. It improves the efficiency of your microwave.
Use lids when cooking. They keep steam in and help food cook more quickly, which saves energy.
The design of the overall building includes water-use efficiencies that equate to using 30% less water than the City of
Low-Flow Plumbing Fixtures
Low-flow fixtures are installed and are designed to use less water and be equally functional. Residents shall refrain from replacing these fixtures.
Take short showers. Why? They use less water than baths. You pay twice for water. You pay one bill for the cost of the water itself. Then you pay a second bill for the cost of heating the water.
If dual flush toilets are installed, when the handle is lifted up, only 1 gallon of water is used. Use this setting with liquid waste. If the handle is pushed down, 1.6 gallons of water are used. Use this setting with solid waste.
Report Leaks. A dripping faucet can cost over $10 a month and a leaky toilet flapper can also add up fast.
Each living unit is equipped with a ventilation hood over the range/cooktop as well as a ventilation fan in each bathroom and are ducted directly to the exterior of the building.
Residents should utilize the ventilation hood any time the range/cooktop is used to exhaust heat directly to the exterior and reduce the load on the air conditioning system. Additionally, the hood will exhaust smoke directly to the exterior improving the indoor air quality of the apartment. Be sure to turn the hood off at the same time as the range/cooktop.
Residents should utilize the ventilation fan in the bathroom anytime the shower is used to exhaust heat and humidity directly to the exterior and reduce the load on the air conditioning system as well as minimizing humidity damage within the apartment.
In addition to the above items, below are additional passive design/construction features that contribute to the sustainable nature of the building.
Construction Waste Management – over 50% of the construction waste from the project was recycled and diverted from a landfill.
Low VOC paints and coatings – products used for painting within the building were chosen specifically to ensure that the fumes/off-gassing is minimal to non-existent to provide the highest level of indoor air quality.
Interior doors, trim and cabinets utilize recycled wood products.
Monitor Your Energy Usage: Did you know Austin Energy has a tiered rate structure? The more you consume, the higher (more expensive) the rate tiers are that are used to calculate your bill. This tiered rate structure is designed to encourage energy conservation. The less you use, the cheaper your power becomes! Austin Energy has a free app that allows you to monitor your usage and set up alerts to let you know when you may be entering a new rate tier online. Follow the link below to register and for more information. https://austinenergyapp.com:8444
Laundry: Each apartment home has washer dryer hook-ups and a resident can bring their own machines or rent a pair directly from management. All machines provided are High Efficiency machines.
Pet Policies: You must clean up after your pets. Bag/trash stations are provided for your convenience at numerous locations on the property. City ordinance requires you to clean up after your pet and to keep dogs on leashes. Pets are only allowed off-leash in the onsite Bark Park or designated areas of city parks. Please see and follow the pet rules posted on the entrance to the Bark Park. There are also numerous apartment homes on the ground floor with attached pet yards available. These pet yards are maintained by management on a weekly basis as long as pet waste is cleared by the resident.
Integrated Pest Management: Turtle Creek provides regular organic pest control at all building exteriors and within each apartment home. – More information regarding chemicals used and schedules is available to residents upon request.
Practice Good Housekeeping: Deter insects by practicing good housekeeping. Keep windows and doors closed, and keep food and water in tightly sealed containers.
Bulbs and Batteries: Your community has a recycling station for bulbs and batteries located in the leasing office There are also a number of locations around town to drop off household batteries free of charge, including alkaline, nickel cadmium (Nicad), rechargeable, watch, camera, cell phone, lap top and other, similar batteries. Because these locations change on a regular basis, please call the Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 512-974-4343. We do not want any of these items to be thrown into any of the waste bins on the property. If you see anyone placing these types of items into an onsite waste receptacle, please notify office personnel.
