If you’re spending Earth Week feeling like you should be doing more to minimize your carbon footprint, you can rest easy knowing you’re not the only one. After all, that’s kind of the point. But it can feel overwhelming to decide on meaningful lifestyle adjustments. No amount of reusable straws and shopping bags is realistically going to turn back the tide on global warming.

So what can you really do to lessen your impact on Mother Earth?

You can make a move that organically creates a more eco-conscious lifestyle by choosing to live in downtown Fargo.

While virtually all of our downtown apartments can be a natural catalyst for greener living, one of our buildings is a cut above the rest: Roberts Commons, or RoCo for short.

Centrally Located in the Fargo Metro

One of the biggest individual contributions we make to carbon emissions is typically with our cars. According to the EPA, transportation made up 28% of the United States’s carbon emissions in 2021, the highest of any economic sector. So reducing how much you drive will be a key part of any strategy to reduce your carbon footprint.

Downtown Fargo’s central location within the Fargo-Moorhead metro as well as the walkability of the neighborhood could be an excellent way for you to achieve that goal.

With its attached parking garage, RoCo is perfectly placed to keep your car close by and secure for when you need it while still putting you in a community where you can use it less. (RoCo’s sister building, Dillard, is also attached to the Roberts Commons parking garage, if you’re the kind of person who likes options.)

An Accessible Community with Everything You Need

Not only is downtown Fargo a highly walkable neighborhood, but it also has virtually everything you might need to maintain a healthy quality of life. Most of your day-to-day needs can be met without getting in your car, from grabbing that one ingredient you’re missing from Daily’s Market to getting your teeth cleaned and pretty much anything in between.

RoCo’s Walk Score® is 95, making it a walker’s paradise, but it also has a Bike Score of 80, putting it on the high end for biking ease. There’s also secure bike storage in the Roberts Commons parking garage, managed by Interstate Parking and available for a monthly fee.

Eco-Conscious Appliances

Every apartment in RoCo is equipped with Energy Star-certified appliances designed to run efficiently and consume less energy. What’s more, the heating and air conditioning (HVAC) units in the building are top-of-the-line models selected for their energy efficiency and reliability, further reducing your energy consumption while keeping you comfortable year-round.

EV Charging Stations

Roberts Commons parking garage is equipped with quite a few electric vehicle charging stations, a collaborative project between the City of Fargo, Kilbourne Group, and several other organizations. The EV stations are powered by solar panels, ensuring that their use doesn’t contribute to fossil fuel consumption. RoCo residents, downtowners, and visitors alike all have access to the charging stations.

Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

As a part of our continued efforts to minimize RoCo’s impact, we’re even working to transition all cleaning supplies to environmentally friendly solutions.

Bonus: A Farmers’ Market in Your Front Yard

Another practical lifestyle change to reduce your carbon emissions is to buy locally grown produce, and in that regard, RoCo residents couldn’t have it any easier. From July to October every year, the Red River Farmer’s Market is right outside the front door. The dozens of vendors include local farmers selling fresh produce that’ll beat the price and quality of anything you’d find at a grocery store. The smaller carbon footprint is just the cherry on top.