6 sustainability areas the place senior residing could make an environmental influence

6 sustainability areas the place senior residing could make an environmental influence


Juniper Communities’ Inexperienced Cover Initiative units a brand new commonplace for environmental duty and may function a blueprint for others on find out how to thrive whereas minimizing environmental influence.

The senior residing market phase usually is ignored concerning sustainability, however by integrating eco-friendly practices, the chance for influence is nice. The business, in spite of everything, serves extra 800,000 older adults throughout roughly 30,600 communities in the USA.

Juniper constructed its first senior residing group to LEED specs in 2001 and since that point has been devoted to sustainability. This dedication has been formalized underneath the Inexperienced Cover Initiative, reflecting the corporate’s ethos of “doing properly by doing good.”

Listed here are a few of the ways in which we have now been or will likely be making a distinction — and the place your group could make a distinction, too.

1. Single-use plastic waste. I’m spearheading a complete initiative on the group to cut back single-use plastic waste throughout our operations. We’ve recognized key areas for enchancment, notably in medicine administration, the place an estimated 8 million single-use plastic objects — reminiscent of soufflé cups, plastic cups, spoons and straws — are discarded each day in senior residing communities nationwide.

Juniper’s technique contains changing plastic objects with paper options and introducing reusable stainless-steel utensils in medicine shelling out. The corporate additionally has tackled elevated plastic utilization in eating companies, exacerbated by COVID-19 room supply protocols, by implementing cardboard and paper options the place potential. Moreover, Juniper has reimagined its actions and programming to cut back plastic waste, reminiscent of changing disposable cups with resident “mug golf equipment” (as a substitute of plastic cups) and discovering options to plastic decorations, the place potential.

Central to the success of these initiatives is a complete schooling and engagement marketing campaign, involving staff, residents and members of the family. Juniper created “inexperienced zones” the place residents can recycle their private objects as properly.

By way of these focused efforts throughout a number of departments, the corporate is demonstrating a holistic strategy to environmental sustainability in senior residing whereas sustaining high-quality care and companies.

2. Meals waste. Past plastic waste, Juniper has turned its consideration to the vital situation of meals waste.

Recognizing that meals waste constitutes 22% of municipal stable waste in US landfills, with senior residing communities contributing an estimated 700,000 kilos each day, Juniper has carried out a multi-faceted strategy. This strategy contains academic campaigns on portion sizes, set up of composting bins, sourcing native meals and lowering vendor deliveries the place possible.

A big a part of this effort entails educating residents concerning the results of meals waste and serving to them make extra deliberate decisions about their meals to assist decrease undesirable meals manufacturing. Important to this effort is essential messaging, influence schooling, mission collaboration and suggestions on outcomes, to make sure that sustainability turns into a community-wide effort, participating residents, staff and distributors alike.

3. Zero waste objective. Setting objectives offers us one thing to try for, and Juniper has set a objective to turn into the primary zero-waste senior residing group this yr. The corporate’s objectives embrace eliminating single-use plastics, establishing branded recycling stations and lowering power consumption via measures reminiscent of pc energy administration and movement sensor-controlled lighting.

Extra efforts embrace composting, sustaining group gardens and utilizing paper containers for in-room eating.

4. Vitality effectivity and water conservation. The Inexperienced Cover Initiative additionally emphasizes power effectivity, with the set up of Vitality Star home equipment and a transition to LED lighting, which has had a optimistic environmental influence. Moreover, water conservation is a key part, with the set up of low-flow taps and showerheads slicing water use by 50%, all whereas guaranteeing residents’ consolation.

This effort additionally has been expanded into landscaping practices as properly, in planning out substitute of supplies with low-water-use vegetation shrubs and different supplies each time potential.

5. Inexperienced constructing practices. One other pillar of our sustainability technique is inexperienced constructing. Juniper incorporates US Inexperienced Constructing Council requirements, specializing in pure lighting, energy-efficient home windows and water administration programs. These inexperienced options not solely profit the setting but in addition improve residents’ high quality of life by enhancing consolation and total well being.

A part of Juniper’s acquisition technique has been targeted on climate-risk discount components for potential websites, together with geo-thermal, photo voltaic or sustainable building practices/options. This technique will be notably inviting for funding companions in search of to each maximize worth and total environmental influence in collaboration for future sustainable enhancements.

6. Know-how and paper discount. Paper utilization stays excessive in senior residing communities, particularly for actions programming. This development stems from the preferences of residents accustomed to getting each day data from newspapers and periodicals. Consequently, these communities steadily print a number of schedules and bulletins, usually greater than as soon as each day. This observe not solely is pricey when it comes to paper, ink and printer cartridges, but in addition contributes to pointless landfill waste.

Juniper has taken a proactive strategy to tackling this situation by embracing digital options. The group has put in digital shows and Alexa gadgets to tell residents about actions, meals and leisure.

For cases the place paper nonetheless is critical, Juniper has partnered with a managed print firm to observe utilization and determine high-volume actions.

This multi-faceted technique has yielded spectacular outcomes. The continuing coaching of staff concerning important printing use has supported Juniper in slicing paper printing by greater than 850,000 pages in simply six months, considerably lowering the corporate’s environmental influence and operational prices.

Schooling and collaboration

Bodily infrastructure, in fact, is only one piece of the puzzle.

The Inexperienced Cover Initiative’s success hinges on schooling and collaboration. Workers play an important position by educating and demonstrating sustainable practices, which have interaction residents and domesticate a community-wide dedication to environmental stewardship.

This strategy has expanded to incorporate partnerships with native sustainability consultants, reminiscent of parks departments and ecological conservation teams. These collaborations facilitate academic packages on subjects immediately affecting regional ecosystems, additional strengthening the initiative’s influence.

As demand for eco-friendly senior residing choices continues to develop, Juniper’s Inexperienced Cover Initiative stands as a mannequin for integrating sustainability into senior residing and care. By way of modern practices, schooling and a real dedication to environmental stewardship, the group seeks to prepared the ground in nurturing each its residents and the planet.

By setting an ordinary for sustainable senior residing, Juniper Communities is displaying that it’s potential to create a high-quality care setting that helps each older adults and a greener future. As senior residing residents and their households more and more prioritize sustainability in selecting housing choices, initiatives reminiscent of Inexperienced Cover turn into not simply moral imperatives however key aggressive benefits.

“Our tenet is nurturing the spirit of life,” says Juniper Communities founder and CEO Lynne Katzmann, emphasizing the significance of this initiative. “We would like our communities to offer the absolute best setting for our residents whereas making the bigger communities we serve more healthy locations to stay.”

This imaginative and prescient aligns properly with the rising demand from older adults and their households for eco-friendly residing choices that don’t compromise on high quality of care.

Donald F. Breneman is chief working officer of Juniper Communities. He will likely be honored with the Agent of Change Award throughout McKnight’s Pinnacle Awards festivities March 20 in Chicago. The occasion is open to all pals, household, colleagues and supporters. Ticket data is on the market right here.

The opinions expressed in every McKnight’s Senior Dwelling visitor column are these of the writer and usually are not essentially these of McKnight’s Senior Dwelling.

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