At the LeadingAge WA annual conference in June, Horizon House Building Services Director Brad D’Emidio and our Sustainability Coach Corey Weathers made a presentation promoting sustainability within senior communities and how we might get there more effectively together.
Like all industries, aging services is striving to innovate, compete, and respond to climate change. A recent New York Times article shows how much seniors really care about the environment and the sustainability of their communities. We also know that energy and water prices are poised to increase exponentially, and given the significant physical facilities of most senior communities, a more sustainable and cost-effective approach to planning and operations will be essential. What was once considered optional is now a “must do”—we all need to incorporate sustainability practices going forward.
Horizon House is recognized as one of the “greenest” CCRCs in the country, and helping us achieve that is Corey Weathers’ company—Catalyst 2030—a social purpose corporation that is focused on coaching organizations to achieve a sustainable future and that has developed the CommonAgenda.net website to that end. In their LeadingAge presentation, Brad and Corey outlined the many steps Horizon House has taken to reduce its impact on the environment, offered strategies for recognizing and overcoming obstacles, and most importantly, introduced the idea of the LeadingAge Washington Sustainability Forum as a way to share ideas and practices. By collaborating—sharing successes and challenges—and implementing programs collectively, the Forum can guide us all to a more sustainable and resilient future. Participants were enthused about joining the Forum which will bring together aging services leadership and facility managers from across Washington State in the months to come. Read more about the LeadingAgeWA forum on CommonAgenda.