Never too old to go green - but keep it real
Environmental awareness has spread to all sectors of society - why should retirees and retirement communities be any different?
Erickson, the Catonsville-based national network of retirement communities, recently announced a "green campaign" to improve the environmental sustainability of its places. It's expanding recycling, enhancing energy conservation and using less toxic cleaning agents, among other things. It has two Baltimore area communities - Charlestown in Catonsville, and Oak Crest in Parkville.
The company recently began recycling old carpet during renovation of its retirement "campuses," it announced in a press release. Compact fluorescent light bulbs have replaced all incandescent bulbs. Energy Star appliances are going in all new apartment units, the company said, and gradually replacing the old equipment in existing communities.Erickson is also looking into buying hybrid cars, installing some solar equipment and converting some of its transportation fleet to run on bio-diesel, namely used cooking oil from its own restaurants. The latter is said to be the brainchild of Mark Erickson, the company's chief operating officer, who recently converted his 20-year-old Mercedes to run either on diesel or recycled vegetable oil, according to a spokeswoman.
Green is the new black in the housing industry, as builders try to woo buyers with environmentally sensitive features. Developers of second homes and retirement communities are no exception, it seems. According to topretirements.com, builders are offering solar attic fans or hot water heaters and other energy-saving goodies on new homes aimed at "active adults."
At the same site, blogger Carol Gulyas cautions those looking for greener retirement living to look behind the promotions for substance. Besides Energy Star appliances and other conservation measures, she suggests evaluating communities based on their indoor air quality, their use of local or recycled building materials and water conservation and storm water controls.
She also recommends checking to see if any of the community's buildings have been constructed to meet the standards of the US Green Building Council. Are any retirement communities really stretching that far?
in Sustainability
| Permalink
| Comments (2)
I report on the environment and Chesapeake Bay. A native of West Virginia, I have focused mainly on Maryland's environment since moving here in 1983. Along the way, I've crewed aboard a skipjack in the bay, canoed under city streets up the Jones Fall from the Inner Harbor, and gone deep underground in a western Maryland coal mine. Recently, I have been covering the growth and development transforming the landscape. I love seafood, rambles in the country and good stories. I hope to share some here.
Comments
If older folks really wanted to be "green," they wouldn't be buying or building second homes.
Posted by: Ron | March 19, 2009 8:38 AM
Your headline - "keep it real" is right on. As Carol Gulyas points out, there is a lot of bragging about green out there. Fortunately there was some really good news about green buildings in February when the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), our national standards organization, approved The National Green Building Standard™ for all residential construction work including single-family homes, apartments and condos, land development and remodeling. Finally there is a green yard stick to measure against.
Posted by: John Brady | March 23, 2009 8:06 PM