Whitney Center
200 Leeder Hill Dr. 06517-2758
Hamden, Conn.
Greg Gravel, President
(203) 281-6745 or gravelg@whitneycenter.com
Services Provided: Continuing Care Retirement Community
Project Summary: The way Bob Lane sees it, he’s 90 and there isn’t any time to lose.
That’s why the retired political science professor from Yale University is spending many of his days at Whitney Center in Hamden, Conn., educating fellow residents, as well as staff and management, about the need for environmental action.
Lane helped form a resident committee at Whitney called the green team, whose goal is to find ways the retirement community and its residents can save energy, diminish their carbon footprints, recycle smarter and become sustainable.
“We want Whitney Center to do what Yale has done, that is, make a goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by five percent below what it was in 1990,” Lane says, “but what we’ve learned is that a retirement community doesn’t always have the flexibility in its budget to do everything we want.”
Involving residents is a critical part of the “green equation,” as they can be both cheerleaders and change agents. At Whitney Center, Lane and fellow residents have been the driving forces in educating community stakeholders and pushing for efforts to further sustainability.
Last year, the resident green team held a screening of Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth, brought in speakers and hosted an exhibit about environmental issues. They also gave willing individuals a test to show the exact size of their own carbon footprint.
The team is eager to make a difference. “At times, they’ve pushed us farther than we were ready to go or thought practical,” says Greg Gravel, president of Whitney Center. “the goals and objectives will come around, but perhaps not at the speed the group would like … We have to balance all of our needs and issues, but no one argues the goal.”
The group has launched a Web site offering resources and support for others embarking on this effort and has published A Handbook on Conservation for Retirement Communities. The guide is designed for both residents and managers of retirement communities and includes suggestions in the areas of conservation education, energy saving, buying green, waste management and recycling, transportation and emissions reduction, building green, gardens, housekeeping and health.
Time Frame or Ongoing: Ongoing
Which groups participated: Residents and Senior staff