At the April 4th, 2024 SSAFE General Committee Meeting, our guest speaker, Doug Tallamy, mentioned a way to protect pollinator habitat while maintaining a manicured appearance. Click the link above to read more, see photos, watch a video, and down the instructions for Larval Landings developed by Peter Keilty from Bees for All.

🏔️ "Peak shaving" is an odd term! You may start to hear this term more often in your community. It is a handy and catchy term to describe saving energy on high-demand days. Learn why we use this term and more importantly, how Collington organized resident volunteers to conduct a peak shaving pilot program.
📑 Available for download: Collington Peak Energy Use Pilot Case Study [PDF]

In recognition of Mike Burke's exceptional contributions to the SSAFE Advocacy Team and the SSAFE Board of Directors, SSAFE has established an annual award in his honor for excellence in Advocacy. And the award goes to....

🦋 Help spread the word about the April 4th SSAFE General Committee meeting on Zoom. Doug Tallamy, renowned entomologist, ecologist, and author of several publications, will present on Thursday, April 4th at 11 AM Eastern / 10 AM Central / 9 AM Mountain / 8 AM Pacific time on Zoom. Click the link or image above to find colorful flyers to share at your SSAFE Chapter campus!

♻️ Have you ever wondered about the sustainability projects going on at each SSAFE Chapter community? Now you can see them summarized on the 2024 Q1 SSAFE Cross-Campus Sustainability Chart. See projects in progress or planned on each campus!

👣 Learn how one senior living community calculated their carbon footprint. Why is this so important? Have you heard the term: "net-zero"? Your community’s carbon footprint represents its current emissions, a number such as “2000”, using a standardized set of guidelines. Once you know your number, you can then aim for “0”!
📑 Available for download: Collington Carbon Footprint Case Study [PDF]

Another major SSAFE achievement from the Greening Our Campuses project team! You are invited to download and incorporate the residential unit turnover recommendations to use at your senior living community. When a residential unit is vacated and made ready for the new occupant, SSAFE recommends we change our focus and prioritize energy and water-saving upgrades.
Click to Download the SSAFE Unit Turnover Guide here. [PDF]

🎁🌎The SSAFE Education Team polled SSAFE members to submit their ideas for zero-waste and sustainable gift ideas. The resulting comprehensive list exceeded our expectations! Click below to download this superb gift guide to circulate in your community at any time of the year.
Click here to download the SSAFE Sustainable Holiday Gift Suggestions [PDF]

🎞️Learn how to hold a successful film series! Joel Brody, a SSAFE member from Collington, a Kendal Affiliate in Bowie, MD, shares his methodology and lessons learned from his overwhelmingly successful monthly film series at Collington.
📑 Available for download: Monthly Climate/Sustainability Film Series . [PDF]

Have you ever wanted to see all of the sustainability efforts from all SSAFE member campuses at a glance? Now you can by viewing the increasingly impressive collection of sustainability projects in process or in planning for all participating communities.

“Peak Usage Program” or “Peak Energy Shaving” - Have you heard these terms around your campus yet? Some very savvy residents have realized that their communities can save a significant amount of money by carefully predicting days when energy use will be highest. Saving money is only one benefit. Preventing the dirtiest energy from being used during high demand days goes a long way to keeping pollution and greenhouse gasses out of the environment.

The vigilant residents and staff at The Admiral uncovered not one, but two programs that will allow them to zip ahead in their sustainability efforts, for free! Learn about their LED light and Nest thermostat replacement programs. Perhaps there are similar programs offered from your utility provider!

Residents wanted noisy and polluting gasoline-powered lawn care equipment replaced by battery-powered models.
📑 Available for download: Lawn Care Equipment Case Study [PDF]

A major SSAFE achievement from the Greening Our Campuses project team! You are invited to download and utilize this highly effective Request for Proposal (RFP) template to use at your senior living community. This template has been effectively utilized for the first Kendal at Hanover deep energy retrofit audit.
Click here to learn more.

📑 Available for download: Energy Audit at Hanover Case Study [PDF]
Kendal at Hanover is wrapping up their first deep energy retrofit audit. Learn how residents and SSAFE members lobbied fellow residents and administration to conduct this important step in achieving net neutrality.

📑 Available for download: Recycling Plastic Film for TREX® Benches [PDF]
Learn how to recycle plastic film that would otherwise end up in the landfill. TREX® corporation offers a 48” “Yacht Club” bench in exchange for the recycling of targeted plastic film within a six-month period.

📑 Available for download: Determine the Feasibility of Installing a Solar Panel Field at Kendal [PDF]
SSAFE members explore the feasibility of Kendal at Oberlin building a large solar field in the vacant field to help supply the energy needs first of our low-income neighbors and then of our Kendal campus. (Oberlin, Ohio)

📑 Available for download: Updating Plastic Recycling at Kendal at Oberlin [PDF]
Kendal at Oberlin’s Recycling Group adjusted their plastic collection policies to be in sync with the reality of the current recycling industry’s practices.

📑 Available for download: Kendal at Hanover LED Bulb Initiative [PDF]
Kendal at Hanover SSAFE members set out to support climate change compliance targets by encouraging fellow residents to switch to LED light bulbs. Learn how they did it!

📑 Available for download: Low-Mow Grass Case Study [PDF]
Read about the successful trial of replacing a small area of lawn with Low-Mow grass at Kendal at Oberlin, in Oberlin, Ohio.

NEW flyers and ideas for your Earth Day tables and displays. Learn what other Kendals have done in the past and are planning for Earth Day 2023 by following this link: SSAFE.org/earthday 🌎🌳

NEW flyers and ideas for your Earth Day tables and displays. Learn what other Kendals have done in the past and are planning for Earth Day 2023 by following this link: SSAFE.org/earthday 🌎🌳

Watch this quick presentation to see what SSAFE project teams have been up to in the first half of 2022! Project team leaders highlight accomplishments, review goals, and share wish lists.

As Senior Stewards, we are most effective when we have a basic understanding of the electrical grid. Beef up your understanding by learning the basics of the electrical grid as presented in this video by George Alexander from Kendal at Longwood. Click to watch the video and learn more!

Many communities have set a goal to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. The key to building a roadmap to net-zero is identifying the how to make changes that will lower your carbon footprint to 0 by 2050. The necessary first step is conducing an Energy Audit. Watch this video to understand what an Energy Audit can do for senior living communities.

With input from the newly formed Carbon Footprint and Energy Audit working groups and members of the SSAFE Greening our Campuses Project Team, we have assembled an infographic to visualize the difference between a carbon footprint and an energy audit (and, how they can work together.) Read more to see the full image and find a printable version.

How Senior Communities are Uniquely Positioned for Net-Neutrality (Video) By: George Alexander, Kendal at Longwood Recorded on February 3rd, 2022 as part the SSAFE General Committee Meeting. Learn more by watching the video here.

Guest Speakers: Paul Leveille and Andrew Hatch from Resilient Buildings Group, Concord NH. Recorded on October 28th, 2021 as part of the Kendal at Hanover Speaker Series on Climate Action. Click here to watch this video.

An excellent and creative method to educate Kendal at Crosslands residents about weather, climate, sustainability, and SSAFE! This display was made possible by the resident-led Kendal at Crosslands Energy Committee.

Presented by Dr. Alan Lockwood, MD, resident and Chair of the Arboretum Committee of Kendal at Oberlin. Learn more about Dr. Lockwood and watch the fascinating presentation.

Watch a short presentation at the 12/16/21 SSAFE Greening our Campuses project team meeting about the Kendal at Crosslands Car Survey including the tabulated results. The report is also available for download.

Residents from Collington, a Kendal affiliate, and their management team developed a three-year Sustainability Plan for their campus. Read more and download the completed report.

The following arboretum report was presented at the December 12th SSAFE General Committee meeting by Ben James, Vice-Chair of SSAFE from Kendal at Crosslands.

Several Kendal senior living communities have thriving arboretums while some are in the initial application process. Learn more by reading this fact sheet (downloadable PDF available.)

Just in time for holiday shopping, we have cultivated a fun list of low or zero-waste gift ideas with help from Kendal at Hanover resident, Cynthia Rand.