Creating a Pathway
The SSAFE Pathway provides an overview and general road map designed to guide your senior living community in making steady progress toward a net zero carbon footprint by 2050.
This Pathway will provide suggestions on understanding your community’s fossil-fuel usage and carbon footprint, why achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions matters, and how to make the case for action at your community. It will also offer guidance on measuring energy use and conducting audits, becoming more efficient in daily operations, and creating a long-term plan with the right support. In addition, the Pathway highlights specific opportunities to reduce emissions across key areas. While this document is an important resource, it will not provide everything you need to know to achieve a fully sustainable community.
Every community and situation is different, and the path to net zero is rarely linear. One helpful way to visualize the journey to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is by imagining two tributaries that flow toward the same goal: eliminating sources of GHGs and improving energy efficiency. These are two distinct but complementary approaches.
- Eliminating GHG sources involves replacing fossil fuel-based systems with cleaner, renewable alternatives, such as electrifying heating systems or transitioning to solar energy.
- Improving energy efficiency includes reducing the amount of energy your community consumes by upgrading insulation, lighting, appliances, and other systems.
Each community will determine its own mix of these two strategies, depending on existing infrastructure, available resources, and long-term plans. Some may begin with efforts to cut energy waste, while others may prioritize eliminating fossil fuel use. In practice, most communities will combine both tributaries, tailoring their approach to local circumstances and opportunities.
Getting your community to net zero requires a specific type of plan. Ultimately, your plan will need to include a host of details; but a good starting point is answering three questions:
- How far from carbon neutrality are we right now? Your carbon footprint calculation will answer this. The answer is given in tons per year of CO2 equivalent (noted as CO₂e).
- What opportunities do we have for preventing wasted energy? An Energy/GHG Audit will answer this. The audit will tell you what needs to be fixed immediately and what your priorities should be.
💡 Tip: Weather patterns vary from year to year. A mild winter may make it look like energy efficiency improved when, in fact, it was just warmer outside. For accurate long-term tracking, communities can apply a process called weather normalization, which adjusts results based on heating and cooling degree days.
Performing an Energy/GHG Audit early on in the planning process will help uncover those crucial areas where effort and improvement are most beneficial. You won’t need to repeat this often (perhaps not at all). But if you work through the items that are surfaced by the first audit and you are still having trouble reaching your targets, you may need another audit.
