Valle Verde Facilities Director Terry Bentley inspects one of the community's new high-efficiency boilers that heat the campus' central buildings and Health Center.
Efforts to protect the environment, a generous mentor and an innovative wellness program brought ABHOW national awards at the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) annual meeting in October.
Valle Verde in Santa Barbara, Calif., won the AAHSA Leading Edge Care and Services Award for its green initiative. Valle Verde’s environmental efforts involve all parts of the campus and every member of the continuing care retirement community. Terry Bentley, director of facilities, says the first step was replacing inefficient heating and cooling equipment three years ago. Now, when his team remodels apartments, they use special, less-toxic paints and recycle all the building materials they can. Photovoltaic panels over walkways generate 42,000 watts of electricity, and food manager Charles Bertok buys most produce locally rather than having it shipped from afar. The community’s landscaping features native species irrigated with reclaimed water. Staff and residents increasingly get around the campus in electric carts, and a mass transit coach eliminates 100 car trips a week. The AAHSA award is a profound honor, says Executive Director Ron Schaefer. “To be recognized by our peers across the nation for something that we feel passionate about touches our community in a deep and powerful way. I am proud of what Valle Verde has accomplished, thankful for ABHOW’s support, and hopeful that the awareness this award brings will encourage others to start their own green journey just like we did – one step at a time!” Valle Verde’s green efforts have also earned two awards apiece from the City of Santa Barbara and California’s EPA Integrated Waste Management Board. This article originally appeared in the November 2008 issue of ABHOW Words. To learn more about Valle Verde visit www.valleverdesb.org. |
