A nonprofit continuing care retirement / life plan community in Vermont is racking up awards and recognition for its work in sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Wake Robin earned a 2023 Sustainability Leadership Award from Casella Waste Systems for integrating the company’s zero-sort recycling, compost and municipal waste services into its 136-acre campus.
The awards, given to a range of business segments, recognized innovation and a commitment to sustainable material management practices.
This award follows the Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Award the CCRC received in April during the LeadingAge Maine & New Hampshire 2023 Annual Conference & Expo, for its continued efforts to expand conservation practices.
Wake Robin also established its own initiatives, including a Green Committee and Climate Action Taskforce to further explore and expand on-site sustainability programs among its 400 residents and 200 staff members.
Among the community’s past green living efforts was a switch from bleach to ozone as a disinfectant, deodorizer and bleaching agent in the laundry and aquatic center. That move reduced the community’s annual carbon footprint by more than 58,000 pounds and reduced hot water use by 316,000 gallons.
“We have not been responsible citizens all our lives, and we’re trying to make up for it to make sure that our kids and our grandkids grow up in a better environment,” said resident Steve Silverman, a member of the community’s Climate Action Task Force.
The community’s ongoing environmental work includes using an onsite maple production facility as well as growing drought-resistant pollinator plants, turning gardening waste and refuse into compost, eliminating junk mail to cut paper consumption, and reducing food waste from the approximately 600 meals served daily.
“It’s important for me to protect our environment,” resident Gail White shared in a video about the Casella award. “Living in a place like this, it’s so beautiful that you have so much incentive to really maintain the environment and maintain nature.”
Wake Robin Director of Environmental Services Leslie Parker said in the video that the award recognizes the efforts of the entire campus to “work together to collectively reduce our impact on the planet.” She added that the original founders of the community were looking for a different model for aging than what existed, and they were naturalists.
“Environmental stewardship has always been a part of our core values,” Parker said.
This is not the first time that Wake Robin has been recognized for its commitment to green living.
In 2012, the community won the Vermont Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence, and in 2016, the International Council on Active Aging named Wake Robin’s energy use and conservation plan as the ICAA Innovators Green Award winner.
