At Presbyterian Senior Living, we believe in an important principle: To care for people, we also must care for the Earth.
As a faith-based provider of senior living services, we understand that we are called to help protect and preserve the planet. By doing so, we can continue to provide health-enhancing environments for our residents and team members.
To support this goal, we focus on controlling our operating costs for energy and water, using alternative sources of energy when we can, and increasing recycling and reducing waste in all our communities.
Plotting a Roadmap for Protecting the Environment
Last year, we launched the Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Initiative, which allows us to aid our mission of serving seniors and providing energy-efficient, clean and healthy communities. We recognize that the continued well-being of humanity depends in various ways on the natural environment.
Presbyteria
n Senior Living is committed to serving as prudent stewards of our natural resources and the planet. We strive to strike an appropriate balance between an economic mindset and a person-centered way of thinking to best improve the lives of the seniors we serve.
The initiative serves as a holistic roadmap that guides the management, operation and development of our communities in ways that sync with nature and enhance our mission of serving seniors. By being better stewards of the environment and natural resources, we can better serve seniors.
How Do We Define Sustainability?
What does sustainability mean in practice? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that sustainability supports conditions under which nature and people coexist in harmony. It also allows future generations to have what they need to fulfill their economic, social and other requirements for a productive society.
At Presbyterian Senior Living, sustainability means being the best possible stewards of the environment and our natural resources, allowing us to effectively pursue our mission of serving senior adults.
Focus on Accountability
The Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Initiative provides us with worthy — and lofty — goals. But how do we practice what we preach? Fortunately, the initiative also includes guidelines for being accountable as an organization for our actions and decisions.
By creating goals and strategies, we set clear expectations. And by using clear metrics for tracking and reporting successes, we hold ourselves accountable.
Every day, our approach to serving as trustworthy stewards is driven by the mission, vision and values under which Presbyterian Senior Living operates. In practice, this means:
- Learning about and using sustainable building methods and best practices in the senior living industry.
- Using principles and strategies of sustainable design in all our future expansion and capital projects.
- Using alternative energy sources whenever possible.
- Encouraging recycling and reducing waste.
Protecting Our Divine Gifts
Steve Proctor, Chief Executive Officer of Presbyterian Senior Living, notes the Bible’s teaching that the Earth’s resources are created by and are gifts from God. We’re entrusted with protecting these gifts for future generations, and we’re accountable for how we use them. Our Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Initiative guides us in acting as caretakers of the natural world.
