Next Meeting

Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 2:00 PM in the Linden Room. Scroll to the bottom of this page to the attachments section, for the Agenda. 

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Committee Description

HISTORY:

The Resource Conservation Committee began its work in 2005 committed to work with both residents and management to reduce energy costs and do our part to stem Global Warming. In 2007/2008 three showings of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth, one at Lumberton Leas, gave residents an overview of the situation world wide. In January, a Forum lecture featured the environmental status of New Jersey with tips on how private citizens might help.

Twice the Committee has sold long lasting CFL Bulbs to replace incandescent ones and each spring and fall provided written information on how to use cooling and heating systems most effiently. Posters, tips in Medford Leas Life as well as articles in the Lumberton Leas Chronicle provide hints on recycling, water usage, and use of canvas rather than plastic bags etc.

Ideas from residents for energy conservation were the basis for a request by the Committee for an energy audit. The report (deletion) affirmed the need to follow up on weather stripping, purchasing energy star appliances, investigating the use of solar power and continue replacing light bulbs with CFLs in both community buildings and residences.

PRESENT:

The Committee takes a strong position towards implementing Burlington County’s mission to reduce, reuse and recycle by:

1. Monitoring all recycling being done–both residential and administrative–on both campuses.
2. Encouraging the reuse of paper when email is not appropriate.
3. Encouraging the turning off of lights and other electric and electronic equipment when not in use.
4. Encouraging administration towards being ‘green’ on updating existing or new projects.

The Committee’s members include technically trained persons and other interested residents who wish to do their part. Visitors are welcome to come to the monthly meetings. For further information contact:
Co-chairs Suzanne Frank 3063 or suzstef@medleas.com
or
George Trought 3045 or trought@medlead.com
Monthly Meetings of Committee at 2: P.M. in Private Dining Room

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Resources and Links

Gray is Green.

Handbook on Conservation for Retirement Communities

Available at the Gray is Green website (http://www.grayisgreen.org)

From the Introduction,

"This HANDBOOK is for both residents of retirement communities and management
officers responsible for conservation in these communities. By duty and by conscience,
management and residents share a common obligation to make retirement communities
green stations in this wasteful land."

Download the Handbook here.

The handbook was composed by residents at the Whitney Center, a retirement home in Hamden Connecticut.

Shades of Green: A Community Service Checklist

In addition to the Handbook for Retirement Communities, Gray is Green offers another handbook, "Shades of Green: A Community Service CheckList for Self Evaluation By Retirement Communities".

Resources

Other Green resources and links can be found at this page on their website.

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Green Seniors

Green Seniors (http://greenseniors.org/) is another website with environmental information.

"Green Seniors is based on the belief that there are thousands of people in the world who care about the natural environment, have some time to spare, and want to do something to try and fix the problems that we have created."

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National Senior Conservation Corps

The National Senior Conservation Corps (http://nsccgrayisgreen.org/) is another organization devoted to environment and conservation.

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What You Can Do

Each resident at Medford Leas bears a responsibility to fellow residents but also to the wider world to take those actions that conserve energy and help make the environment greener for our children and grandchildren by:

• dressing appropriately for the season: sweaters in winter, cool clothes in summer
• turning temperature up in summer and down in winter when leaving home for more than two hours
• following the guidelines for recycling in the Residents Manual
• conserving water with shorter showers, pitcher of water in the refrigerator, turning off the faucet while brushing teeth, soaping hands, or shaving and then back on to rinse
• replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs (compact florescent lights)
• planning driving carefully to use minimum fuel; keeping tires inflated
• reusing the clean backs of paper before recycling it
• reducing unwanted catalogs and sharing magazines and newspapers
• putting garden waste and fruit/vegetable peelings in the compost pile
• reading monthly energy tips and articles in Medford Leas Life
• alerting management of need for insulation and energy leaks
• joining the Resource Conservation Committee and helping others conserve

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