Climate Resilience Summit

Effective Planning for CCRCs

Resident Discussion
in the
Rec Room

During the breakout session, residents from Rose Villa met in the Schroeder Rec Room to discuss and brainstorm directly with their RV friends and neighbors. In particular, they explored the big question: How can we, as residents, support our managers in making Rose Villa’s infrastructure more sustainable and resilient?

Breakout Group Reports

Cindy

Solar Panels: Residents could contribute to a fund for solar panels (contributors would get a permanent reduction in their fees).
Conservation: To enable conservation of utilities, it would be helpful to have metering by building or neighborhood. The data would be valuable feedback for future conservation ideas.
Transportation: Residents would like to have access to a Zip car (or 2 or 3).
Transportation: Residents would support more EV chargers.

Jane

Overall: Overwhelmed with complexity of collaboration of all entities.
Transportation: Increase electric cars and charging stations
Transportation: Car sharing program
Transportation: Greater effort to encourage people about mass transit system
Energy: Inspired by off-the-grid suggestion to generate our own power (possibly with Willamette View).
Collaboration: Collaborating with WV on other projects as side-by-side neighbors.
Individual/collective Action: What can individual people/buildings/ neighborhoods do to be aware of energy use (raise/lower temp a few degrees, wear a sweater, etc.)? Little changes make a big impact.
Landscape: Garden—select drought-resistance plants/gardens/in front of cottages.

Nancy

Energy: Monthly electric, gas, water, sanitation reports (shared by Eric Shawn prior to phase 3). Done for individual units???
Energy/Lighting: interior/exterior lights that stay on all night long; effect on migrating birds.
Cleaning products: share list of approved/acceptable products to refill rather than purchase in single-use plastic.
Future building: provide intelligent responsible oversight with transparency. Learn from our past mistakes. Learn from others (ask Willamette View about their Heron Heights sustainability plans).
Resources: Tap RV residents with building/landscaping experience.
Overall: Maintain occupancy but keep within budget.

Cathy

Key take-aways: Loved Vivek’s train analogy and notion of “track”.
Education: Didn’t know what has been done or how to find information; what plans have been approved/executed?
Observation: Focus has shifted from preventing climate change to “it’s here!”
Heartening change: Glen is speaking differently than Vassar and previous administration. Thank God we have Glen (expected 6 CEOS, but only 2 attended). How incredible to hear our CEO talk about collaboration with Willamette View. Sustainability has been woven into RAP.
Contribution: Options for getting involved so we can select where we’d like to contribute.
Energy usage: metering is more complicated based on our set-up.
Energy: Offer guidelines for neighbors to plan energy use when they are away for several days.
Garbage: missing recognition that average age is 70. Presumption that we’re more mobile than we are.
Tree Canopy: The Oaks is a role model (neighbors purchased 8 to 10 trees which RV planted). Set ambitious guidelines and actually implement them.

Donna

Energy: Get off the grid as quickly as possible or at least use programs like Clean Wind to support better energy sources.
Less Rather Than More: Explore areas where we could live simpler (food—eat vegetarian; plastics—buy less stuff). What is the bedrock?
Collaboration: How do we support the mgt to do their job? – More dialogue and more education of staff. Reassure staff we are willing to “do with less” to reduce fee increases.

Group Discussion re: Follow-Up Meeting with Glen

Perry: Survey to rank options (essential/optional). For example–Is there support for decreasing elaborate celebrations (Halloween); creating more for ourselves? Prioritize what is most important for our community overall.
John Flenniken: Provide more feedback on amount of energy we are using. What is the trend? What are the efforts to decrease energy usage?
Leanne: Have monthly contest to celebrate resilience ideas. Share monthly winners at Forum.
Jane: Tap collective experience/knowledge of residents (residents are a valuable resource to utilize).
Cathy Schwabe: How is Glen going to tap our skills differently? With Vassar, residents wanted a “seat at the table” but the “chair was removed.” How does he envision keeping our “seat at the table”?
Diana: Thoughtful plan for sharing extra food (take-homes, staff, staff lounge).
Jo: Yes to being off grid, yes to tree canopy. Let’s also work toward growing our own food.

Thank you to Susan Hyne for taking notes during the discussions.