Late in FY2021 The Center at Belvedere became part of the Green Business Alliance, an initiative of the Community Climate Collaborative (C3), joining other local businesses and organizations in a commitment to manage our energy use and reduce our climate impact. This collective pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will enhance Charlottesville and the region’s economy, vibrancy, sustainability, and quality of life.
Does this have anything to do with our mission? You bet it does. Healthy aging is all about adopting behaviors to ensure the highest quality of life across the lifespan. It addresses every dimension of wellness—one of which happens to be environmental wellness, which comprises both the responsibility of protecting our natural world and the joy of being in it. It is impossible to live or age well if you don’t live in a healthy environment.
Multiple environmental factors influence the risk of disease and disability across the lifespan, and that includes climate change, which threatens human health and well-being in many ways. Being involved in socially responsible activities to protect the environment is just another way The Center is working to positively impact community health.
With support from C3, we will track our energy use, costs, and climate impacts, and can identify areas for greenhouse gas reduction. In doing so we hope to:
• reduce operating costs by reducing and greening energy use, water use, and waste;
• mitigate risk associated with fossil fuel cost variances and future regulation by relying on solar
powered energy generation; and
• contribute to a better world for people of all ages.
And since reducing our carbon footprint can reduce our costs, it’s not only an environmental win, it’s a financial one as well.
