February 17, 2022 —Green living and sustainability are cornerstones of Kendal-Crosslands Communities. Our community makes efforts every day to minimize the environmental impact of the community and move towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable future. Our initiatives are geared towards helping the residents and staff take steps each day to be a little more environmentally- conscious.
For example, we recently welcomed a herd of goats on our 500 acre campus to help do some “mowing” and weed control on our landscape. No emissions, pesticides, herbicides and other chemical effects on our planet here! Our test for an earth-friendlier option when grooming our landscapes was a big hit with residents and staff as well. The goats are perfect for weed control and they love to munch on invasive plants.
Working With PECO to Achieve Community-Wide Savings
We were also excited to work with PECO’s Multifamily Solutions project to add energy-efficient upgrades at Kendal at Longwood and Crosslands. We were able to install 974 LED bulbs, 387 faucet aerators, and 175 efficient -flow shower heads, leading to an annual savings of over $9,000- and save each resident about $30 a year on energy bills.
PECO will be back to help us make additional improvements in the other half of our campus, and we can’t wait to see what additional energy savings we can achieve!
Building with the Environment in Mind
At Kendal-Crosslands Communities, we’ve been taking environmental stewardship seriously for years.
You can see the importance we place on sustainability in big projects as well as the small changes we encourage everyone to adopt in day to day practices. For example, the cottages added to Kendal at Longwood’s campus in 2012 are LEED certified, a hallmark of green building. The homes were built with an eye towards energy efficiency with geothermal HVAC systems, and they were built with recycled and local materials. Energy star appliances are present in every residence as well.
Since 1999, two diesel-powered generators were installed, one for Kendal and one for Crosslands to help power our septic plant. In fact, the generators have delivered additional power back to the grid generating more than $100,000 a year, and while they are getting to the point where upgrades or replacement will be a concern, the benefit of energy surety for the community and the ability to share with the larger community are keystones of our sustainability values. There is actually a resident committee that is looking into options for these generators, and will be exploring whether or not renewable energy resources will be an option.
Green Living Means Our Environment Too
Kendal-Crosslands Communities also has a Level II Arboretum on campus and we’re a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Our commitment to being environmentally friendly and to continue to improve is part of our DNA, and we hope you’ll come by and see how we’re doing!
If you’re looking for more information about Kendal Crosslands communities, you can download our digital brochure by clicking the button below.