By Amanda Garvey
As sustainability in the built environment continues to gain momentum, everything from tall towers to data centers is becoming greener. The seniors housing sector holds significant, often underrecognized potential for advancing eco-friendly practices.
There are currently more than 32,000 assisted living communities in the U.S., according to the National Center for Assisted Living. These facilities present a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on the environment.
As of 2024, there were also 14,827 certified nursing facilities (nursing homes) nationally, according to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) State Health Facts, which provides data and analysis on a range of health-related topics.
Already committed to enhancing quality of life, seniors housing communities are increasingly embracing net-zero goals aimed at reducing their carbon footprint through energy efficiency, renewable energy and a range of sustainable practices.
In addition to environmental benefits, these commitments can contribute to healthier indoor environments while significantly lowering operating costs and increasing asset values.
What Exactly is Net Zero?
Under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, net zero is reached when an organization reduces emissions across all scopes — direct, purchased energy, and value chain — to the lowest feasible level and counterbalances any remaining unavoidable emissions with verified removals. Emission removal and reduction through decarbonization efforts are needed to reach net zero.
Embracing sustainability can help attract new residents, particularly aging Baby Boomers who, having come of age during the environmental movements of the 1960s and 1970s, often value eco-friendly living and seek communities that prioritize environmental responsibility.
In response to demand from current and future residents, these efforts include everyday initiatives such as recycling and ridesharing, but also larger scale long-term, environmentally sensitive design and construction plans aimed at achieving carbon neutrality.
This commitment may include the use of energy-efficient building materials, insulation and HVAC systems such as heat pumps and geothermal systems.
Installing smart thermostats, lighting and appliances to optimize energy consumption and prioritizing a tight and well-insulated building envelope with high-efficiency systems also minimize energy usage.
Many owners and operators of facilities are looking to renewable energy and on-site electric generation through the installation of solar panels, wind turbines or other renewable energy systems to offset energy use. They also are supporting projects by purchasing renewable energy credits and carbon offsets.
Other contributing factors to meeting sustainability targets include building practices such as implementing quantifiable metrics for water reduction and regenerative landscaping; using environmentally responsible materials in construction; implementing waste management programs to minimize landfill waste; and educating residents and staff on the importance of these initiatives.
Leading by Example
The trend toward sustainability in this property sector appears to be growing. Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment (SSAFE), an organization founded five years ago by eco-minded residents of senior living communities, has quickly grown to 15 chapters.
SSAFE chapters are non-profit senior living communities advocating for the climate and implementing sustainability practices to achieve carbon neutrality.
One of these chapters, Kendal at Hanover in New Hampshire, is currently working with Thornton Tomasetti and Lavallee|Brensinger Architects on a comprehensive sustainability plan to serve as a roadmap for achieving carbon neutrality for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. (These are two categories of greenhouse gas emissions as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which provides standards, guidance, tools and training for business and government to measure and manage climate-warming emissions.)
Meanwhile, Ventas, the giant Chicago-based real estate investment trust with a diverse portfolio of seniors housing and healthcare facilities, has committed to achieving net-zero operational carbon emissions by 2040.
Another example of the sustainability trend is Piper Shores, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) serving over 400 residents and 270 employees near Portland, Maine.
In December 2023, the CCRC enacted a comprehensive sustainability plan that could serve as a model for other communities. The effort was spearheaded by the Piper Shores Sustainability Collaborative, which had already introduced several green initiatives, including the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and the implementation of composting and recycling programs.
Through a collaborative effort involving residents, staff, community partners and board members, Piper Shores has turned environmental stewardship into a shared mission.
At the center of the Piper Shores plan are four aggressive energy-related goals:
- to procure 80 percent clean electricity by 2025 and 100 percent by 2040;
- to transition to all-electric fleet vehicles by 2040;
- to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040;
- to transition to a fossil-fuel free campus by 2045.
Piper Shores worked with the sustainability and resilience team at Thornton Tomasetti to formulate the plan, which focuses on seven key areas: energy; water; transportation; waste and purchasing; site and landscape; food; and education and awareness.
Given that CCRCs are large energy users, the plan prioritized carbon emissions reduction strategies, with short-, medium- and long-term reduction targets.
Recommendations included the appointment of a sustainability coordinator to oversee data collection and identify trends and improvement opportunities; establishing a carbon-footprint baseline to set meaningful targets and track progress; and implementing a Top 10 list of immediate steps to reduce the use of energy and make progress on environmental goals.
Thornton Tomasetti also recommended a partnership with the Sustainability Institute at the University of New Hampshire (UNH).
Since the release of the sustainability plan, Piper Shores hired a sustainability and landscape coordinator in March 2025 and participated in the UNH Fellowship Program and Fall Climate Action Clinic in 2024.
As more seniors housing owners, operators and residents pursue sustainability initiatives, it is important to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each community has its own unique objectives, capabilities and aspirations.
Success lies in developing a comprehensive plan that sets measurable and achievable goals, establishes clear performance benchmarks and prioritizes the most impactful areas of action. By doing so, communities can drive meaningful, lasting change and position themselves as leaders in environmental stewardship.
— Amanda Garvey is a vice president in the Portland, Maine, office of Thornton Tomasetti, a global engineering firm. She provides sustainability consulting for buildings and campuses and is part of the firm’s sustainability and resilience practice.