Sustainability Plan Plantation Apartment Homes

Sustainability Plan Plantation Apartment Homes Prepared by: Sarah Holroyd Thomas Rodriguez Anna Rosofsky Daniel Whitmore Table of Contents pg. # I. Foreword 3 II. Introduction 4 Recommended Initiatives III. Creating Community Change 5 IV. Eco-Friendly Apartment Cleaning 8 V. Fostering Sustainable Behavior 1. Transportation 11 2. RRR – reduce reuse recycle 14 3. Gardening 17 4. Composting 18 5. Rainwater Collection 19 6. Local Food 20 VI. Energy Efficiency 20 VII. Next Steps & Timeline 23 2 I. Foreword As part of our class project for a Green Business Management course, taught by Professor Will O’Brien, we have developed a Sustainability Plan for Plantation Apartment Homes focusing on both sustainable behaviors and community involvement throughout the apartment homes. This plan incorporates several recommendations pertaining to these topics. Its purpose to is to guide residents and management in fostering a more environmentally friendly and healthy living environment. In preparation for writing this plan, we have conducted in-depth research and analysis regarding not only sustainability and best practices, but also community engagement. We would like to thank Vicki Blake, Manager of Plantation Apartment Homes, for enabling us to use our knowledge of sustainability to consult the implementation of several greening initiatives. We would also like to thank Professor Will O’Brien of the Graduate School of Management at Clark University for his insight and guidance. 3 II. Introduction “Greening” an apartment complex such as Plantation Apartment Homes will involve the coordination of many individuals around a common goal – to transform community practices so they are more ecologically friendly, healthier, and energy efficient, and to foster a stronger sense of community involvement. Structural and cultural changes are required to both institute change and to maintain long-term transformation. Both residents and management must push to facilitate this transformation within the apartment complex. However, a small group of dedicated individuals will be required to successfully guide this transformation process. It is important to acknowledge that creating a more sustainable Plantation Apartments will require the participation of residents and management while simultaneously mitigating potential resistance. Therefore, while infrastructure will also need to be modified, very little change will actually occur if residents do not buy into the plan. Throughout the Sustainability Plan, we discuss the types of behavioral changes necessary for individual residents to facilitate a smooth and successful apartment-wide transition. We specifically address eight areas where sustainable changes can be made. These include: 1) Transportation; 2) RRR – reduce reuse recycle; 3) Gardening; 4) Composting; 5) Rainwater Collection; 6) Local Food. Energy efficiency and eco-friendly cleaning product initiatives will be individually addressed because of their importance in the change process within this community. To conclude, we have developed a suggested timeline for implementing important, kick-start initiatives that span the next twelve months. We recommend that management consult this Sustainability Plan, along with our suggested timeline, to successfully guide Plantation Apartment’s sustainability transformation process. ` 4 Recommended Initiatives III. Creating Community Change Prior to implementing a sustainability plan or initiative, it is extremely important to understand the essential actors and elements involved in change processes. Creating change is a difficult process that requires a great deal of effort and commitment. Dealing with setbacks, such as resistance, is inevitable. They must understand how to most effectively induce behavioral change through change mechanisms, guidance, communication, dealing with resistance and the like. There exists a number of feasible change processes in-line with the research and information in Appendix 2, A & B that can and should be implemented at Plantation Apartments. Currently, there exists the potential for two primary change agents at Plantation Apartments. These include the management and the Green Team. Plantation Apartments Management The success of the Sustainability Plan relies heavily on the involvement and support of management at Plantation Apartments. There are several responsibilities management must perform in order to make this Sustainability Plan a reality and to mitigate some of the problems the Green Team encounters. Responsibilities of Management • Provide resources—The Green Team and other residents in Plantation Apartments may need help funding some activities and initiatives, e.g. provide compact fluorescent lightbulbs. • Word-of-mouth—Utilize your position at Plantation Apartments to engage residents about new Sustainability Plan. • Institutionalize change—Show residents that you are willing to make the buildings more eco-friendly by integrating change into the culture of the whole apartment complex. • Remove obstacles—Remove obstacles that the Green Team encounters so they can implement their initiatives as planned. Green Team In order to activate change, a coalition of individuals, or a “Green Team”, should be created. This team will consist of residents who will essentially act as representatives to their peers. They will educate other residents on environmental issues while identifying and 5 ... - tailieumienphi.vn