As a leader in the non-profit senior housing industry, Presbyterian Homes and Services has a compelling impact on the local economies served, societal policy toward older adults, and the environment. The fundamental underpinnings of the organization have their roots in their original purpose -to meet the needs of retiring pastors and missionaries after a lifetime of service- inspired by a call to serve others out of gratitude for God's goodness.  Throughout its decades of progress, compassion and faith have been the guiding principles for Presbyterian Homes. Inspired by God's love and word, it has stayed the course in answering its biblical call to serve older adults. 

In staying the course we recognize the Biblical call to serve out of Gratitude for God’s goodness. It is in this recognition that we acknowledge the call to be stewards of God’s Goodness in all of creation. As we move forward in affirmation of our Presbyterian heritage and commitment to be in full communion with the Church, we also acknowledge the churches’ expression of faith of God’s creation.

Our Intent

 This sustainability website is intended to challenge all of us to lead lives of meaning and purpose, lives that promote healing and reconciliation among all elements of creation. This website challenges us to move forward and presents many examples and starting points for education and action. There is recognition that not everything can be done at once, and some of the resources will be altered and additional suggestions will be added. There is also recognition that tensions may exist between some listed goals, yet this website is offered to assist closer movement to the incorporation of sustainable principles into everyday operational decisions and practice. 

Sustainable living is the daily working out of the stewardship mandate. We seek to live as part of the natural world in ways that mirror the care and love God has for the creation. To live in a sustainable fashion means our daily activities will be conducted in such a manner that they do not seriously jeopardize, but instead promote, the well being of other people, other species, and the ability of future generations of all creatures to flourish. We consider this response to be a divine calling, the working out of which will bear fruits of love and hope in our world.

Because the Retirement community is a microcosm of the larger community, the manner in which it carries out its daily activities is an important demonstration of ways to achieve environmentally responsible living and to reinforce desired values and behaviors in the whole community. This would include an analysis of the full impact of the throughput of resources and energy at the community, the life cycle impact of all the operations and would embrace a strategy for developing indicators to measure the impact and process in making changes to move to the positive. This will necessarily lead to discussions of issues like energy and water consumptions, recycling, green buildings, transportation of people and goods to and from the campus sustainably preferable purchasing, etc. Transparency is important here. We need new indicators of movement towards sustainability and institutional success because we measure what we value and manage what we measure. As always, the role of senior management and operations and connecting these efforts back to employee education, research, and action are critical

What if Senior Retirement Campuses were to take a leadership role, & would operate as a fully integrated community that models social and biological sustainability itself and in interdependence with local, regional, and global community. In many cases, one thinks of health services, supportive care, operations, and relations with local communities as separate activities: they are not. The process of education will emphasize active, experimental, inquiry-based learning and real-world problem solving on the campus and in the larger community, including government and industry. & A campus would Practice what it preaches and make sustainability an integral part of operations, planning, facility design, purchasing and investments, and tie these efforts to a formal educational experience.

Adapted from: Integrating Sustainability in the Learning Community , by Anthony D.Cortese, Sc.D., APPA' s Facility Manager, Vol. 21, No. 1, Jan/Feb 2005.