When it comes to making an impact on those around them, the residents of The Legacy Willow Bend, Plano’s only life care retirement community, regularly seek new opportunities to create change and help others. Recently, the residents have focused their efforts on going green. The entire senior living community is participating in recycling and other environmentally friendly activities to make Plano a more beautiful place. From staff members to residents, the senior living community is coming together with a common purpose to positively impact the environment with its “green initiative.” Recycling efforts are well underway after residents attended an informational program hosted by the City of Plano Commercial Recycling Division. The educational session taught residents ways they can recycle in their apartments and take the first steps to making The Legacy Willow Bend more environmentally conscious.
“Our number one step as a group was to educate the residents and get them on board,” said Maggie Armstrong, resident chair of the green initiative committee. “We knew that residents would be the frontline and the ones who would actually get this started. To kick things off, we had a representative from the City of Plano come and explain what can and can’t be recycled and explain what this would look like. The importance for all of us rests on our ability to leave a cleaner footprint on the world and bring everyone together for a common purpose. Our recycling efforts have been going well, and we’ve received positive feedback so far. Everyone has really gotten on board, and that’s what makes this possible.”
With the initiative moving forward, the committee’s next phase involves taking residents and team members on a tour of Plano’s new recycling facility. The tour will help residents get a better understanding of how they can improve their recycling efforts. In addition, the community is slowly integrating other efforts to leave a greener footprint. Styrofoam containers used for to-go meals and by staff members in their break areas will no longer be provided. Staff members are encouraged to bring reusable beverage containers, and the dining team is moving toward paper products for to-go containers. The entire community has also been tasked with thinking of ways they can conserve electricity and water when not in use. All efforts are viewed as opportunities to work together as a community and create a better world for future generations to enjoy.
“It’s incredibly encouraging to see how The Legacy Willow Bend is working to become an environmentally sustainable community,” said Kim Flynn, commercial recycling coordinator for the City of Plano. “It begins with little steps, and The Legacy Willow Bend has done that beautifully by embracing recycling and demonstrating how easy recycling can be.”
“At The Legacy Willow Bend, we understand the power behind even the simplest efforts to make our world a more beautiful place,” said Laura Levy, executive director of The Legacy Willow Bend. “We’ve encouraged our residents and team members to work together and do their part to make our green initiative a success, and we’re proud to see how everyone has taken to the task. It’s exciting to see how our community is learning to pursue more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, and we hope others are encouraged to try their hand at going green.”