From the First Shovel and Beyond: How Wimmer Communities Incorporates Green Practices Into Buildings

“46% of [survey] respondents said a home that minimizes its impact on the environment is important to their personal wellness”, says a statement from Kantar, an analytics and brand consulting company. Furthermore, the survey stated that the environmentally friendly features that matter most to residents are outdoor spaces (67%), energy conservation (65%), water conservation (54%), and eliminating chemicals (54%).  

These features are important topics of conversation nowadays, especially when worldwide conversation swirls around the environment and how to best protect it.  

At Wimmer Communities, we know minimizing environmental impact may be a big factor in choosing a place to call home. That’s why we institute careful consideration from the shovel in the ground on a new site to the lighting in a finished apartment.  

Outdoor Space 

Throughout our communities, we provide lush green recreation areas so both you and your family (pets included) can take in the nature that surrounds. Additionally, some of our properties include pools, grass-filled areas to sit out on, a tennis court, and are optimally located near a golf course. At our Whitnall Gardens community, we have incorporated a community garden for all of our residents to use. The Los Angeles Community Garden Council says that growing fresh produce not only reduces water runoff that may include pollutants, but also allows a spot for people to compost and reduce their overall waste. These features are centered on enriching your life with both you and the environment in mind. 

Energy Conservation 

The second most important detail of an environmentally friendly home is if it conserves energy. At Wimmer, we cannot be responsible for how often our residents use their electricity, but we can ensure that our building materials are environmentally friendly. Throughout our buildings, we make sure to implement both CFL and LED lighting. CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Lights, use “…about 70% less energy than incandescent bulbs,” says Energy Star. Energy.gov says that LED lights, or Light Emitting Diode lights  “…use at least 75% energy, and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent lighting.” These long-lasting types of lights can help increase energy conservation, which reduces air and water pollution and conserves natural resources. This then fosters better natural and living environments for all, says the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.  

Water Conservation 

Did you know that conserving water helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions? This is because it “takes a lot of energy to pump, treat, and heat water,” says the United States Environmental Protection Agency. With low-flow toilets that we implement throughout our communities, we are helping reduce these greenhouse gasses. These toilets use the lowest amount of water needed to move waste away from your home, says American Home Shield, and also reduce utility costs.  

Eliminating Chemicals 

Eliminating harmful chemicals that pollute our environment is important to protecting the natural world around us. The first initiative that we take, right as our residents move into an apartment, is provide them with welcome gifts; in particular, a reusable water bottle. These reusable water bottles limit the number of single-use bottles that are often discarded improperly and end up on our streets and in landfills. Without proper recycling of these bottles, they can pollute our landfills, when they could have been recycled into another object.  This also is the same for our bubblers/water fountains at our residences – we have implemented water fountains that have a specific attachment for filling water bottles, which promotes the reusing of water bottles, thus limiting the single-use ones that end up in the trash. 

We also make sure to recycle the ink and toner cartridges that we use throughout our communities. This is important because when new cartridges are created, it “contributes to the depletion of scarce natural resources such as timber, minerals, oil…petroleum… and the consumption of greater energy sources,” says Clover Imaging Group. Plus, if these cartridges are not recycled and rather thrown into the trash, the plastic chemicals from the cartridges can pollute landfills and seep their way into the soil. This can then taint drinking water supplies and be taken up by plants and animals.  

Our compost bins at Georgetown Square also help mitigate the impact of harmful chemicals on the environment. Organic waste that is typically discarded into our trash bins makes its way into landfills. From this, these seemingly harmless apple peels and asparagus ends begin to generate methane, which is a greenhouse gas. By composting food scraps, these harmful chemicals are reduced. Compost can also reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides.  

Wimmer Communities also often supports local businesses with our resident events. We often invite local food trucks to our communities to sell their food and products! When “local businesses make more local purchases, they require less transportation,” says Sustainable Connections. Local businesses such as these food trucks are also often set up in common areas, which involves less congestion, habitat loss, and pollution.  

At Wimmer Communities, we are grateful to be able to promote these green practices throughout our buildings. We are also constantly striving to improve them and take better care of our environment.