Building a More Sustainable Future at RiverWoods

It requires significant energy use to run a RiverWoods community, which is why sustainability is such an important core value for us. Across our communities, that commitment shows up in real ways like the solar panels at RiverWoods Exeter, RiverWoods Durham’s SSAFE certification, our use of eco-friendly products. Not to mention the many initiatives taken on by the resident-run sustainability committees at each community.

But at RiverWoods, we’re always looking to improve, so it was important for us to better understand and measure our environmental impact in order to make even more informed decisions for the future.

Partnering with UNH Sustainability Institute to Understand Our Impact

Over the past year, we’ve partnered with the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute and its Climate Action Clinic. During the fall semester, undergraduate students met weekly with residents and staff, conducted on-site visits, and gathered critical data on our operations across all three communities. This included everything from fuel usage and electricity consumption to recycling efforts. Using tools like SIMAP (Sustainability Indicator Management & Analysis Platform), they began calculating our carbon footprint and establishing a baseline for our environmental impact.

In the spring, the scope expanded beyond our communities to include indirect sources of emissions, such as food sourcing and delivery, supply chains, and staff commuting. This broader view helps us better understand not just what happens within our communities, but how our operations connect to the wider environment.

Turning Data into Action

With this data in hand, the students helped to identify opportunities to reduce our environmental impact. They presented their findings to residents at all communities in the spring at the conclusion of their project. As part of their presentations, they provided early recommendations to guide where meaningful and measurable change can happen. RiverWoods will remain focused on efforts that are both realistic, financially responsible, and sustainable long-term.

What’s Next

This summer, we’re continuing our partnership through UNH’s Sustainability Fellowship Program by welcoming a graduate student who will build on the work completed so far. From May through August, this fellow will help gather additional input, refine findings, and develop a formal sustainability plan for RiverWoods.

This plan will outline a clear path forward and will ultimately be presented to the CCRC Board of Trustees for consideration and adoption.

In addition, we’re working with residents from each community’s sustainability committee to better understand where residents would like to see our efforts focused. Whether that’s environmental initiatives, resource conservation, or broader community engagement, their feedback will help shape some of the guiding principles of the proposed plan.