BEST Award winner, 2009 – BEST Practices for Sustainability: Medium
Elite care at Fanno Creek is a LEED Platinum assisted living community that utilizes innovative green technologies with alternative healing approaches to provide dementia patients with the highest possible quality of life.
Sustainability is one of the ways that Elite Care believes Fanno Creek residents are able to provide a better future for their children. Living at Fanno Creek allows residents to feel that they are making conscious choices about sustainability, the benefits of which are passed on to their children.
Fanno Creek has adapted their daily operations to make the most of their Vertex condensate water heaters. By showering, cleaning, and cooking during the daytime, and by limiting our laundry, and dishwashing to the night and evening shifts we create a system that allows us to use the vast majority of hot water created by the connected geothermal heat pumps. The geothermic ground loop system provides a 30-40% reduction in Fanno Creek's heating and cooling needs.
Additional energy efficiency is gained through increased insulation, T8 fluorescent lighting, and Energy Star appliances.
Fanno Creek's rainwater collection system provides over 12000 gallons of storage. This water is used for toilet flushing, hydronic heating and cooling, and landscaping irrigation.
Additionally, 100% of storm water runoff is managed through infiltration and a natural swale.
Elite Care at Fanno Creek offers living quarters for caregivers and their families. This connects residents to a greater community and families with diverse ages, races, and heritages. Elite Care believes that this diversity is a part of living well.
Gardening at Fanno Creek is another way Elite Care provides purpose and feelings of belonging into residents' lives. In addition to an indoor greenhouse, the vast individual planter boxes and the extensive outdoor planter boxes provide fresh organic vegetables during summer.
