When Zero-Waste Senior Communities Take Center Stage
Juniper Communities' COO elaborates on how the firm's sustainability program is making senior living operations more efficient.

Can senior care become more sustainable? Don Breneman, the COO of Juniper Communities, certainly thinks so.
Founded almost four decades ago, the New Jersey-based firm currently owns and operates 29 senior housing communities across four states. Under Breneman’s leadership, Juniper launched the Green Canopy initiative, a comprehensive sustainability program aimed at transforming the environmental footprint of senior living operations.
From energy efficiency to waste reduction, Green Canopy addresses key challenges while enhancing the well-being of both residents and staff. In this interview with Multi-Housing News, Breneman shares insights into the origins, goals and results of this initiative.
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What inspired you to adopt the Green Canopy initiative?
Breneman: The Green Canopy Initiative was rejuvenated early during the pandemic due to the overwhelming volume of single-use waste being produced from COVID-19 testing and personal protective equipment requirements. The scale of medically required waste was concerning—with hundreds of tests and even more PPE being used hourly. We wanted to demonstrate stewardship to both health standards and sustainability amid what appeared to be a tacit but complete disregard for the horrific environmental impact.
And what has been the feedback so far?
Breneman: The overall response from both residents and team members has been notably positive, with many actively participating in our sustainability goals through town hall meetings where we share waste reduction progress and gather community feedback.
What specific strategies are you employing to achieve your ambitious goal of creating the first zero-waste senior living communities in 2025? How do you measure progress toward this milestone?
Breneman: We’re installing Energy Star appliances and LED lighting throughout our communities to maximize energy efficiency in our daily operations. Our computer power management systems and motion sensor-controlled lighting reduce unnecessary energy usage in all areas of our facilities. In addition, we’ve installed low-flow faucets and showerheads, which have already reduced water usage by 50 percent while maintaining resident comfort.

Our landscaping practices now incorporate low water-use plants and materials… and we’ve established branded recycling stations throughout our communities to encourage and simplify proper waste sorting. We’ve also created composting projects for activities and garden clubs.
Additionally, we’ve installed filtered water refill stations and introduced resident mug club programs to eliminate single-use beverage containers.
Furthermore, we’ve implemented adaptive power management systems to reduce server and storage energy use during off-peak hours. On top of that, our tech ‘Green Zone’ upcycling program gives new life to secure-wiped devices by providing them to team members for educational use.
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We’ve created partnerships with local parks departments and conservation groups to enhance our environmental initiatives and we’ve implemented clear visual aids and simplified sorting systems to make proper waste management accessible to all residents, regardless of their abilities.
In addition, we conduct monthly community town halls featuring waste reduction metrics to keep everyone informed and engaged, we provide comprehensive sustainability education for all leadership, associates and residents to ensure program success.
Tell us more about the measurable impact of the Green Canopy initiative on operational costs.
Breneman: Our transition to paperless communications through digital displays and resident portals has significantly reduced our paper consumption. Through our managed print partnerships, we’ve cut paper usage by over 850,000 pages in just six months. This initiative has significantly reduced both our environmental impact and operational costs. (We’ve also witnessed a) reduction in equipment wear, toner and cartridge use.
What challenges have you identified so far in making your senior living communities zero-waste?
Breneman: We’ve encountered several challenges in our zero-waste journey. Transitioning away from plastic straws has been particularly challenging as some residents experience difficulties with paper alternatives due to mobility issues. We’re addressing this by testing paper straws with flexible tops.
Regional variations in recycling facilities present another challenge, which we tackle by working closely with waste vendors to maximize available resources within local constraints.
The surge in individual resident deliveries through services like Amazon has increased our daily delivery volume, so we encourage families to choose consolidated shipping over next-day delivery.
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Replacing single-use plastics and reducing food waste were among your critical goals with. Can you elaborate on the systems or partnerships you’re using to achieve them?
Breneman: For food waste reduction, we’ve established partnerships with local food banks and community organizations that offer pickup services.

We’ve implemented visual meal previews and pre-ordering through our resident portal to reduce food waste and improve resident satisfaction. Our dining teams are trained in flexible portion sizing to accommodate resident preferences while minimizing waste.
We use sustainable cardboard and paper containers for in-room dining and offer unused prepared meals to team members with sustainable take-home containers, ensuring good food doesn’t go to waste.
For single-use plastics reduction, we have aimed to partner with cloud service providers committed to renewable energy, collaborate with manufacturers and certified e-waste recyclers and implement our tech ‘Green Zone’ upcycling program.
Please share examples of how you’ve integrated sustainability with health-focused innovations across your portfolio.
Breneman: We maintain superior air quality in our communities by using low-volatile organic compounds paints and carpets, minimizing residents’ exposure to harmful chemicals.
Our UV-cleaning robots provide chemical-free sanitization, using Bluetooth technology to map and automatically sanitize spaces, protecting residents from illness-causing microorganisms while avoiding harsh cleaning agents.
We’ve installed advanced water conservation systems, including low-flow fixtures while ensuring residents maintain full access to clean, filtered water through our refill stations. This helps us maintain essential services during potential drought conditions.
In our dining services, we emphasize local food sourcing where feasible, which not only reduces transportation emissions but also ensures fresher, healthier meals for our residents.
We’ve invested in Energy Star appliances and LED lighting to maintain comfortable temperatures efficiently, crucial for protecting residents during extreme weather events. Our paperless communication systems, including digital displays and the resident portal, allow us to quickly communicate weather-related alerts and environmental health updates to residents and associates.
Speaking of weather events, climate change has profound implications for older adults. To what extent do you tailor your environmental practices to protect residents from climate-related health risks?

Breneman: We recognize that older adults are particularly susceptible to climate-related health risks. We implement sustainable practices while ensuring our communities maintain high standards of resident care and comfort. Through transparent dialogue with residents and careful implementation, we demonstrate that these communities can be both nurturing homes and responsible environmental stewards.
Residents aging in place—in home versus senior living—are more susceptible to climate impacts such as heat and cold emergencies, major utility outages and supply exhaustion. During emergencies, our communities have preparations—both regulatory and Juniper Communities requirements—to have a supportive response for residents, families and staff. In hurricanes, for example, the senior living industry often not only safely houses residents but also staff team members and their extended family members and even pets!
During regional crisis events, it’s not unusual for a network of senior living providers and operators—even as competitors—to band together and provide and share supplies, staff and transportation. As well, this reduces risk for first responders instead of having to seek out and rescue more vulnerable persons living alone.
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Beyond zero waste, what are your longer-term sustainability goals?
Breneman: Juniper is reimagining older adult care through an ambitious environmental initiative that proves sustainability and quality care can flourish together. We’re making deliberate choices, from paperless communications to eco-friendly medical supplies, finding creative ways to reduce our environmental impact without compromising the personalized attention our residents deserve.
There is a tremendous opportunity to educate the state and federal regulatory environments to be more open to sustainability practices including providing incentives to providers. Developing advocacy channels for sustainable practices in the senior living industry should be a key priority.
(Additionally, we’re) exploring geothermal capabilities at already existing or new build locations.
Solar is also a high priority however the lifespan of cells is an issue along with the consistency of customer support. There is some opportunity for eco-friendly insulation materials and smart window treatments that auto-adjust to support temperature regulation. Tech drain/waste impact must be advanced to proactively identify and reduce the load on the infrastructure, battery and component supply as well as energy network.Â