by Robert Borges on January 22, 2025
We can all do our part to reduce the impact our lifestyles have on the environment. For example, retirees in fifty-five-plus communities can incorporate eco-friendly features into bathroom designs and change their water consumption habits to conserve natural resources.
Design Elements That Are Eco-Friendly
Today, it is simpler than ever to have eco-friendly, high-end senior bathrooms. Modern shower heads, faucets, toilets, and baths have flow control features that provide strong water pressure but use less water. This allows you to conserve water without sacrificing comfort.
Many toilets are also now made with dual-flush options. A shorter flush can save about three-quarters of a gallon each time.
Sustainable materials (e.g., bamboo, recycled glass tiles, and repurposed wood) are also used more often in bathrooms nowadays. These materials are a simple way to lower your carbon footprint and keep waste from landfills.
Ensure you have an energy-efficient water heater and efficient ventilation to reduce humidity levels. Strong ventilation can prevent mold and mildew from growing, reducing the need to use harsh chemicals to remove them. Tinted or textured glass in a bathroom can also provide privacy and allow you to enjoy the sun and natural light.
Eco-Friendly Habits
It’s easy to make meaningful changes to your routine that can improve your carbon footprint. Here are a few suggestions to help the environment:
- Keep the curtains open and take advantage of the natural light spilling through the windows instead of turning on the lights. Natural light improves your mood and wellbeing, and can also conserve electricity.
- Save water and energy by taking shorter showers. An eight-minute shower consumes about seventeen gallons of water, whereas a bath uses about thirty gallons. Showers are also responsible for an average of 20% of a household’s water usage. If two people shorten their showers by one minute each, they can save 4.25 gallons per shower. This change in time spent in a shower can save resources, money, and the energy used to heat the water.
- Use toilet paper made with recycled materials and reduce the amount of toilet paper you use. Our demand for paper products is contributing to global deforestation. The pulp and paper industries are also heavy energy users and produce a lot of CO2 emissions. You can also install a bidet to reduce your toilet paper usage.
- Avoid single-use bathroom products like disposable razors and toothbrushes.
- Use LED bulbs that need to be replaced less frequently than traditional lights to lower energy usage. Light sensors that automatically turn lights on and off can help you reduce usage if you tend to forget to flip the switch yourself.
- Top off your shampoo bottles with bulk refill containers to reduce plastic usage. Bars of soap come in simple paper packaging, whereas liquid toiletries typically come in plastic bottles and wrapping.
- Use white vinegar or eco-friendly products to clean a bathroom so toxic chemicals don’t go down the drain and cause ecological damage downstream.
- Fix dripping taps and leaking toilets. A trickling toilet can waste about fifty-two gallons per day.
To Summarize
Everyone needs to do their part to protect the environment. Awareness of how bathrooms and housing options for active senior residents impact the world around you is a good first step when you visit the Private Communities portal.
Keep these ideas in mind as you peruse the profiles of active adult communities, and make a list of questions to ask when you reach out for more information or to schedule an in-person visit!
