Leading the Way
Generus Living sustainability strategic plan has been rolled out to village operations using unique village chapters. This staged approach allows a focused and considered integration, and ensures the individuality of each village is embraced.
Generus Living launched its very first pilot programme in October 2019 at Pacific Coast and Pacific Lakes Villages in the Bay of Plenty. The successful Bay of Plenty pilot provided valuable insights and has allowed to refine the strategy, prior to rolling the programme out to in other Generus villages throughout the country. In 2022, Generus Living sustainability programme expanded to The Russley Village in Christchurch.
One of the first key focus areas for The Russley Village has been Waste. The team have embraced the operational waste challenge and finding ways to further eliminate waste from the daily operations and supply chain. There are numerous initiatives in place with all operational food waste being diverted from landfills, take away packaging being compostable etc. The impact of these seemingly small steps has been immense, as often as much as 50-60% of food and beverage operational waste is organic waste that can be composted instead. In addition, the Russley Village gardening team is going the extra mile to separate ground's green waste to minimise the waste going into landfills.
The Russley Village award-winning gardens are a true example of how the village works together with nature. The gardens have been the cornerstone of the village lifestyle providing residents with a daily delight. A contributing factor to the thriving landscape is the state of art irrigation scheme at Russley Village. The system was designed to meet and/or exceed all performance indicators set out in the Irrigation NZ Design Code of Practice and is considered industry-leading. The more frequent drought conditions throughout the country have demonstrated the increasing need to be very mindful of our water resources. The Russley is proud to say, they use the least possible amount of water.
However, sustainability is so much more than just diligently separating our waste or going "green". It is a purposeful way of life, with a focus on well-being and health, as well as the environment. We all have a role to play in building resilience in this changing world.
