Sustainable Stories: The Village Dallas

Editor’s Note: We want to learn and share how other companies approach sustainability, so we’re publishing a series of posts featuring innovative companies and people who are doing their part to support our planet. See below for an interview with Kelly Blue, Village Creative Curator (aka Marketing Director).

Tell us a little bit about The Village Dallas.

Built around live oaks and packed with duck and koi-filled lakes, The Village is a 300+-acre urban oasis in the heart of Dallas. Initially developed over 40 years ago, The Village comprises 16 apartment communities, 517 buildings, and a 17-acre greenbelt and is home to over 11,000 residents. Going green has been The Village’s mission since 1965, and we have voluntarily piloted multiple green building certifications and other innovative sustainability programs. We are the only multifamily community in Texas to have earned ENERGY STAR® certification – eight of our 16 communities are currently ENERGY STAR® certified, we are currently working towards IREM Certified Sustainable Property recognition, and our newest community, Upper East Side, is LEED Certified at the Silver level! At the core of it all is our mission to progressively green our operations and everyday resident life to pay tribute to the oasis that surrounds us.

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What does renewable energy mean to The Village Dallas?

The Village has aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals that were initially achieved through both energy savings as a result of energy-efficiency upgrades and robust resident sustainability education. Our next step towards reaching our reduction goals was through green power purchases. We began our commitment to green power by purchasing approximately 10 percent of our electricity, using 100% wind energy and joining the Green Power Partnership in 2012. But considering The Village Dallas consumes approximately 47,000,000 kWh of electricity per year, we decided to elevate our commitment to GHG reduction by sourcing 100% of our electricity from 100% wind energy. The move to 100% green power reduces The Village’s GHG emissions by over 32,000 metric tons annually, which is equivalent to removing nearly 7,000 passenger vehicles from the road each year!

What are some of your sustainable efforts?

At The Village we work to bring sustainability to everything we do. In 2011 we hired sustainability consulting firm LORD Green Strategies to provide us with focus and direction for advancing our “Go Green” program. The program covers our daily business operations, our construction and landscaping practices, and even the daily lives of our residents, and it includes:

  • Energy conservation through lighting upgrades, leading to savings of nearly 400,000 kWh per year, which is equivalent to removing 58 cars from the road each year.
  • Water conservation by replacing existing toilets and shower heads with greener products through a partnership with the City of Dallas, resulting in annual water savings of over 50 million gallons.
  • Comprehensive recycling and donation programs for consumables, light bulbs and household items. We’ve donated 32,200 pounds to Goodwill and 440 pounds of shoes to World Wear Project to date since 2013!
  • Resident sustainability engagement programs.
  • Green purchasing, green cleaning and green office programs for all common-area spaces.
  • We utilize rainwater runoff to help irrigate our 307 acres, and we harvest and use our own mulch for landscaping.
  • We even craft the benches around our lakes from fallen trees within The Village!

How did you come to use Green Mountain Energy as your service provider?

When we made the decision to move to 100 green power at the end of our previous 10 percent green power contract, we received comparable bids from multiple retail electric providers, but Green Mountain Energy was the only provider to offer us the 100% green power we were looking for at the best rate. Going 100% renewable was and is very important to us, and we needed a service provider that shared our sustainability and economic goals.

Where can people learn more about The Village Dallas?

To follow us on our sustainable journey, check out our site. You can also learn more about life at The Village by checking out our Facebook or Instagram.

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