Sustainable Living

See How We’re Creating a Planet-Friendly Campus

At The Forum, we’re incorporating green initiatives and sustainability best practices throughout our community. Our residents and teams are constantly working to conserve and protect natural resources, use clean energy, reduce our carbon footprint, and increase our resilience during emergencies. We are committed to creating a sustainable environment so that present and future generations may live on a healthier planet.

Protecting the Natural Habitat

As a National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat® and approved Pollinator Habitat, The Forum and its residents advocate for nature and all its creatures that don’t have a voice. Our wildlife-friendly practices include:

Landscaping with native plants to reduce water usage and maintain a healthy environment for wildlife
Planting pollinator gardens for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other nectar-sipping birds and insects
Growing milkweed way stations to help protect and feed endangered monarch butterflies during migration
Landscaping with bee-friendly flora
Reducing, with the goal of eliminating, pesticides and other toxins, and finding other solutions for controlling pests

Going Green in Our Built Environment

Our new Memory Care building is LEED Gold. Our goal is to incorporate green initiatives and sustainable practices whenever possible throughout campus buildings. A few examples include:

Moving to zero carbon energy sources in all apartment homes and villas
Installing only the highest Energy Star-rated appliances
Making plumbing and electrical upgrades designed for long-term efficiency and lowest maintenance
Planning solar panel installation on roofs across campus with the goal of meeting most or all of our future energy needs. The first solar installation has been completed on our Daffodil Ridge building. Solar installation is coupled with battery storage to provide resilience to power outages.

Using Sustainable Transportation

We are reducing our use of greenhouse gases through low- and zero-emission, energy-efficient, affordable modes of transport:

Transitioning to hybrid fleet vehicles and electric vehicles (EVs), with the goal of obtaining a full EV fleet, including an EV shuttle
Increasing our EV charging stations from two to 10 to make EV ownership easier for residents
Fostering the use of bicycles for transportation and recreation through bike racks, safe storage and additional bike trails
Longer-term goal of enhancing our EV charging infrastructure to efficiently address City of Cupertino projections of 35% electric vehicles by 2030

Promoting Water Conservation

Residents have incorporated eco-friendly habits in the home, which have reduced water use by one-third over the past three years. Some of our campus-wide water- and energy-conserving practices are:

Creating water-smart landscaping, including native and drought-tolerant plants
Installing water-conserving drip irrigation and weather-based irrigation control
Using low-flow options in buildings and villas
Investigating the use of recycled water for landscaping
Following water conservation practices in the kitchen and dining rooms

Keeping Trash Out of the Landfill

We are working hard to combat climate change and improve our environment by reducing our use of single-use plastics, and making composting and recycling easier. Our initiatives include:

Changing all the plastic bags for clean and used linen to washable bags
Establishing an electronic waste (e-waste) collection site on campus
Obtaining washable tote bags for food delivery
Collecting organic waste for compost
Making pest control safe and nontoxic
Making recycling convenient and accessible

Instituting Food Sustainability and Zero Waste

We are fighting food waste in our dining program through a variety of environmentally friendly practices:

À la minute cooking and reduced portion options
Seasonal updates of our menu with healthy, farm-to-table food sourced from local suppliers
Buying of dry foods in bulk
Conscious reduction of cooking food waste and use of disposable packaging
Sustainably harvested fish
More options for plant-forward menu choices and organic foods
Increased recycling and composting