April marks the celebration of sustainability for Earth Month, and Ingleside works to make Earth Day, April 22, a day dedicated to honoring the environment. In 2024, activities are planned across all of our communities that give residents opportunities to learn about and participate in sustainability. These activities bring to life Ingleside’s commitment to green practices and the many facets of environmentalism that are present in our culture all year long.
Ingleside at King Farm: Electric Vehicles and Community Clean Up
Ingleside at King Farm (IKF) is hosting an Electric Vehicle (EV) Showcase on Earth Day. Residents who own EVs will bring their cars for others to take a look, ask questions, and hear about the pros and cons of EVs.
The community also hosts an annual Earth Month clean-up of areas surrounding the IKF campus. Volunteers beautify the greenspaces and public areas adjacent to our community. Every year, the clean-up produces many bags of trash and items for recycling. Volunteers enjoy the fellowship of the community clean-up and take pride in enhancing the community and creating a more pleasant environment for walking.
In fact, IKF is a Montgomery County Maryland Recycling Achievement Award winner—last year the community was recognized as the Multi-Family Property with the Green Team Committee of the Year! IKF received this distinction for the positive difference the community members make in keeping Montgomery County clean, green, and beautiful.
ElderGrow Horticulture Therapeutic Program
Ingleside at Rock Creek (IRC) and IKF both provide an innovative, nature-focused program, aligned with the spirit of Earth Day: Eldergrow. This therapeutic horticulture program is designed especially for residents receiving memory support and/or assisted living services. Eldergrow is a mobile, indoor therapy garden that offers residents a profound connection to nature, bringing the Earth and plantings inside all 12 months of the year.
Eldergrow not only embodies Ingleside’s dedication to sustainability and Earth-conscious living, but it also provides residents with evidence-based benefits to their social, physical, and cognitive health. Through Eldergrow and other memory care and assisted living programming, all Ingleside residents can celebrate the planet.
Westminster at Lake Ridge: Gardening Events Galore
At Westminster at Lake Ridge (WLR), Master Gardener and Naturalist Lyn Kennedy is providing a Special Speaker session for residents on native plants and pollinators. Kennedy serves as an educator with Virginia Cooperative Extension, and advisor to Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Prince William County. Her talk covers dos and don’ts in plant care and management, gardening, pollination optimization, and native species.
WLR also hosts an Earth Month screening of a special Summer Container Gardening video. In the presentation, Merrifield Garden Center’s plant specialist Peg Bier guides interested residents through the steps to beginning their own container gardens this season. From edible herbs to annuals that are favorites of birds and butterflies, Bier shares the best ways to create a personal ode to Mother Earth at personal residences.
In addition to these learning sessions, there are special garden tours and planting events. From guided tours of new landscaping, Earth Day tree and flower planting activities, to the dedication of a new garden, WLR’s residents are busy celebrating the Earth through horticulture.
Crafting for the Earth: A Colorful Contribution to Sustainability
IRC is hosting a very special, hands-on Earth Day event. Residents will be contributing to a community mural of the Earth, outlined for filling with recycled materials that mimic its diverse colors. They will also have the opportunity to create their own small crafts using provided or personal recycled items. Enjoy the lively atmosphere with background music and take advantage of sustainability resources available for you to take home. This session is a blend of creativity and environmental awareness, perfect for those eager to express themselves while promoting sustainability.
Immediately following, IRC residents can enjoy an Earth Day documentary film screening, where pressing environmental issues and innovative solutions will be explored.
Making every day Earth Day at Ingleside
From EV showcases to community clean-ups, therapeutic horticulture to educational gardening events, we’re proud to promote sustainability year-round. Contact us to learn more about our commitment to the environment and our residents.