At Sunnyside Earth Day Is a Year-Round Commitment
On a crisp April morning, resident volunteers at Sunnyside Retirement Community set out with gloves, buckets, and quiet determination. Their task: to remove invasive garlic mustard from a wooded trail winding through the edge of campus. By midday, they had filled ten garbage bags with the fast-spreading plant, a species known for displacing native flora and disrupting local ecosystems.
It was, by all accounts, a productive day. But, not an unusual one.
At Sunnyside, a Life Plan Community in the Shenandoah Valley, environmental stewardship has become a cornerstone of campus life. The trail-clearing volunteers are members of the Green Committee, a resident-led group that has helped transform Sunnyside into a living example of how older adult communities can engage with conservation in meaningful, measurable ways.
In 2023, Sunnyside became the first retirement community in Virginia to receive Level I Accreditation through the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum, recognizing its commitment to professional standards in tree care, education, and ecological enhancement. The accreditation placed Sunnyside on the Morton Register of Arboreta, an international database of botanical institutions focused on the study and conservation of woody plants.
“It was important to us that this effort came from within,” said Nancy Wayland, Executive Director of Sunnyside. “This wasn’t about checking a box—it was about honoring years of resident and staff work to care for this campus.”
That work includes identifying and labeling more than 130 trees across the 100-acre campus, developing self-guided nature trail maps, and coordinating with the community’s grounds team on new plantings. Many of those plantings now favor native species and pollinator-friendly selections, replacing ornamental plants that offered less ecological value.
Printed and digital walking guides, featuring descriptions of trees and local flora, are available to residents and visitors alike. They’re distributed at key campus locations and updated as the community’s plantings evolve.
Another ongoing initiative is the community’s bluebird conservation program. Sunnyside maintains 35 bluebird nest boxes, monitored regularly by volunteers. The group collects and submits data on nesting patterns and fledgling success to the Virginia Bluebird Society, contributing to broader conservation efforts across the state.
While Earth Day often prompts short-term clean-up events or symbolic plantings, Sunnyside’s approach is quieter and more enduring. Last year, volunteers logged more than 100 hours focused solely on invasive plant removal, and the committee’s efforts continue throughout the seasons.
“These programs show that environmental care doesn’t end at retirement,” said Wayland. “If anything, our residents bring more time, more perspective, and more passion to the table.”
In recent weeks, the Green Committee has added new signage along the walking trails and expanded efforts to reduce the use of chemical cleaners, offering natural alternatives during educational workshops on campus.
For Sunnyside, Earth Day is not a beginning or an end. It is simply part of the rhythm of a community that sees itself as a steward of its land—season after season, year after year
