Eco-Conscious Communities

IntroductionEcological is a regenerative land development firm that

specializes in creating unique, eco-agro communities

that are built in harmony with their natural surroundings.

Our mission is to achieve a new standard of development

that does not merely sustain the environment but

actually repairs and strengthens our communities’

ecological, economic and social systems.

The New Standard for Healthy Living: Eco-Agro CommunitiesConsumers are looking for a return to core values —a connection to the

land, access to locally produced food, a healthier lifestyle and a traditional

neighborhood community with a more welcoming aesthetic.

Ecological’s eco-agro communities are the future of healthy living. Our

master plans use sustainable planning techniques to address individual,

community, environmental and economic longevity by ensuring they strive

to achieve the following:

Preserve, restore and regenerate natural systemsWildlife Habitat, Green Infrastructure, Open Space, Access to Nature

Connect to local food Farmer’s Markets, Orchards, Community Gardens

Create communities and promote social interaction Trail Systems, Community Barns, Recreation

Construct smaller energy efficient green homes High Quality Construction and Classic Design, Low-Impact, Low-Maintenance, Healthy Indoor Air Quality, Local Vernacular

Develop in areas of existing irreplaceable infrastructureDistinguished School Districts, Access to Mass Transit and Strong Job Markets, Main Streets / Downtowns

“ In Seattle, a hotbed of green-building activity, new homes with green certification sell for 8.5% more per square foot than comparable non-green ones, according to a report from GreenWorks Realty. They also sell 22% quicker.”

- CNNMoney.com

“The number of operating farmers markets in US since 1994 has increased from 1,755 to 6,132, with a 16% increase from 2009 to 2010.”

- USDA Farmers Market Growth

The End of Conventional, Unsustainable DevelopmentThroughout the past decade, development has typically been viewed as a negative

force in towns across the country. The conventional approach to development has been

characterized by the following attributes:

• Conventional cookie-cutter subdivisions

• Suburban sprawl

• Unsustainable “McMansions”

• Depletion of natural resources and ecological systems

The heavy ecological footprint and lack of connectivity fostered by conventional

development has degraded the fundamental sustainability of our communities

by discouraging social interactions, draining natural resources and proving highly

expensive to maintain.

“As Americans seek out cheaper, (relatively) smaller, greener living options, new home sizes are falling for the first time in living memory. ‘After a long run-up in median home size, peaking at 2,309 square feet in 2007, home sizes shrank to 2,091 square feet in 2009. It’s the largest decline ever seen’ said NAHB chief economist David Crowe.”

- National Association of Home Builders Wall Street Journal

Municipalities and communities have realized that the high financial and ecological costs of conventional developments are unsustainable and thus no longer desirable.

The Path to Eco-Agro CommunitiesIt Begins With ProcessEcological approaches each project with a collaborative design process. By

engaging local stakeholders and regulators from the onset, Ecological aligns

the needs of the land with the community’s values and municipal goals.

We follow a holistic process that begins with understanding the ecology of the

land as well as the values of the community. We actively engage stakeholders,

local residents and municipal regulators through design charrettes, personal

interviews and larger community meetings to help us create a “story of place”.

Employing a cooperative and inclusive approach to development allows Ecological to address the underlying needs of the community and the municipality, coordinate a shared project vision and bring it productively and efficiently through the comprehensive process.

Environmental HealthEcological’s designs improve a site’s soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat

through the protection and regeneration of natural systems. In addition to

restoring these environmental systems, we blend site sensitive homes into the

landscape that are generally smaller, healthier and highly energy efficient.

Key components of an Ecological project may include:

• Land preservation through easements, covenants, codes and/or restrictions

• Wildlife habitat restoration and invasive species management

• Native, drought resistant planting/landscaping

• Reduction or elimination of pesticides and fertilizers

• Newly constructed wetlands to treat stormwater and wastewater

• Locally sourced and sustainable construction materials

• Improved indoor air quality

• Environmental education programs that encourage land stewardship

“US commercial and residential buildings are responsible for 38% of the nation’s CO2 emissions and 9.5% of the world’s total energy consumption. Green buildings, on average, use 33% less energy than conventional ones. Existing green buildings in the US effectively reduce CO2 emissions in an equivalence of taking 208,000 cars off the road every year.”

- Greg Kats, USGBC, and The Sustainable Building Task Force

Ecological uses principles of regenerative design to improve the quality of the land so that it is healthier than before development.

Social HealthEcological’s mandate is to encourage social interaction by creating communities

that not only reconnect residents with nature, but that also provide opportunities

for interpersonal exchanges. Ecological strives to build neighborhood

relationships through common amenities such as:

• Community orchards and gardens

• Nature trails

• Common barns, social gatherings and agricultural activities

Our projects also include educational programs that teach residents and the

public about the development’s many unique ecological features:

• Guided nature walks

• Handbooks for residents describing the ecological features of the land

and their homes

• Environmental lecture series

“Social connectedness is one of the most powerful determinants of our well-being. The more integrated we are with our community, the less likely we are to experience colds, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, depression and premature death of all sorts.”

- Robert Putnam, “Bowling Alone”

Social health is just as vital in creating a well-balanced community as environmental and economic sustainability.

Economic HealthEcological’s master plans employ classical design and traditional

neighborhood planning to create communities with a unique sense of

place. These tenants foster evolving and enduring neighborhoods that

generate and maintain value for both the residents and the municipality.

• Timeless design

• Homes that retain value and resist market volatility

• Reduced maintenance costs due to high quality construction and

innovative design

Additionally, municipalities enjoy the benefits of consistent sources of

tax ratables and improved infrastructure that requires less service and

maintenance.

“Prairie Crossing, a conservation community near Chicago, has created value in the marketplace through innovative design and amenities-homes are selling for 33% higher than comparable homes in area. That premium can be attributed, in part, to the project’s high level of amenities, conservation ethic and open space. “

- ULI “Smart Growth: Myth and Fact”

In creating a place, we are not only creating value for the residents and community as a whole, but we are also providing the municipality with much needed tax revenues and diminishing its service burden.

Mine Brook Road Basking Ridge, New Jersey

Ecological’s most recent project is currently underway in Bernards Township, NJ, and

it serves as a prime example of the eco-agro communities we strive to develop.

The 89-acre site is one of the last remaining parcels in a town that had become a

fighting ground to prevent conventional development. Ecological approached the

township and the neighboring residents to fully engage them in the design process.

As a result, we collaborated with the town to design a project that protects

and enhances all of the attributes of the land that were most important to the

community and the environment.

• Land preservation - More than 70% open space preserved without any

public funding

• Ground Water Recharge and Soil Health – Natural stormwater management

systems that improve soil and habitat health, create new wetlands and

naturally treat road runoff before it is returned to the ecosystem

• Sustainable Agriculture – Easily-accessible agricultural uses on-site that

encourage community participation in sustainable, organic farming and

greater understanding of our relationship to the land

• Green Building and Energy Efficient Design – Homes will be built to

stringent green building standards

• Viewshed Protection – The most significant viewsheds into the property will

be preserved through a 200 ft. setback and a design that creates vast swaths

of meadow

• Natural Resource Enhancement – The existing woodlands and hedgerows

will be preserved and enhanced; new wetlands will be constructed to improve

water quality, provide areas for habitat and increase groundwater recharge

Preserve Open Space by Clustering Homes

We strive to preserve as much open space as possible in our projects. Where applicable, we use a hamlet design technique to cluster homes around a courtyard, while still maintaining a grand viewshed from the back of the home. In addition to pastoral open space such as woodlands and common meadows that ensure a sense of privacy, much of the open space is integrated into the community experience through organic food gardens, orchards and walking trails.

Willow School Gladstone, New Jersey

The Willow School is a notable example of how our design team is able to

integrate regenerative design features into a project that improves all systems,

from the surrounding site, to the building, to the educational curriculum taught

to the children. Our vision for the project was well ahead of its time. The Willow

School became the first LEED-Gold project in the Northeast, the second LEED-

rated building in New Jersey, and by phase two of the project earned a platinum

level-rating, the highest rating possible. As the lead environmental planners, site

designers and landscape architects for this project, the design team played an

integral role in helping this institution become a national model for both holistic

education and regenerative design and development.

Sustainable design elements used in the project include but are

not limited to:

• Native and drought resistant landscaping that does not require irrigation

• Rainwater harvesting, storage and reuse as the school’s wastewater supply

• Improved habitat for birds, butterflies and small mammals

• Heat-island effect reduction by providing shade for 33% of all non-roof

impervious surfaces using existing and newly planted trees

• Site management practices that restore native plant species, improve

biomass, reduce runoff and result in a more diverse ecosystem

• Constructed wetlands to manage stormwater and to treat human waste to

recreational use water standards before being allowed to infiltrate the aquifer

The students learn in a new way that incorporates their everyday environment

into their education and helps them to fully understand the consequences of

what might seemingly be their most insignificant actions—things as simple as

turning on a light or flushing a toilet.

Wetland Stormwater Management We employ passive stormwater management systems that use vegetated swales planted with native species to treat stormwater through natural biological processes. Restored and constructed wetlands are designed to temporarily hold rainfall and give it time to infiltrate and refill local aquifers. These wetlands and raingardens serve as outdoor classrooms, new areas of wildlife habitat and are a vital means of improving local water quality.

267 Broadway, Floor 3 New York, NY 10007

212.354.1560 Phone646.625.5414 Faxdevelopment@ecologicalgroup.com

For more information about Ecological’s approach to development, visit us at:

www.ecologicalgroup.com

Ecological’s Team includes the foremost financial, regulatory and environmental experts in the world.

• Anthony Sblendorio, CEO and Co-Founder

Founder of Back to Nature

• Joseph J. Grano, Jr., Chairman and Co-Founder

Former Chairman & CEO of UBS PaineWebber

• Governor George E. Pataki, Board Member and Co-Founder

Former Governor of New York

• James M. Orphanides, Partner

Former Chairman & CEO of First American Title Insurance Company

• William G. Reed, Board Member

Founding Board Member of U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

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