the sustainable sites initiative

SUCCESS of GREEN BUILDING

The construction market accounts for

13.4% of the U.S. GDP.Source: Department of Commerce (2008). Annual Value of Construction Put in Place.

The value of green building construction

is projected to increase to $60 billion by

2010 and over $100 billion by 2013.Source: McGraw-Hill Construction (2008). Key Trends in the European and U.S. Construction

Marketplace: SmartMarket Report.

Since 2000, USGBC’s membership

has more than quadrupled.Source: U.S. Green Building Council, 2009

Jefferson Green

Genzyme CenterOregon Health & Science Center

6 CO2 + 6 H2O → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

GREEN DOES NOT EQUAL SUSTAINABLE

25 to 50% of electricity used by US cities is consumed by municipal water and wastewater treatment.

Waterand Energy Technology Team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2007)

LINKING LANDSCAPES TO SUSTAINABILITY…

© 2009 Sustainable Sites Initiative

Water shortages & drought increasing across US.

NASA Earth Observatory (2008)


30% to 65% of water used daily by a family of four is for landscape irrigation.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “ Outdoor Water Use in the United States”, 2007

Combine sewer overflows result in sewage and large volumes of storm water containing pathogens, solids, debris and toxic pollutants being discharged into surface water.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “ Report to Congress on Impacts and Control of Combines Sewer Overflows and Sanitary Sewer Overflows”, 2004

78 million households in the U.S. use home and garden pesticides.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2004. Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage: 2000 and 2001 Market Estimates. EPA-733-R-04-001

Soils that are compacted during site preparation and construction lose the ability to absorb storm water and supply plant roots with air and water

Breland and Hansen, 1996


Source: James Urban


Disposing of organic materials in Texas landfills costs more than $150 million a year and consumes more than 15 million cubic yards of space.

TCEQ Yardwise - Green Guide to Yard Care

Yard and landscape trimmings contribute approximately 32 million tons to the municipal waste stream, representing over 13 percent of total municipal waste in the U.S.

U.S. EPA, "Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2005

Scientists estimate that strategically

planting vegetation reduces cooling

energy consumption by up to 25%.

U.S. EPA – Heat Island Effect


A study of street trees in New York City found that the climate moderating benefits provided by trees resulted in annual energy savings of $27.8 million, or $47.63 per tree.

Peper, P.J., McPherson, E.G., Simpson, J.R. et al., "New York City, New

York: Municipal Forest Resource Analysis," Technical Report, USDA Forest

Service Center for Urban Forest Research, Pacific Southwest Research

Station (2007).

Minneapolis showed savings of $6.8

million in energy costs and $9.1

million in stormwater treatment and

increased property values by $7.1

million as a result of street trees.

McPherson 2006

Return On Investment from urban

forests:

•New York, NY: $5.60/$1 spent

•Fort Collins, CO: $2.18/$1 spent

•Glendale, AZ: $2.41/$1 spent

•Charlotte, NC: $3.25/$1 spent

Peper et al 2007


Low Impact Development (LID)

approaches to stormwater results

in improved water quality as well

as capital cost reduction between

15 and 80 percent.

Environmental Protection Agency, “Reducing Stormwater Costs through

Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices,” EPA 841-F-

07-006 (2007), http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/


Beyond cost reductions, these

communities also experienced

“real and significant” benefits,

including aesthetic amenities,

improved quality of life, improved

habitat, and enhanced property

values.

Environmental Protection Agency, “Reducing Stormwater Costs through

Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices,” EPA 841-F-

07-006 (2007), http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/


WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

Profitable, competitive

and enduring businesses

Healthy individuals

participating in stable institutions

Maintaining and enhancing ecosystem

services

Sustainable development meets the needs of the present

without compromising the ability of future generations to meet

their own needs. Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, 1987

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Benefits natural systems

provide that support our

lives and are often

considered “free” and not a

part of conventional

accounting methods.

$16 - $54 trillion per/yr.

Twice the Global GNPCostanza et al. 1997

http://www.visitingdc.com/new-york/central-park-picture.asp

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/ind

ex.html

• Regulate global and local climate

• Detoxify and cleanse air, soil and water

• Regulate water supply

• Control erosion and retain sediment

• Provide refuge and nursery habitat/ pollination services

• Decompose, treat, and re-use waste

• Provide human health and well-being benefits

• Provide food and non-food products

• Provide cultural, educational and aesthetic values

• Mitigate potential hazards

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

SUSTAINABILITY?

Increasing Population

Expanding “Greenfield” Development

Need for

regenerative landscapes

VISION

All site related design

construction, operations and

maintenance practices link

natural and built systems to

achieve balanced environmental,

social and economic outcomes to

improve the quality of life and

long term health of communities

and the environment

POTENTIAL PROJECTS TYPES

• parks, trails, campgrounds

• industrial and office parks

• govt. & medical complexes

• conservation easements

• botanical gardens

• university campuses

• residential sites

• streetscapes & plazas

Free download at

www.sustainablesites.org/report

• 250 point scale

• 4 levels of certification

• 40% - One Star

• 50% - Two Stars

• 60% - Three Stars

• 80% - Four Stars

Multiple point levels for

many credits

Rating SystemGuidelines & Performance

Benchmarks 2009

• Site Selection

• Pre-Design Assessment

• Site Design – Water

• Site Design – Soil & Vegetation

• Site Design – Materials

• Site Design – Human Health &

Well Being

• Construction

• Operations and Maintenance

• Monitoring and Innovation

CREDIT CATEGORIESGuidelines & Performance

Benchmarks 2009

1. Conserve

2. Reuse

3. Balance

= Regenerate

1. Reduce

2. Renew

3. Offset

= Produce

1. Preserve

2. Protect

3. Restore

= Regenerate

Water Energy Habitat

1. Reduce

2. Reuse

3. Recycle

= Upcycle

Materials

PARADIGM CHANGE

from CONSERVATION to REGENERATIONthrough PERFORMATIVE LANDSCAPES

CURRENT STATUS

• Preliminary Draft Standards and Guidelines released November 2007 (at www.sustainablesites.org)

• Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks Draft 2008 released November 2008

• Final Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009 released November 5, 2009

• 174 Pilot Projects begun in June 2010

PILOT PROGRAM PROJECT TYPES

25% Open space - Park

20% Institutional/Educational

15% Commercial

13% Residential

9% Transportation /Streetscape

8% Open space – Public Garden

6% Government Complex

3% Mixed-use

1% Industrial

EXISTING LAND USE

65% Greyfield

20% Greenfield

15% Brownfield

PROJECT SIZE

25% Less than one acre

26% 1-5 acres

40% 6-100 acres

8% 101-500 acres

1% Greater than 500 acres

PROJECT LOCATIONS

Projects in 34 U.S. States

3% of projects outside U.S. in

Canada, Iceland and Spain

Form Partnerships & Collaborations

Pilot Projects

Guidelines &

Benchmarks

Reference

Guide

Open

Enrolment

PROJECT TIMELINE

FOR MORE INFORMATION or TO GET INVOLVED:

www.sustainablesites.org

[email protected]