Sustainable Building Technical Manual - Etn-presco.net

energy-powered lighting in outdoor public areas, cities and counties can demonstrate totheir public the availability, durability, and practical application of green materials. Forexample, businesses, citizens, and public employees can work together in advisory committeesto help shape green landscaping plans and environmentally sensitive choices ofequipment and furnishings for public buildings, parks, and recreational areas.L O CAL A C T I O N S.➤The city of Austin, Texas, suggests using ground-up wallboard (gypsum) as an amendmentfor clay soils; chipped wood from demolition for mulch; and recycled asphalt,concrete, and bricks for fill or aggregate.➤Codes in Metro-Dade County, Florida, allow demolition materials, such as concreteand bricks, to be used as fill in construction sites. They require the demolished materialto be free of other substances, such as wood, that would contribute to sink holes.By reusing the material, builders avoid the landfill fees associated with demolitionwastedisposal.➤The Health House ‘95, sponsored by the American Lung Association and built inHennepin County, Minnesota, and the ‘95 Health House built in Orlando, Florida,both reflect a design concept called “naturescaping,” used to incorporate native plantsand recycled materials on the house sites.➤Metro-Dade County, Florida, offers property-tax breaks to commercial developers asincentives for preservation of existing vegetation on environmentally sensitive sites.Developers are required to actively maintain existing vegetation for 10 years in returnfor a tax break that is better, in some cases, than an agricultural exemption.➤The city of Austin, Texas, Nature Center, which provides a natural habitat for indigenousplants and animals, is a living learning tool for those who study the science andnatural history of the area. Its educational resources include a pond trail exhibit and ahands-on compost demonstration area.➤The city of Durham, North Carolina used plants and recycled products for the landscaperestoration of a park following the expansion of a road interchange. The city’sWater Resources Department and its Parks and Recreation Department worked withcitizen groups to plant several “pods” of trees and shrubs, reintroducing native speciesand eliminating labor-intensive turf.➤The city of Austin, Texas, offers the expertise of landscape architects from itsEnvironmental Services and Conservation Department’s Water Conservation Programto help other municipal departments design resource-efficient landscape and irrigationsystems. The architects have developed a Preferred Plant List for municipal projectsthat emphasizes native and low-water plants, and recommended integrated pest managementpractices. Xeriscape landscapes in Austin, studies have shown, use 30 to 50percent less water than traditional landscapes use.➤The city of Sarasota, Florida used a permeable pavement to allow public access to andparking on a parcel of land in a pineland marsh reserve. The pavement, a six-inch plasticcellular confinement system, known commercially as GEOWEB, is covered with sixinches of stone in-fill and one inch of stone cover to allow both permeability andaccess, even during the rainy season. The system’s cost is only one-third that of a traditionalpaved road.➤The cities of Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Miami, Florida; Milwaukee,Wisconsin; and Austin, Texas, are participating in the “Cool Communities” program,in partnership with American Forests and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.This program seeks to reverse heat-island effects of urban areas, to reduce energy usage