www.epa.gov/greenscapes

GreenScapes

• Multi-media EPA Partnership Program that promotes a variety of environmentally beneficial landscaping and land management practices

GreenScapes Alliance• Partners (companies, government agencies)

– Commit to two GreenScaping activities

• Allies (professional organizations, trade associations, research groups, product manufacturers & marketers)– Promote use of GreenScaping activities

Why Join GreenScapes?

• Program provides state-of-the-art landscaping recommendations– Web-based menu of options & resources

Multi-media … continually updated Small scale & Large scale

• National Recognition Program • Case Study Profiles

What GreenScapes does

• Helps preserve natural resources and prevent waste and pollution by encouraging more holistic decisions regarding waste, water, chemicals, energy, and land use

What GreenScapes does

• Provides cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions - improving both an organization’s bottom-line and the environment

Big Landscapes…

• Roads & Highways• Commercial Buildings• Industrial Sites• Military Installations• Brownfields• Colleges & Universities• Recreation areas - parks, golf courses, ski

resorts, amusement parks, …

Can Generate Millions of Tons of Waste

Trees, Shrubs, Brush, Lumber, Asphalt, Concrete, etc.

• Hauled away to a landfill

• Buried

• Burned

And Use Millions of Gallons of

• Water

• Pesticides

• Fertilizers

• Fuels

• Oil

GreenScapes promotes holistic and sustainable decisions

– Waste generation & disposal– Use of

• Water• Chemicals• Air• Plants• Energy• Land & Wetlands

Focus on the 4 Rs

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle

• Rebuy

Reduce

• Number One step towards efficient materials use & pollution prevention

Ways to Reduce

• Select low maintenance plants

• Use plastic lumber instead of pressure-treated wood

• Grasscycle

• Limit fertilizer and water use

Example in Reduction

• Reduce or eliminate plastic silt fencing– Substitute with

blankets, berms, and filter-socks made of compost.

Reuse

• Key to effective management –Efficient use of valuable resources

• Financial

• Materials

Ways to Reuse• Chip trees and wood waste into mulch

–Saves money in reduced•disposal costs •commercial mulch purchases

–Benefits of mulch use •Moisture retention•Weed prevention•Erosion control

Other Ways to Reuse• Return wooden pallets to your supplier whenever

possible or disassemble them and use the wood elsewhere or grind them into mulch

• Donate healthy plants to community gardens, schools, churches, or other local local non-profit organizations when. updating or removing trees & shrubs from landscape

• Use alternative sources of irrigation water such as gray water, reclaimed water, and collected rain water.

Recycle

• Save money on disposal costs, by recycling waste materials – Might receive a few dollars for valuable

recyclables (metal, cardboard, paper, plastics)

Ways to Recycle • Send wood waste & trimmings that cannot be composted on site to a local composting facility

• Recycle plastic fencing, barriers, plant & pesticide containers

• Collect and recycle used oil & tires from your vehicles and equipment

Rebuy• Puts valuable materials back to work

• Re-think your purchasing habits–Look for products that meet your

needs but have a better environmental profile than your current product purchases

What Rebuying Means

• Recycled content• Biobased products (incl. fuels & lubricants)

• Renewable energy & products• Energy efficient

Change your thinking:

It’s not waste – it’s a resource!

• Specify rubberized asphalt (made from recycled tires) for:– Walking paths– Bike paths– Cart paths– Parking lots

Rebuying in use

The Economic & Environmental Benefits of

GreenScaping:• Reduced water use• Reduced irrigation costs

– water & energy• Reduced plant growth• Reduced plant

maintenance• Reduced waste

generation• Reduced labor – time &

cost (maint. & disposal)• Reduced equipment

operating times

• Reduced equip. maint. – labor & supplies

• Reduced fuel use• Reduced emissions • Reduced fertilizer use –

material & labor savings• Reduced pesticide use –

material & labor savings• Reduced nonpoint source

pollution• Reduced exposure to

hazardous materials• Reduce insurance costs?

Green Buildings and GreenScapes

• Up to 40 points can be achieved in existing LEEDs with regards to sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, and innovation & design factors that can be achieved through landscaping. Resulting in “Silver” or “Gold” status alone.

• These are the very types of site considerations that GreenScapes promotes

GreenScapes Efforts in Green Buildings

• ASLA is exploring development of an evaluation tool to measure sustainable site design for recreation areas, nature preserves, utility and highway corridors, etc.

• Establish a standard for sustainable site design with clearly defined metrics

• Identify & recognize sites that meet a defined standard of sustainability

• Educate and promote sustainable design

GreenScapes & Green Buildings

• Some of our most sensitive environments are being developed without buildings

– Such as hiking trails, boardwalk trails through wetlands, sports field complex

• Some projects which have the greatest impact on the environment are not currently eligible to receive LEED certification

– Dams, roads, powerline corridors, parks, streetscapes, etc.

• Impacts of site development can be much greater than the impacts of the associated building, leading to a false sense of sustainability.

– For example a “park & ride” with a stellar building for restrooms and ticket sales but has a 500 car parking lot that is highly lit, with impervious surfaces, built on a filled wetland with a high-maintenance landscape

Why LEEDs?

• The USGBC LEED certification process provides a recognized prototype for a sustainable tool and evaluation process.

• GreenScapes is currently working with ASLA and others on the development of a

“Site-Only” LEED tool … (LEED – LS)

Some Site-only LEED credits

• Use of indigenous plant species

• Use of an IPM program

• Use of organic landscape management practices

• Protecting, salvaging and reusing onsite plant and other materials

• Creating viable fish & wildlife habitat

• Restoring natural landscapes

GreenScapes also Works with

• EMS efforts to enhance and amplify green landscaping guidance aspect of that initiative

• The Federal Green Highways Partnership Recycling and Reuse Efforts

More Efforts

• GreenScapes technical training sessions at ASLA’s Annual Meeting & EXPO – October 7-10, 2006 Minneapolis, MN

• GreenScapes for Homeowners – Spring 2006

For more information

www.epa.gov/greenscapes