Sustainable Design

We see sustainability as one of the most important opportunities for both the future of the world around us and for our business. “Green” isn’t a label or a certification; it’s a state of mind that, to us, means a project that is created through environmentally and socially conscious means. The field of "green technology" encompasses a continuously evolving group of methods, materials, and techniques for everything from developing new municipal infrastructure to generating energy to non-toxic cleaning products.

Deciding to incorporate green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs) into a project is not always a quick and simple answer. It must be an informed process based on a comparison of the costs and values associated with these practices with those of more conventional infrastructure systems. Whether your community is contemplating including BMPs in a municipal or public works project or in a private development project, the “value engineering” strategy may be useful in evaluating your options.

Traditionally, design and engineering practice has focused on comparing the capital construction costs of alternative systems, for example, the costs of a shingle versus a green or eco-roof. In recent years, however, practice has moved beyond this relatively simplistic approach to examine not only initial construction costs but also life cycle costs. Life cycle costs are those associated with operations and maintenance, as well as capital repair or replacement. A system that costs less to construct may require more maintenance or need to be repaired or replaced more frequently than a system that is slightly more expensive to install. Looking at the larger picture helps decision makers identify the approach that will be most beneficial in the long run.

We believe this comparison is absolutely necessary to determine which of the two approaches which is more beneficial to your community and to identify where green infrastructure might best be substituted for conventional approaches.

The goals that inform developments in this rapidly growing field include:

• Sustainability - meeting the needs of society in ways that can continue indefinitely into the future without damaging or depleting natural resources. In short, meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• "Cradle to cradle" design - ending the "cradle to grave" cycle of manufactured products, by creating products that can be fully reclaimed or re-used.
• Source reduction - reducing waste and pollution by changing patterns of production and consumption.
• Innovation - developing alternatives to technologies - whether fossil fuel or chemical intensive agriculture - that have been demonstrated to damage health and the environment.
• Viability - creating a center of economic activity around technologies and products that benefit the environment, speeding their implementation and creating new careers that truly protect the planet.