Black, White, and Shades of Green: Environmental Ethics

By: Rumanda Young

As I begin a new semester of teaching I am met by eager master’s level students who want to learn how to marry design with the environment. These future professionals are exposed to the idea of sustainability and environmental ethics much more than students of the past. Today, professionals in the planning, design, and construction industry must understand Aldo Leopold’s statement that “a thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise” (1933).

Not only do professionals have an obligation to design for the welfare and safety of people they represent; they also have an obligation to safeguard the environment. There is an ethical obligation to promote excellence of design and endeavor to conserve and preserve the integrity and heritage of the natural and built environment. Professionals are faced with issues, including:

• Loss of natural areas
• Land consumption
• Energy efficiency
• Water quality
• Air quality
• Endangered/threatened species
• Resource conservation
• Habitat destruction
• Noise pollution
• Light pollution
• Encroachment issues

Environmental consideration in design and development is based on the idea that “land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics” (Leopold 1933). Development professionals are not the only people faced with ethical judgments regarding land use. The following individuals also play an integral role in making ethical land use choices:

• Landowners
• Land developers
• Builders
• Public land-users (e.g. campers, hunters)
• Citizens involved in interest groups
• Public officials (e.g. elected, appointed)
• Land-use professionals (e.g. planners)
• Resource Managers
• Banking Institutions
• Homeowners
• Environmental and conservation groups.

Professionals in the planning, design and construction industry should strive to make environmentally sound decisions for the sake of future generations. How professionals (and the general public) treat the natural and built environment today will diminish or enhance the quality of life for future generations. Timothy Beatley wrote that although “some degree of human intrusion on the natural environment is inevitable, there is an ethical obligation to ensure that the human footprint is a small one” (Beatley 1994).

What do Kids and Green Building Have in Common? AECOM Found a Link.

By Vicki Zambito

It’s difficult to teach young kids about concepts like sustainability and not being wasteful. I know I have to constantly remind my own children to turn off the faucet and not leave every light in the house burning. I also know I am not alone.

It’s nice to see a large corporation leading by example when it comes to raising our kids to appreciate sustainability. AECOM employs 46,000 people worldwide and is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government.

AECOM is also the designer for the world’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum-certified public children’s garden in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

According to the AECOM website:

The Paul Smith Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens is one of less
than 300 projects worldwide to achieve Platinum status and the second commercial
project in Wyoming to earn LEED Platinum.

The goal of the AECOM design team for the Children’s Village was to create an interest and understanding in children of natural and sustainable systems through fun, interactive experiences in a garden setting. The garden showcases and interprets sustainable systems for food production and preparation, water quality, energy production, habitation, community building, and cultural fulfillment.

The Children’s Village features a historic prairie that allows visitors to see how Native Americans lived in the Cheyenne area; a sustainable agriculture area featuring a village square, farmer’s market and amphitheater; a solar court that demonstrates healthy food preparation methods that utilize fresh produce; and examples of water systems, including the use of flow forms, aeration and biolfiltration with wetlands.

Over 77% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill and repurposed in recycled concrete walls, piers, and amphitheater seating. “As we began the LEED process, the team had to be practical and flexible with our design strategies,” stated Mark Kosmos, AECOM project manager. “An early walk of the site revealed a quantity of discarded viaduct stone and a vast supply of concrete slab on site from a previous era. We were able to reuse these materials in the walls and amphitheater in artful ways. It turned out this was not only sustainable but also practical and cost effective.”

Click here for some children's garden pictures.

Why Low-Impact Development is Critical: A Texas-Sized Example

By Rumanda Young

After a webinar on low-impact development (LID) with RedVector, I thought it appropriate to post a blog on how important the LID approach has become within the Edwards Aquifer recharge zones in Texas Hill Country. The Edwards Aquifer fulfills the water needs (recreation, industry, and residential) of south central Texas, specifically in the highly populated areas of San Antonio and Austin.

The aquifer has special meaning to Texans. In truth, San Antonio would not exist without the aquifer. There are many beautiful and meaningful Edwards Aquifer water features. The website, edwardsaquifer.net, offers a collection of images and short essays about some of the most significant features.

The Blue Hole, Barton Springs, Leona Springs, and many others hold a special place in both history books and hearts. Barton Springs has special memories for me as a summer fun spot in Austin, Texas. In 2003, the natural pool was closed for environmental testing and the results depicted contamination from urbanization.

Many hydrologists fear that uncontrolled urbanization will eventually lead to closing Barton Springs. In 2008, Robert Redford co-produced a documentary titled the Unforseen as part as the fight to preserve this precious natural resource.

The Blue Hole in San Antonio was once a fountain spring. In 1857, Frederick Law Olmsted described the beauty in the following way:

...The San Antonio Spring may be classed as the first water among the gems of the natural world. The whole river gushes up in one sparkling burst from the earth. It has all the beautiful accompaniments of a smaller spring, moss, pebbles, seclusion, sparkling sunbeams, and dense overhanging luxuriant foliage. The effect is overpowering. It is beyond your possible conceptions of a spring. You cannot believe your eyes, and almost shrink from sudden metamorphosis by invaded nymphdom.

The Blue Hole no longer fits Olmsted’s description, but is still a beautiful natural retreat from urbanization.

Due to the historic reliance on the Edwards Aquifer, very little surface water facilities have been developed. Water demand in this high populace, semi-arid climate area is beyond the Aquifer's capacity. Each precious inch of rainwater that falls is essential to capture and recharge. Therefore, low-impact development techniques/approaches within the recharge and contributing zones are crucial. The benefits for Texas Hill Country would be groundwater recharge, cleaner streams and rivers, urban heat island effect reduction, improvement in local air quality, and enhancement in the aesthetic quality of Hill Country. Currently, there is an initiative for public agency representatives to develop a technical guidance manual for using low-impact development techniques in arid and karst regions. This would be a wonderful tool to help conserve our much needed stormwater in Texas.