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THE PLANET WILL THANK YOU
Copyright 2008 Best Green Site
The Best Green Site
THE SOURCE FOR GREEN PRODUCTS AND INFORMATION
Selecting the Building Site
Green Site Selection
| Florida Green Building Coalition |
Member
Site selection is one of the important first steps in building a green home or commercial
project. The builder should avoid areas that provide natural habitat for wildlife or may
have once been designated wet lands. Even if the site you are considering no longer is
classified as environmentally sensitive, the fact that it once was will hurt your chances of
receiving a green classification.
Green building begins with designing the building and positioning it on the site in such a
way that it makes use of the natural resources. Some builders make the mistake of
thinking they can design one green model and duplicate it and it will meet green
standards on any job site. This is not the case. Each home or building stands on its'
own merits and each structure must pass the green standard certification process to be
designated green.
Sometimes a design will not be suitable for the site in mind. In those cases the plans will
have to be modified or the site rejected.
If you are unsure of the site's status there are experts available to assist in identifying
potential environmental conflicts.
American Society of Consulting Arborists. www.asca-consultants.org/why.html
American Society of Landscape Architects. www.asla.org/members/pigroups.cfm
International Society of Arboriculture. www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp
Society of American Foresters. www.safnet.org/certifiedforester/
The Ecological Society of America. www.esa.org/
Choosing a site that is considered an infill site is an effective way to preserve natural
wildlife habitats and local vegetation in other open areas. Green building should
encompass not only the site that you are developing but preserving green zones in the
community. An infill site is a vacant piece of property that is already served by utilities
such as water, sewer and power lines. Other considerations are proximity to
transportation, shopping, schools, hospitals and government services.
Reuse of previous building sites should be considered when planning a green building
project. Areas that have been damaged by natural disasters should always be rebuilt
with green standards in mind. Green homes are designed to be more durable and are
better equipped to withstand the weather elements than older building methods.
Recognized brownfield areas are potential green building sites. EPA recognized
brownfields are polluted sites that can be restored to habitable land areas. Grants,
loans and training are available through the EPA's Brownfield Initiative to assist builders
and developers in the cleanup and development of brownfield sites.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment.
www.epa.gov/brownfields/index.html
EPA Cleanup Grants. www.epa.gov/brownfields/bfwhere.htm
project. The builder should avoid areas that provide natural habitat for wildlife or may
have once been designated wet lands. Even if the site you are considering no longer is
classified as environmentally sensitive, the fact that it once was will hurt your chances of
receiving a green classification.
Green building begins with designing the building and positioning it on the site in such a
way that it makes use of the natural resources. Some builders make the mistake of
thinking they can design one green model and duplicate it and it will meet green
standards on any job site. This is not the case. Each home or building stands on its'
own merits and each structure must pass the green standard certification process to be
designated green.
Sometimes a design will not be suitable for the site in mind. In those cases the plans will
have to be modified or the site rejected.
If you are unsure of the site's status there are experts available to assist in identifying
potential environmental conflicts.
American Society of Consulting Arborists. www.asca-consultants.org/why.html
American Society of Landscape Architects. www.asla.org/members/pigroups.cfm
International Society of Arboriculture. www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp
Society of American Foresters. www.safnet.org/certifiedforester/
The Ecological Society of America. www.esa.org/
Choosing a site that is considered an infill site is an effective way to preserve natural
wildlife habitats and local vegetation in other open areas. Green building should
encompass not only the site that you are developing but preserving green zones in the
community. An infill site is a vacant piece of property that is already served by utilities
such as water, sewer and power lines. Other considerations are proximity to
transportation, shopping, schools, hospitals and government services.
Reuse of previous building sites should be considered when planning a green building
project. Areas that have been damaged by natural disasters should always be rebuilt
with green standards in mind. Green homes are designed to be more durable and are
better equipped to withstand the weather elements than older building methods.
Recognized brownfield areas are potential green building sites. EPA recognized
brownfields are polluted sites that can be restored to habitable land areas. Grants,
loans and training are available through the EPA's Brownfield Initiative to assist builders
and developers in the cleanup and development of brownfield sites.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment.
www.epa.gov/brownfields/index.html
EPA Cleanup Grants. www.epa.gov/brownfields/bfwhere.htm
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