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Sustainable Supplement for Landscape Construction Honors and Sustainable Supplement for Landscape Maintenance Honors
If you are entering your project to receive a Sustainable Honor project designation, you are required to fill out this sustainable supplement in addition to the rest of the award application. Applicants may apply for Sustainable Landscaping Honors in any category. They must complete the Sustainable Construction or Maintenance supplements in order to be considered. The supplements are reviewed by the ILCA Sustainable Landscape Committee. The awards applications are reviewed by a separate panel of judges.
If the project does not receive Sustainable Landscaping Honors, it will not be eliminated but rather reviewed as a
traditional entry.
The criteria used to evaluate the Sustainable Honor criteria is based on the Sustainable Sites Initiative™ SITES v2 developed for sustainable land design and development.
Please see
http://www.sustainablesites.org/rating-system for how to obtain more information about this initiative.
Sustainable Honors Criteria:
Submittals for Sustainable Landscape Construction must include 12 of those selections listed for this category. Submittals for Sustainable Landscape Maintenance must include 10 of those selections listed for this category. There is an opportunity to include descriptions of another feature not listed in the criteria under ‘Other.’ This will be considered a replacement for one of the minimum criteria required.
Applications pursuing sustainable honors are judged based on aesthetics and the degree to which the sustainable criteria are incorporated. Please keep in mind:
A project with poor aesthetics is unlikely to win an award regardless of the sustainable landscaping practices used.
An aesthetically attractive project is also not likely to win Sustainable Honors if sustainable landscape components
are not well integrated into the construction and/or maintenance of the project. Your submittal for Sustainable Landscape Construction must include at least 12 of the objectives listed for this category to be considered.
Submittals for Sustainable Landscape Maintenance must include 10 of those selections listed for this category.
Descriptions should be site and project specific, and provide enough detail to clearly answer the information requested.
Check the appropriate box for the selected criteria.
No more than 150 words for each answer please.
Sustainable Landscape Honors
Sustainable Landscape Construction Honors
Sustainable Landscape Maintenance Honors
Submit detailed responses for at least 12 objectives listed for Sustainable Construction Methods explained below. Submittals for Sustainable Honors for Construction can include actions taken during the landscape design and construction phases of the project.
Submittals for Sustainable Honors for Sustainable Landscape Maintenance must include responses to a minimum of 10 objectives listed below. All actions described are to have been taken in the continued management of the site after construction has been substantially completed.(Note that the property must have been maintained by your company for three full landscaping seasons after completion of the installation/establishment period to apply. Design and installation elements of the site are not applicable to an application for Sustainable Landscape Maintenance)
A Site Maintenance Plan has been prepared including short term actions and long term strategies to achieve sustainable maintenance goals. Please briefly describe actions and goals included in the plan.
An emphasis on the preservation of existing, special status, or healthy ‘old growth’ trees or flora as designated by local, state, or federal entities. Describe the species included under this category and explain why. Describe protective measures taken to ensure root damage to mature trees was avoided.
An emphasis on the preservation, enhancement or creation of native wildlife habitats. Describe the native wildlife habitat(s) existing on the site before construction and the steps taken relative to their preservation and enhancement. Describe new habitat(s) that were created and show the net increase in relation to open space.
An emphasis on plant health care and the maintenance of vegetation according to long term plans for the site. Please describe the specific actions that have been taken and their outcomes with a preservation goal in mind. If present, describe the native wildlife habitat(s) on the site and the steps taken relative to their ongoing management and enhancement.
Trees/vegetation were designed to reduce building heating and cooling requirements. Describe the planting design elements taken to achieve this category. Explain how the effectiveness of the design was determined.
Minimum enrichment of soil and plants through compost or organic fertilizer. Describe the management plan to keep soils healthy. Include strategies used to indicate if fertilizers are required. Identify which amendments have been used and explain why they were selected as the least harmful option.
More than 50% of the total quantity of planted species - independent of seeded or existing natural areas - are native to the sites ecoregion. Plant choices may include native species or nativars. The calculation should be based on plant quantities or square footage. Please provide a description of your calculations.
Use of an integrated pest management program (IPM). Describe the details of the IPM management program used and how they were applied to the site. Include specific examples of species and/or pests and control treatments. Describe ways in which chemical applications have been revised to minimize negative impacts to the landscape.
The project was designed to reduce or eliminate long-term potable water use in the landscape beyond the establishment period. Describe how this has been achieved using options such as captured/reclaimed rainwater, recycled wastewater or greywater, air-conditioning condensate water, or water available from public agencies for non-potable use. Provide an estimate of the percent reduction with a description of your calculations. (Water used for vegetated athletic fields is exempt).
Use of a natural or organic lawn care program. Please describe the elements of the lawn care program that have been used to create a natural or organic approach.
The project was designed to include storm water Best Management Practices (BMPs) that, at a minimum, capture and treat the amount of surface water runoff generated from impermeable surfaces on the site by a 1” rain event. Please describe features implemented and how the calculations were made. See
http://www.rainxchange.com/calculator.php for a possible calculation resource.
Safe removal and destruction of invasive or diseased plant material. Describe how the invasive and/or diseased material was disposed of so that its spread was/is controlled.
All or portions of hard surfaces were designed to use materials that support stormwater BMP’s, reduce heat island effect, use regional materials or those with recycled content. Please describe and provide an estimate of the percent of hard surfaces for the project that meet this criteria, product selections made and a description of the sustainable surfaces that apply.
Humanely protect landscape from wildlife that is destructive to the landscape.Describe problem specifics and actions taken.
Outdoor spaces were designed for mental restoration and/or social interaction. Describe how noise and other potential distractions are minimized for mentally restorative spaces; include discussion of other design elements that support the quality of these spaces (shade, optimized views, privacy, enhanced connection to nature, etc). For spaces supporting social interaction, describe how spaces support people eating, working and playing together. Spaces for mental restoration cannot be the same as those for enhanced social interaction.
Reduce the use of potable water in the landscape. How has the use of potable water been reduced by maintenance actions. Please provide specific descriptions of actions and savings.
The project was designed and installed to include production of food for human consumption. Please quantify the area allocated for this purpose and include a brief description of the post-installation maintenance plan that details practices for maintaining a food-producing garden.
Perform an annual check of irrigation heads and system to diminish unnecessary water loss. Describe the elements and maintenance of the irrigation system that have been done to reduce unnecessary water use. Where applicable, describe pre and post maintenance conditions and an estimate of the water savings.
Lighting for the project was designed and installed to reduce light trespass on adjacent properties and minimize or eliminate night sky pollution. Please describe how this goal is achieved.
Water maintenance involves treatments that are not harmful to aquatic life, e.g. chlorine or bromine unless required by local health code. Stagnant water is avoided to eliminate mosquito habitat. Describe the maintenance program that is used to care for existing waterways, areas, or water features; include description of any chemical applications.
A portion of on-site materials, including but not limited to hardscape and landscape, were reused. Please describe strategies for re-use and provide an estimate of the value of the cost saving achieved (soils are excluded from this calculation).
Maintenance materials and green waste from the site is recycled or composted on site. Provide specific information as to what material is covered by recycling and composting programs and describe how programs are implemented and managed to maintain effectiveness.
Products used in the project included recycled content or were sourced from suppliers that document sustainable harvesting. Please describe how renewable and eco-friendly products were used in the project.
Maintenance materials (pots, bags, etc.) and green waste from site are recycled or composted offsite at a maximum distance of 50 miles. Provide specific information as to what material is covered by offsite recycling and composting programs and describe how programs are implemented and managed to maintain effectiveness.
The project was designed to include on-site sources that generate at least a portion of the outdoor electricity needs for the property. Please describe the on-site renewable sources and how they were utilized for the energy needs of the site. Sources could include solar, wind, geothermal and low impact hydro-power.
Maintain pavers and structures to ensure effectiveness. Describe processes used for maintaining structures and paving in a way that minimizes environmental harm and ensures the materials continued effectiveness such as clean permeable surfaces and low-emitting sealants.
Equipment and/or fuels used during project installation limit air-pollution emissions. Please describe the equipment selected such as a manual, low-emitting, or electric powered piece of equipment. Describe how it was utilized in the project as a choice over a two-cycle engine or other high emissions option.
Use of zero-emission equipment or equipment that minimizes air-pollutants. Please describe the equipment that is used that is applicable to this goal such as manual, low-emitting, or electric powered options. Include what equipment maintenance is performed to ensure its continued performance and avoid transporting invasive species and diseases between sites.
On-site non-hazardous construction and demolition materials such as bricks, steel, wood, pavement, drainage structures, vegetation, rocks and soils were composted and/or recycled during construction. (This does not apply to land-clearing materials used on site in their existing form). Describe the types of materials and how they were diverted.
Crews adhere to a maintenance schedule and use equipment that minimizes the public’s exposure to noise pollution. Please describe how this is accomplished.
Existing healthy soils were preserved in a soil protection zone (SPZ) to protect them from disturbance during construction. Describe how SPZs were identified and how construction activities were managed to avoid disturbance in these areas.
The project has a food production area that is used for human consumption. Please provide information on how the food is distributed or consumed (if not on-site). Please describe the maintenance plan and plot management actions that have been employed during the maintenance period.
Soils disturbed by previous development or during construction were restored. Describe strategies used to restore soils damaged by construction activity. To what depth were soils restored? What criteria were used to assess the effectiveness of the restoration?
ILCA realizes the above list is not comprehensive. Please indicate any other sustainable landscaping practices that demonstrate why this project should be considered for an Excellence in Landscape Award.
Avoid unnecessary grading that compacts soils and exacerbates surface runoff. Describe how site grading met this goal. Describe how divergence from the native contour was minimized.
ILCA realizes the above list is not comprehensive. Please indicate any other sustainable landscaping practices that demonstrate why this project should be considered for an Excellence in Landscape Award.
