Wood / Boardwalk Decking

Concrete, Stone, Concrete Unit Pavers

Minimize amount of concrete and steel supports/footings. Do not specify tropical hardwoods to protect our carbon rich rainforests. Specify local source if possible.

C02 is stored in wood and remains there as long as its integrity is maintained.

Decomposed Granite

Concrete, Stone, Concrete Unit Pavers

Specify eco-friendly or organic binder.

Lower embodied carbon than other paving materials. Permeability of water through the surface if no binder is used.

Asphalt

Concrete, Stone, Concrete Unit Pavers

Specify local or recycled aggregate.

Lower embodied carbon than other paving materials.

Chip Seal

Concrete, Stone, Concrete Unit Pavers

Specify local or recycled aggregate for base and top coat.

Lower embodied carbon than other paving materials.

C02 Sequestering Concrete

Concrete (typical with Portland Cement), Concrete Unit Pavers

C02 is captured from factories and remains in the concrete.

Concrete With Cement Substitutions

Concrete (typical with Portland Cement), Concrete Unit Pavers

Specify maximum allowable percentage of cementitious substitutions such as slag, fly ash, glass pozzolan, or silica fume.

Lower embodied carbon than traditional concrete with Portland Cement.

Recycled-content Unit Pavers

Concrete Unit Pavers

Specify high percentage recycled content.

Reduce harvesting of virgin materials.

Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF)

Rubber Surfacing

Play areas.

Water infiltration, lower embodied carbon than wood chips. Provide end-of-life benefit for wood re-use.

Wielded Wire Fabric (WWF) Or Textile- Reinforced Concrete (TRC)

Rebar

Specify large WWF spacing and light gauge if possible; specify glass reinforced TRC.

Lower embodied carbon.

Natural Drainage Swales And Bioretention Areas

HDPE Pipe, Cast, Iron

Natural drainage strategies that minimize the use of piping.

Permeability of water through the surface. Habitat creation in drainage ways.

Lightweight Fill

Foam, Cellular Concrete

Use on green roofs.

Lower embodied carbon than foam or cellular concrete.

Recycled Materials From The Site – Concrete

Concrete, Asphalt

Seating areas, pathways, trails.

Prevents C02 emitted from offhauling. Minimal embodied carbon due to re-use.

Recycled Materials From The Site – Asphalt

Concrete, Stone, Asphalt

Can be ground into aggregate base.

Prevents C02 emitted from offhauling.

Recycled Materials From The Site – Stone

Concrete, Asphalt

Can be ground into aggregate or kept in larger pieces for pathways.

Minimal embodied carbon due to re-use.

Aggregates

Concrete, Stone, Asphalt

Seating areas, pathways, trails.

Lower embodied carbon than other paving materials.

Wood

Aluminum, Steel, Concrete

Minimize amount of concrete footings. Do not specify tropical hardwoods to protect our carbon rich rainforests. Specify local source if possible.

C02 is stored in wood and remains there as long as its integrity is maintained.

Rammed Earth

Aluminum, Steel, Concrete

Minimize amount of concrete footings.

Recycled Materials From The Site – Boulders

Prevents C02 emitted from offhauling.

Prevents embodied carbon of imported materials.

Afforestation

Removing Trees / Deforestation

Deciduous slightly higher sequestration than evergreen trees. Specify tall trees 35+ feet.

Habitat, water infiltration, biophilia.

Constructed Wetlands

Only construct where natural water source exists.

Habitat, water infiltration, biophilia.

Tiny Forests

Wide Tree And Plant Spacing

Use tree plant spacing that exists in natural forests rather than typical plant spacing guidelines.

Habitat, water infiltration, biophilia.

Native and Adaptive Planting / Long-Lived Trees, Shrubs, Plants

Lawn, Large Areas of Paved Open Space High Maintenance Landscapes that require Equipment – Lawn, Hedges

Select species that have longer growing seasons in your region.

Habitat, irrigation reduction, water infiltration, biophilia.

Multi-layered Planting Strategies

Single-layer Planting

Lower, mid, and upper story trees and plants.

Habitat, irrigation reduction, water infiltration, biophilia, possibly food sources.

Green Roofs

Traditional Roofs, Dark Colored Roofs

Cooling the floor below by up to 50% and reducing cooling energy needs. Extensive green roofs with minimal/no foam and paving are ideal.

Habitat, biophilia.

Vines

Architectural Walls

Used to increase sequestration in areas with limited horizontal space.

Habitat, biophilia.

No-mow Grass, Meadow

Lawn

Specify native, drought-tolerant, and low water use where possible.

Habitat, irrigation reduction, water infiltration, biophilia, possibly food sources.

Bamboo

Limited or Short Planting in Constrained Areas

Super sequesterer. Avoid where invasive or contain roots. Use as a regenerative building material.

Building material, habitat, water infiltration, biophilia.

Coastal Wetlands – Salt Marshes, Mangroves, Sea Grasses

Removing Wildlands, Formal Landscapes

Only implement in locations/climates as appropriate.

Habitat, water infiltration, biophilia, sea level rise protection, storm water and wastewater filtration.

Forests

Removing Wildlands, Formal Landscapes

Only implement in locations/climates as appropriate.

Habitat, water infiltration, biophilia.

Compost

Chemical Fertilizers, especially those including Nitrous Oxide (N20)

Spread over the soil, it will improve soil quality by adding carbon.

Nitrous oxide (N20) commonly found in typical fertilizers is 300 times more potent than C02. Minimizing its use is extremely important.

Biochar Amendments

Chemical Fertilizers, especially those including Nitrous Oxide (N20)

Store C02 of decomposed biomass. Mixed into the soil, it will improve soil quality by adding carbon.

Nitrous oxide (N20) commonly found in fertilizers has 300 times worse global warming potential (GWP) than C02. Minimizing its use is extremely important. Potentially reduces waste production, improves fertility, sequesters carbon. Increasing the carbon in the soil will increase the quality.

Organic Fertilizers

Chemical Fertilizers, especially those including Nitrous Oxide (N20)

Nitrous oxide (N20) commonly found in fertilizers has 300 times worse global warming potential (GWP) than C02. Minimizing its use is extremely important. Potentially reduces waste production, improves fertility, sequesters carbon. Increasing the carbon in the soil will increase the quality.

Wood Mulch

Gravel Mulch

Saves water, improves soil quality, combats pests, stops weeds, prevents the release of N20 into the atmosphere if it already exists in the soil.

Existing Soil Amended In Place

Import Soil

Prevents C02 emitted from removing and importing soil. Maintain soil habitat.

Cover Crops

Leaving Soil Exposed

Plant cover crops while soil is exposed while waiting to plant. Includes legumes, grasses, brassicas, and buckwheat.

Prevents release of carbon from soil exposure to the air. Keeps carbon in the soil, maintaining soil quality.

Cool Roofs

Dark Colored Roofs

Can be as simple as painting a roof white.

Reflects solar rays cooling the floor below and reducing cooling needs.

Low Maintenance Landscapes

High Maintenance Landscapes such as Lawn and Hedges

Consider native and/or adaptive planting strategies that require less maintenance and fertilizers.

Habitat, lower water use, lower fertilizer and pesticide use.

Electric Or Hand Powered Equipment

Fossil Fuel Powered Maintenance Equipment – Mowers, Blowers, Chainsaws, Trimmers

Less fossil fuel required.

Organic Fertilizer

Fertilizers with Nitrous Oxide (N20)

Nitrous oxide (N20) commonly found in fertilizers has 300 times worse global warming (GWP) than C02. Minimizing its use is extremely important.

Design Strategies that Minimally Impact the Soil – Boardwalks, Elevated Pathways, Found/ Existing/ Recycled Materials already On Site – Recycled Concrete, Asphalt Boulders, Wood Etc.

Soil disturbance from excessive grading. New materials that must be delivered to a site.

Minimizing soil disturbance keeps carbon in the soil. When soils are disturbed, the organic matter dies as is exposed to the air. This causes the release of carbon into the atmosphere which combined with oxygen form Co2.

When carbon is kept in the soil, the quality is higher – more organic life exists within it.

Wood Re-use

Removing Trees And Burning Or Mulching

Re-use wood on site for exterior or for interior use.

Prevents c02 emitted from offhauling if interior, the amount of carbon sequestered remain int he material.

Minimizing Pruning

Removing Large Amounts Of Tree Biomass From Pruning (Specify Disposal At Cogeneration Or Biochar Facility)

Continue to maintain safety. Minimize excessive pruning beyond that.

Carbon remains in the wood while it is alive or decomposition is prevented.