Dear Fellow Community Gardeners - I wanted to bring the following to your attention - the US Green Building Council - the folks who brought you the LEED rating system for green buildings - has 3 days left on its comment period for new guidelines for 'green developments/neighborhoods'
I looked through the publicly posted draft proposal and was delighted to find that the USGBC system gives points (ie incentives) for developers to include community garden spaces in their developments, or locate near a farmer's market, or build in subscriptions to local CSA's. All of this is listed under "Local Food Production" as a part of what makes a sustainable and green development. So I logged on and gave positive feedback for these efforts, as well as for the urban tree planting initiatives included in their definition of what a green neighborhood should (and could) be. If these issues are important to you, I encourage you to also comment. Only three days left to comment! The information is posted below. Cheers from Kim Kim J. Brown, Ph.D. - Education Manager Franklin Park Conservatory 1777 East Broad Street Columbus OH 43203 U.S.A. e: [email protected] p: 01-614-645-5945 - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=148 Last 3 Days to Submit Comments! LEED for Neighborhood Development 2009 Public Comment Closes Jan. 5 The LEED for Neighborhood Development first public comment period, which opened Nov. 17, will close at 11:59 pm PST on Jan. 5. The comments that we receive during this period provide invaluable feedback, and all are encouraged to submit comments. Please don't miss this opportunity to participate in the development of the rating system. To view the rating system draft and comment, please go the LEED Rating System Drafts Web page. *Reminder: Please remember to refer to the newly revised version of the rating system when making comments (available at the Web address above) rather than the pilot rating system. The LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system integrates the principles of smart growth, new urbanism and green building into the first national system for neighborhood design. The program is a collaborative effort among USGBC, the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council. This rating system is built upon the LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot rating system, which nearly 240 projects have been using since July 2007 as part of a successful pilot program. Their invaluable feedback, combined with countless hours of USGBC volunteer time, has produced a more sophisticated, market-responsive rating system. For more information, please visit the LEED for Neighborhood Development Web site. _______________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org
