Sustainability on the Sly
Landscape Architect Project Coordinator | Omaha, NE, USA
When asked to contribute to BLINK, I
struggled to decide what to write about. It was a hard decision, but I
did some deep thinking, went out and hugged my favorite tree, and came
to a conclusion: Sustainability on the Sly.
When I graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Landscape
Architecture program, I came out singing the praises of sustainability
and how I couldn’t wait to implement its practices. My first real life
project started with a lot of sustainable design aspects, but then I
came to experience what is known as value engineering. Unlike graduate
school, money (shockingly) matters and sustainability apparently is
expensive! In the “blink” of an eye (ha!), a lot of the sustainable
design aspects of my project were gone.
While on the surface sustainability seemed to be disappearing, I
started to notice something amazing. Sustainable design practices were
being added back in disguise. The design team for the Institute for the Culinary Arts
building at Omaha Metropolitan Community College took advantage of such
an opportunity. An area of the school's parking lot was so flat it was
almost impossible to drain to the conventional storm sewer system.
Instead of devising a series of complicated pipes, the team investigated
pervious concrete. Not only would it drain stormwater directly through
it, but it also cleans out any grime or chemicals that the water may
have picked up from the parking lot. Two years later, Metro Community
College is proud to say they have the largest pour of pervious concrete
in Nebraska, and it’s working beautifully!
Another example is seen at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The owner’s representative was worried about those crazy college kids
jaywalking across a very busy street (hard to believe, but I do hear it
happens). The area between the sidewalk and the street was planned to be
sod, but we were asked to find something more deterrent. After some
research, we found some beautiful shrubs that, although they had no
spikes, would keep people from wanting to walk through them. The best
part? They are natives and will require less water than non-native
shrubs and much less water than sod!
As I adjusted to the realities that exist outside graduate school, I
have learned not to lose my enthusiasm for sustainability. If a door
closes, look for the energy-efficient doggy door that lets the dog in
but also keeps cold air out.
