Environmentally Beneficial Landscaping
EPA's Green Statistics
50 percent (650,000 gallons) projected water
reduction for Golden, CO lab.
100 tons of greenhouse gas and air-polluting
emissions saved each year at NCC.
EPA Facilities Reduce Water
Consumption and Meet Goals
At two EPA facilities, innovative landscaping
techniques conserve water while helping the
facilities meet federal environmental goals.
The landscapes at the National Computer ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Center (NCC) in Research Triangle Park,
North Carolina, and EPA Region 8's laboratory in Golden, Colorado, are designed to reduce the
need for irrigation by using water-efficient designs and native plants suited to local conditions.
With these water-conserving measures, the facilities meet resource efficiency and sustainability
goals under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED™) for Existing Buildings as well as federal Executive Order 13101 Greening the
Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition. In addition,
Golden's laboratory plan is part of EPA's sustainability efforts under EO 13148, Greening the
Government Through Leadership in Environmental Management. The plan will also help the
laboratory achieve its Environmental Management System (EMS) and LEED® goals.
When a water conservation study at the Golden, CO laboratory revealed that irrigation
consumed more water than any other activity, the laboratory set goals to reduce water usage.
Goals also seek to provide a more self-sustaining landscape while preserving existing trees.
Plans are now being considered to convert an acre of irrigated turf into a wildflower meadow or
drought-tolerant perennial bed and reduce
pesticide use. Once instituted, these
measures could reduce water usage around
50 percent and save more than 650,000
gallons of water and $1,600 to $1,900 per
Going the Extra Mile
In addition to its native plant use, NCC employs
the use of one of the largest solar roofs in the
eastern United States, which covers more than
15,000 square feet. Seventy photovoltaic
streetlights illuminate the roads around NCC and
form the longest stretch of roadway in the United
States lit by solar energy. These two photovoltaic
systems combined prevent nearly 100 tons of
greenhouse gas and air-polluting emissions every
year.
year over the life of the project.
Instead of non-native ornamental grass and
plants that need extra water to cope with
summertime conditions, NCC uses native
plants, which are accustomed to hot
summers. Native plants require no irrigation
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ or maintenance and, in fact, there are no
water sprinklers on the entire NCC campus.
Through the use of water- and energy-efficient designs, the NCC complex expects to achieve a
LEED™ Silver rating and comply with EO 13101.
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For more information on the Golden, CO laboratory, please contact Arthur Wake at 303
312-7756 or . For more information on the NCC laboratory, please
contact Chris Long at 919 541-0249 or .
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5306W)
EPA530-F-06-032
September 2006
www.epa.gov/greenscapes
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