Page 24 - Green Builder MagazineJan-Feb 2019 HOTY Issue

URBAN SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS

BY GREEN BUILDER STAFF
Builders aren’t the only ones working sustainable policies into their everyday activities.

Cities are also taking part, with creative approaches to eco-challenges ranging from greenhouse
gas reduction to building code enforcement. Here are three cities—one small, one mid-sized, one

large—that have taken steps to promote sustainability with exceptional organization and passion.

Small Municipality Winner: Wellington, Fla.

WELLINGTON ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVE
HE VILLAGE OF WELLINGTON is deeply committed
to improving sustainability and quality of life for its
residents. In 2012 and 2017, Wellington obtained a Gold
Standard certi­cation from the Florida Green Building
T Coalition for its sustainability practices. Since then,
sustainability e orts have only increased.
A highlight is the Wellington Environmental Preserve, which is a
byproduct of the cooperative e orts among federal, state, regional
and local agencies to restore America’s Everglades.
The preserve, a 365-acre rainwater storage area, was built through a
partnership between the Village of Wellington and the South Florida
Water Management District (SFWMD). It received the “Project of the
Year” award from the Palm Beach County Chapter of the American
Society of Civil Engineers. The preserve is also used to naturally
cleanse storm water runo of phosphorus from the southern portion
of Wellington, through its two-plus miles of combined wetland/marsh
areas, littoral shelves and deep water sediment traps prior to its discharge. CREDIT: BRANDEN MILLER
The preserve also includes nature trails, seven designated learning

Walk of life. Nature trails, learning centers and a six-story observation
tower give visitors a wide view of Mother Nature.
centers, a six-story observation tower and a 3.6-mile perimeter trail.
Segway tours are o ered, and many groups meet to use the trail as a
running destination. It is considered a top South Florida destination
for bird watching and photography.
“The Wellington Environmental Preserve is a great example of a
project that can bene­t the environment while providing a valued
amenity for the residents,” says Branden Miller, a planner with the
Village of Wellington’s Planning and Zoning Department. “It is also
a great example of Wellington’s commitment to sustainability and
improving quality of life for its residents.”
CREDIT: BRANDEN MILLER governmental buildings constructed since 2012 have been LEED
Other efforts by the city follow that same philosophy. All
certi­ed, and numerous services and practices have been focused

car-charging stations at municipal-owned facilities, water reclamation
A green guardian. The Wellington Environmental Preserve protects on sustainability e orts. Some of these practices include free electric
the Everglades, animal life and the public by naturally cleansing storm for irrigation—which saved more than 200 million gallons of water
water runoff. last year—and an electric vehicle “eet. GB

22 GREEN BUILDER January/February 2019 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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