Practical Solutions by Category
Air Quality
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Building and Energy Codes
The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is a standard that, when adopted into law, requires all building types undergoing construction and alteration to be built in such a way that they do not waste energy used for heating, cooling, and lighting. These construction practices also provide more comfortable, less drafty buildings that reduce energy use and energy bills.
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Carpooling
Carpooling, also known as ride-sharing and car-sharing, is the act of sharing a vehicle so that more than one person travels in the vehicle at a particular time. Carpooling reduces air pollution, energy use, toll expenses, and stresses of driving. Vehicular wear and tear can also be reduced, since the car will not be traveling as much as it would if the driver did not carpool.
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Climate Action Plan
A Climate Action Plan identifies the strategies an organization plans to implement to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While the instructions in this tool are tailored to local governments, any organization (including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and universities) can complete a Climate Action Plan.
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)/Food Co-Ops
Community supported agriculture (CSAs) programs are an economic system of producing and distributing food supplies more locally to the consumers. Most CSAs operate as a partnership between regional farmers and consumers. The customers pay up-front for a subscription service for the weekly delivery of fresh produce. Often the food is delivered in a single box - recent innovations include customized ordering and more than only produce items. Food cooperatives, or co-ops, are formal partnerships organized for food distribution but owned by their employees and/or customers, rather than by corporations. Most commonly a co-op will own and manage a traditional grocery store, but they can also be a "buying club" more similar to CSAs. The goal of either model is very similar - to better connect local consumers with local farmers and food producers. CSAs and Co-ops are related, but different than urban agriculture programs, farmer's markets, and local food consumption.
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Connectivity Indexes (Transportation Network Design)
Connectivity Indexes address a community's transportation network connectivity, most commonly streets and sidewalks. A connectivity index is simply a unit of measurement - a metric. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess a specific piece (connectivity) of a larger complete streets design.
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Density Bonuses
Density bonuses are a tool offered to developers that allows for increased floor space, taller buildings, or more housing units than the traditional zoning code permits, in exchange for contributing to the community's vision by providing a defined public benefit. The public benefit can range from affordable housing units, to senior care facilities, to maximizing the use of public transit. Those priorities and policy decisions are made by the local government and based on the community's goals.
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Farmland Preservation
Farmland preservation is a joint effort by local governments and non-governmental organizations to protect and preserve agricultural land. Often a part of regional planning and national historic preservation, farmland preservation includes implementing policies and programs to manage urban growth and encroaching development, prevent conversion of farmland to other uses, and to maintain the ecological integrity and environmental benefits of agricultural lands.
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Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHPs)
Geothermal heat pumps use the Earth's relatively constant temperatures for indoor heating and cooling. Only a few feet below the surface, temperatures stay relatively consistent and do not fluctuate. This means that during the summer the pumps cool your house and in the winter they heat it. Geothermal energy is an example of renewable energy and is also an energy efficient solution. A home energy audit can help you identify other energy efficient technologies, including passive solar (another solution that draws from the Earth's natural heating).
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Great Streets
The St. Louis Great Streets Initiative was created in early 2006 to expand the use of multi-modal streets, also known as Complete Streets. The goal of the program is to trigger economic and social growth with the aid of lively and attractive multi-modal streets.
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Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
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Greenhouse Gas Inventory
A greenhouse gas inventory is an accounting of all greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into or removed from the atmosphere over a certain period of time. Local governments use greenhouse gas inventories to create baselines in order to track emission trends. Creating a greenhouse gas inventory is usually the first step a local government takes to reduce emissions.
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High Efficiency Vehicles for Municipal Fleets
Municipal fleets provide important services to citizens and account for a significant chunk of a city or county's operational budget. Powering these fleets is not only a costly endeavor monetarily, but it can also affect communities' air quality. Implementing high efficiency vehicles into a municipal fleet can provide for long term cost savings and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into our air.
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Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
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Methane Digesters
Methane digesters take waste material (old-food, animal, and human waste) and extract methane. The methane can then be used to produce energy. Some methane digesters will turn the manure into animal bedding and other useable products. This tool can be very valuable to dairy farmers.
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Mixed-Use Zoning
Mixed-Use Zoning is a specific land-use regulatory tool implemented by units of local government that permits multiple use-types within the same building, district, or corridor. The approach has been used successfully for years in urban settlement design. However, contemporary efforts are in response to 20th Century Euclidean zoning that features a stark separation of uses. Mixed-Use Zoning is an important step for a Mixed-Use Development. Mixed-Use Zoning is one of the many tools that can be used to create dense, unique, and walkable neighborhoods that can spur economic development and provide a sense of "place."
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Mold Reduction and Removal
Molds are part of our natural environment. Outdoors, they help break down dead leaves and other organic material. Indoors, however, mold growth should be avoided and prevented. Mold spores that land on a wet or damp spot indoors can begin growing and causing health problems. Molds produce allergens and irritants and can cause allergic reactions if inhaled or touched. Mold can cause asthma attacks, sneezing, and skin rash. Aside from the health issues, mold can also impact the structural integrity of buildings.
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Native Landscaping
Native landscaping is the intentional growing of indigenous plants in their native habitats. As time goes on, plants evolve and adapt to the geography, climate, and hydrology of a region. When non-native plants, also known as invasive plants or exotic species, are introduced to the region, they tend to take over the area and eliminate the native plants. Using native plants in your landscaping eliminates the need for fertilizers and decreases the need for pesticides. Native landscaping is better for the environment and is more cost efficient than exotic species.
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No Idling Zone
Idling is the term given to running an engine that powers a vehicle when the vehicle is not moving. No Idling Zones and anti-idling policies promote turning off vehicles that are not moving. Even though they are not moving, idling vehicles still create exhaust, which contributes to the formation of ozone smog and harmful particulate matter and can negatively affect lung growth and development in children. Also, idling vehicles waste fuel and increase unneccessary wear and tear on the vehicle's engine.
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Ozone Garden
Ozone gardens are comprised of ozone sensitive plants such as the common milkweed or snap beans. During the growing season, these plants will show obvious signs of damage from elevated levels of ozone. High concentrations of ozone are toxic to animal and plant life especially on very hot days. Building an ozone garden provides a clear demonstration of negative impacts of ozone. There are also websites for you to post pictures and information about your garden, thus contributing to scientific research.
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Passive Solar Energy
Passive solar minimizes energy use through the strategic design of a structure, including site placement, natural climate, and building materials. Unlike other renewable energy sources, where the structure is still technically consuming electricity, passive solar energy harnesses the sun's natural warmth to supply at least part of a building's heating and lighting needs. By using certain materials and designs to capture heat and light from south-facing windows, buildings can reduce their energy consumption.
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Radon Reduction and Removal
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Radon is a bi-product of the breakdown of uranium. Homes and buildings can be tested for radon, and they can be designed to reduce exposure to this harmful element.
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Reduce the Amount of Waste Going to Landfills
This article documents potential health concerns for communities living near landfills. The resources below can help reduce waste, resulting in less landfill space needed in a community.
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Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
Reducing VMT can be accomplished by implementing other tools in the OneSTL Toolkit. These tools include: bicycle and pedestrian programs, carpooling and rideshare programs, complete streets, great streets and transit-oriented development. Below are other methods for reducing VMT. The US national average VMT has declined in recent years, but traffic emissions continue to affect the environment and public health. Reducing VMT has the potential to improve regional air quality and shift travel to other transportation options that can promote physical activity and spur economic development.
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Renewable Energy for Homes
Many individuals are familiar with renewable energy as part of large-scale public policy discussions about electricity in the United States. But renewable energy can be a very local solution too - including for your very own home. Simply, your home relies on the power you buy from your electric utility, however, you can tap into many sustainable, naturally renewable solutions such as solar energy and wind power yourself. Not only do these solutions save you money off your power bill, but they also reduce pollution and negative impacts on human health.
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Smog-Eating Concrete
Smog-eating concrete is concrete mixed with a titanium oxide additive. Originally developed to ensure that the concrete remained a bright white color, it was discovered that the compound breaks down nitrogen oxide molecules in addition to other pollutants. Adding this compound to any concrete construction has the capability of improving the air quality of the surrounding area.
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Solar Panels
Solar panels generate electricity using the nearly limitless supply of energy from the sun. Panels can be installed in large arrays or on rooftops/walls of homes and buildings. Solar panels have become more affordable over time, and thanks to rebates and tax credits included in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), making the switch is now more affordable than ever.
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STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
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Street Trees
Street trees are trees planted along the side of streets. Benefits include reduction in the heat island affect, improved property values, increase in shaded area and safer transit. In recent years cities have enacted laws requiring street trees and establishing other provisions.
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Tobacco Free Housing
Millions of Americans live in subsidized housing. Many of these residents are children, elderly, or disabled. Tobacco Free Housing policies forbid smoking within and near subsidized housing units and are becoming increasingly popular. Health and wellness and economic advantages are main determinants for the implementation of such policies.
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Transfer of Development Rights
Local governments can enact voluntary transferable development rights programs that allow the private marketplace to assess development feasibility while also preserving areas targeted for conservation. Zoning regulations authorize a certain level of development measured by the three dimensional aspect of the regulations (bulk, height and use). Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a technique for preserving a lower level of development density on one site by transferring unused development rights to another site.
A local community may prefer to protect certain areas from future growth, such as farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, ground for open space and parkland, historic districts, or residential areas. The primary benefit to the receiving property is being permitted additional density in an already developed area. The benefit to the sending property owner is receiving cash value and/or tax credits for transferring their development rights to another property owner. The community benefits by achieving a public benefit, such as those listed above.
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Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) refers to mixed-use development near rail transit stops. TOD communities are designed to be walkable and sustainable, thus allowing residents to live, work and play and be able to walk safely to the closest rail system.
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Tree Maintenance and Preservation
Tree maintenance and preservation are a collection of activities aimed at prolonging the life of trees and bushes. While planting trees is the more popular activity, maintaining and protecting trees is just as important, if not more important in the grand scheme of things. Protecting mature trees during development will provide environmental benefits and increase the value of the developed land.
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Urban Agriculture
Urban agriculture is an innovative method of growing food crops and raising animals to cultivate locally produced fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat. The product of these farms is meant to be sold to others. If you want information on how to grow produce for your own consumption, please see our Community Gardens page.
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Urban and Community Forestry Management
Urban and Community Forestry is the planning and management of a community's forest resources to enhance the citizens' quality of life. The process integrates the economic, environmental, political, and social values of the community to develop a comprehensive management plan for the urban or community forest. Urban and community forests could be developed in almost any community.
Energy Efficiency
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Building and Energy Codes
The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is a standard that, when adopted into law, requires all building types undergoing construction and alteration to be built in such a way that they do not waste energy used for heating, cooling, and lighting. These construction practices also provide more comfortable, less drafty buildings that reduce energy use and energy bills.
-
Carpooling
Carpooling, also known as ride-sharing and car-sharing, is the act of sharing a vehicle so that more than one person travels in the vehicle at a particular time. Carpooling reduces air pollution, energy use, toll expenses, and stresses of driving. Vehicular wear and tear can also be reduced, since the car will not be traveling as much as it would if the driver did not carpool.
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Climate Action Plan
A Climate Action Plan identifies the strategies an organization plans to implement to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While the instructions in this tool are tailored to local governments, any organization (including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and universities) can complete a Climate Action Plan.
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)/Food Co-Ops
Community supported agriculture (CSAs) programs are an economic system of producing and distributing food supplies more locally to the consumers. Most CSAs operate as a partnership between regional farmers and consumers. The customers pay up-front for a subscription service for the weekly delivery of fresh produce. Often the food is delivered in a single box - recent innovations include customized ordering and more than only produce items. Food cooperatives, or co-ops, are formal partnerships organized for food distribution but owned by their employees and/or customers, rather than by corporations. Most commonly a co-op will own and manage a traditional grocery store, but they can also be a "buying club" more similar to CSAs. The goal of either model is very similar - to better connect local consumers with local farmers and food producers. CSAs and Co-ops are related, but different than urban agriculture programs, farmer's markets, and local food consumption.
-
Density Bonuses
Density bonuses are a tool offered to developers that allows for increased floor space, taller buildings, or more housing units than the traditional zoning code permits, in exchange for contributing to the community's vision by providing a defined public benefit. The public benefit can range from affordable housing units, to senior care facilities, to maximizing the use of public transit. Those priorities and policy decisions are made by the local government and based on the community's goals.
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Energy Efficiency
Buildings are responsible for nearly half of the energy used (48.7%) in the U.S. – more than both the transportation and industry sectors. Additionally, buildings account for 46.7% of greenhouse gases emitted. And according to the US DOE, over 30% of all energy entering homes is wasted. Energy efficiency is an affordable solution.
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Form-Based Code
Form Based Codes (FBCs) or zoning is a method of regulating development to achieve a specific urban form. Form Based Zoning regulates the design of buildings and other aspects of urban development. Its application regulates development to address challenges and achieve specific community goals.
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Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHPs)
Geothermal heat pumps use the Earth's relatively constant temperatures for indoor heating and cooling. Only a few feet below the surface, temperatures stay relatively consistent and do not fluctuate. This means that during the summer the pumps cool your house and in the winter they heat it. Geothermal energy is an example of renewable energy and is also an energy efficient solution. A home energy audit can help you identify other energy efficient technologies, including passive solar (another solution that draws from the Earth's natural heating).
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Green Roofs
A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation growth. Green roofs absorb rainwater, provide insulation, provide a living space for insects and birds, and help to mitigate the heat island effect. In addition, green roofs reduce energy costs and can enhance the quality of life for residents nearby.
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Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
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Greenhouse Gas Inventory
A greenhouse gas inventory is an accounting of all greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into or removed from the atmosphere over a certain period of time. Local governments use greenhouse gas inventories to create baselines in order to track emission trends. Creating a greenhouse gas inventory is usually the first step a local government takes to reduce emissions.
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High Efficiency Vehicles for Municipal Fleets
Municipal fleets provide important services to citizens and account for a significant chunk of a city or county's operational budget. Powering these fleets is not only a costly endeavor monetarily, but it can also affect communities' air quality. Implementing high efficiency vehicles into a municipal fleet can provide for long term cost savings and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into our air.
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Home Energy Audits
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the average home wastes more than 30% of the energy it consumes. A home energy audit helps homeowners determine where their house is losing energy and money - and how such problems can be corrected to make the home more energy efficient. An energy auditor can check for leaks, examine insulation, inspect the furnace and ductwork, and perform a blower door test using an infrared camera. Information about discounted or free home energy audits for income-qualified indiviuals is available below.
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Home Improvement Guide
Home Improvement is the construction, repair, or remodeling of a piece of land or building designated as a residence. Home Improvement Guides allow local municipalities to simply describe which home improvements are encouraged, which are prohibited, and the necessary permits that are required to accomplish improvements. Home Improvement Guides should contain building codes and compliance regulations to help ensure that residents have proper installation, construction materials, and meet minimum standards that promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the neighborhood. Overall, city residents should enjoy their renovations while the neighborhood’s ambiance and property values increase.
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Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
-
Methane Digesters
Methane digesters take waste material (old-food, animal, and human waste) and extract methane. The methane can then be used to produce energy. Some methane digesters will turn the manure into animal bedding and other useable products. This tool can be very valuable to dairy farmers.
-
Mixed-Use Zoning
Mixed-Use Zoning is a specific land-use regulatory tool implemented by units of local government that permits multiple use-types within the same building, district, or corridor. The approach has been used successfully for years in urban settlement design. However, contemporary efforts are in response to 20th Century Euclidean zoning that features a stark separation of uses. Mixed-Use Zoning is an important step for a Mixed-Use Development. Mixed-Use Zoning is one of the many tools that can be used to create dense, unique, and walkable neighborhoods that can spur economic development and provide a sense of "place."
-
Native Landscaping
Native landscaping is the intentional growing of indigenous plants in their native habitats. As time goes on, plants evolve and adapt to the geography, climate, and hydrology of a region. When non-native plants, also known as invasive plants or exotic species, are introduced to the region, they tend to take over the area and eliminate the native plants. Using native plants in your landscaping eliminates the need for fertilizers and decreases the need for pesticides. Native landscaping is better for the environment and is more cost efficient than exotic species.
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Parking Requirements: Reducing Minimums & Improving Management
Required parking is a very common feature in most urban and suburban cities in the United States. Most municipal zoning codes have minimum off-street parking requirements, based on the size of an office, restaurant, or retail space. There are many unintended consequences related to requiring too much parking, both economically and environmentally, as surmised in the book by UCLA Professor Donald Shoup, The High Cost of Free Parking. Creating alternatives to mandatory parking requirements allows municipalities to take into account local community and area-specific variables that creates a customized, more efficient, and more business and environmentally friendly approach to managing parking demand.
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Passive Solar Energy
Passive solar minimizes energy use through the strategic design of a structure, including site placement, natural climate, and building materials. Unlike other renewable energy sources, where the structure is still technically consuming electricity, passive solar energy harnesses the sun's natural warmth to supply at least part of a building's heating and lighting needs. By using certain materials and designs to capture heat and light from south-facing windows, buildings can reduce their energy consumption.
-
Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
Reducing VMT can be accomplished by implementing other tools in the OneSTL Toolkit. These tools include: bicycle and pedestrian programs, carpooling and rideshare programs, complete streets, great streets and transit-oriented development. Below are other methods for reducing VMT. The US national average VMT has declined in recent years, but traffic emissions continue to affect the environment and public health. Reducing VMT has the potential to improve regional air quality and shift travel to other transportation options that can promote physical activity and spur economic development.
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Rehabilitation Subcodes
Building codes are essential to guarantee the safety of new buildings. These codes are often applied to the rehabilitation of old buildings, as well, and they are not always a perfect fit. Rehabilitation subcodes, which are also called Smart Codes, were first developed in the late 1990s and aim to establish modern, up-to-date codes that address the repair, alteration, addition, or change of occupancy in existing buildings.
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Renewable Energy for Homes
Many individuals are familiar with renewable energy as part of large-scale public policy discussions about electricity in the United States. But renewable energy can be a very local solution too - including for your very own home. Simply, your home relies on the power you buy from your electric utility, however, you can tap into many sustainable, naturally renewable solutions such as solar energy and wind power yourself. Not only do these solutions save you money off your power bill, but they also reduce pollution and negative impacts on human health.
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Riparian Buffers
Riparian buffers are simply protected corridors along rivers, streams, lakes and other bodies of water that prohibit urbanized development. These buffers protect the environment by preventing erosion and pollution of a natural body of water. Riparian buffers also play a vital role in floodplain management and water runoff containment.
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Solar Panels
Solar panels generate electricity using the nearly limitless supply of energy from the sun. Panels can be installed in large arrays or on rooftops/walls of homes and buildings. Solar panels have become more affordable over time, and thanks to rebates and tax credits included in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), making the switch is now more affordable than ever.
-
STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
-
Street Trees
Street trees are trees planted along the side of streets. Benefits include reduction in the heat island affect, improved property values, increase in shaded area and safer transit. In recent years cities have enacted laws requiring street trees and establishing other provisions.
-
Tobacco Free Housing
Millions of Americans live in subsidized housing. Many of these residents are children, elderly, or disabled. Tobacco Free Housing policies forbid smoking within and near subsidized housing units and are becoming increasingly popular. Health and wellness and economic advantages are main determinants for the implementation of such policies.
-
Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) refers to mixed-use development near rail transit stops. TOD communities are designed to be walkable and sustainable, thus allowing residents to live, work and play and be able to walk safely to the closest rail system.
-
Tree Maintenance and Preservation
Tree maintenance and preservation are a collection of activities aimed at prolonging the life of trees and bushes. While planting trees is the more popular activity, maintaining and protecting trees is just as important, if not more important in the grand scheme of things. Protecting mature trees during development will provide environmental benefits and increase the value of the developed land.
-
Urban Agriculture
Urban agriculture is an innovative method of growing food crops and raising animals to cultivate locally produced fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat. The product of these farms is meant to be sold to others. If you want information on how to grow produce for your own consumption, please see our Community Gardens page.
-
Urban and Community Forestry Management
Urban and Community Forestry is the planning and management of a community's forest resources to enhance the citizens' quality of life. The process integrates the economic, environmental, political, and social values of the community to develop a comprehensive management plan for the urban or community forest. Urban and community forests could be developed in almost any community.
Housing
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Accessory Dwelling Units
An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is an additional living space on a single-family lot with kitchen and bathroom facilities, either attached or detached from existing housing, to increase the affordability of housing with little or no impact on the neighborhood. An ADU is not a separate property; it has the same owner as the primary dwelling. ADUs can assist homeowners by offering a chance for extra income, can offset property taxes, and can offset the cost of home maintenance and repair.
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Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing works actively towards the implementation of the Fair Housing Act and promotes fair housing choice that is accessible to all people. The Fair Housing Act requires HUD to take affirmative action to promote racial integration, and in turn, local governments that receive federal funds must have plans that address fair housing. The St. Louis Regional Fair Housing Equity Assessment is available here.
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Building and Energy Codes
The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is a standard that, when adopted into law, requires all building types undergoing construction and alteration to be built in such a way that they do not waste energy used for heating, cooling, and lighting. These construction practices also provide more comfortable, less drafty buildings that reduce energy use and energy bills.
-
Climate Action Plan
A Climate Action Plan identifies the strategies an organization plans to implement to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While the instructions in this tool are tailored to local governments, any organization (including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and universities) can complete a Climate Action Plan.
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Cohousing
A cohousing community is a type of planned community in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhood. The community is planned, owned, and managed by the residents. The residents usually own their own home, but share ownership of the land and common facilities and areas. A cohousing community usually features a central corridor or pathway with the front of the homes facing inward and the parking restricted to behind the houses and a central house which is used for community gatherings and functions.
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Connectivity Indexes (Transportation Network Design)
Connectivity Indexes address a community's transportation network connectivity, most commonly streets and sidewalks. A connectivity index is simply a unit of measurement - a metric. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess a specific piece (connectivity) of a larger complete streets design.
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Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) refers to the physical surroundings that deter criminal activity and keep neighborhoods safer and more enjoyable to live. CPTED promotes security through visibility and social interaction through surveillance, access control, property maintenance, and territorial reinforcement. Law enforcement officers, architects, planners, landscape and interior designers, and residents should be included in the environmental design process to prevent crime and create positive communities.
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Density Bonuses
Density bonuses are a tool offered to developers that allows for increased floor space, taller buildings, or more housing units than the traditional zoning code permits, in exchange for contributing to the community's vision by providing a defined public benefit. The public benefit can range from affordable housing units, to senior care facilities, to maximizing the use of public transit. Those priorities and policy decisions are made by the local government and based on the community's goals.
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Employer Assisted Housing
Employer Assisted Housing (EAH) programs allow employers to help their employees purchase homes or find affordable rental housing near work. Some employers may build new housing near the job site as part of an EAH program, although aid is typically given in the form of homeownership education/counseling, forgivable or low-interest loans, credit repair, and mortgage assistance. EAH supports job growth by recruiting and retaining skilled employees. It also helps to attract public and private investment in communities through housing and jobs.
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Energy Efficiency
Buildings are responsible for nearly half of the energy used (48.7%) in the U.S. – more than both the transportation and industry sectors. Additionally, buildings account for 46.7% of greenhouse gases emitted. And according to the US DOE, over 30% of all energy entering homes is wasted. Energy efficiency is an affordable solution.
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Fair Housing Testing
Fair Housing Testing is an investigative tool to identify potential discrimination. Testing can be conducted in rental, sales, and mortgage markets. Local governments can work with qualified fair housing organizations to conduct testing in their jurisdiction. This tool helps enforce the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status.
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Foreclosure Mediation
Foreclosure mediation is a process by which neutral third parties (the “mediator”) work with homeowners and lenders to determine whether foreclosure of owner-occupied residences can be prevented by new agreements such as loan modifications, repayment plans, short sales, or deeds-in-lieu-of-foreclosure.
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Form-Based Code
Form Based Codes (FBCs) or zoning is a method of regulating development to achieve a specific urban form. Form Based Zoning regulates the design of buildings and other aspects of urban development. Its application regulates development to address challenges and achieve specific community goals.
-
Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHPs)
Geothermal heat pumps use the Earth's relatively constant temperatures for indoor heating and cooling. Only a few feet below the surface, temperatures stay relatively consistent and do not fluctuate. This means that during the summer the pumps cool your house and in the winter they heat it. Geothermal energy is an example of renewable energy and is also an energy efficient solution. A home energy audit can help you identify other energy efficient technologies, including passive solar (another solution that draws from the Earth's natural heating).
-
Green Roofs
A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation growth. Green roofs absorb rainwater, provide insulation, provide a living space for insects and birds, and help to mitigate the heat island effect. In addition, green roofs reduce energy costs and can enhance the quality of life for residents nearby.
-
Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
-
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
A greenhouse gas inventory is an accounting of all greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into or removed from the atmosphere over a certain period of time. Local governments use greenhouse gas inventories to create baselines in order to track emission trends. Creating a greenhouse gas inventory is usually the first step a local government takes to reduce emissions.
-
Home Energy Audits
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the average home wastes more than 30% of the energy it consumes. A home energy audit helps homeowners determine where their house is losing energy and money - and how such problems can be corrected to make the home more energy efficient. An energy auditor can check for leaks, examine insulation, inspect the furnace and ductwork, and perform a blower door test using an infrared camera. Information about discounted or free home energy audits for income-qualified indiviuals is available below.
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Home Improvement Guide
Home Improvement is the construction, repair, or remodeling of a piece of land or building designated as a residence. Home Improvement Guides allow local municipalities to simply describe which home improvements are encouraged, which are prohibited, and the necessary permits that are required to accomplish improvements. Home Improvement Guides should contain building codes and compliance regulations to help ensure that residents have proper installation, construction materials, and meet minimum standards that promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the neighborhood. Overall, city residents should enjoy their renovations while the neighborhood’s ambiance and property values increase.
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Home Improvement Loan Program
A Home Improvement Loan Program provides funds for homeowners to maintain and upgrade their property. Loan programs are usually targeted to low-income homeowners, and are effective at mitigating the downward, self-reinforcing cycle of deteriorating housing stock. Approved repairs or replacement should bring houses up to at least minimum code standards. Homeowners apply for home improvement loans through state and local housing agencies and nonprofit organizations.
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Housing Counseling Centers
First-time homeowners should understand the benefits and responsibilities of homeownership. Understanding budgeting and credit will lead to better-informed decisions about spending and borrowing. When trying to finance a home, homebuyers should be aware of high-risk loans and how the loan process works. Also knowing the right type of loan for your situation will lead you to make better borrowing choices.
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Inclusionary Zoning
Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) is a tool that requires or encourages developers to make a percentage of housing units in new residential developments available to low-and moderate-income households. In return, developers receive incentives or development rights in the form of density bonuses, zoning variances and/or permits that decrease construction costs. IZ broadens the supply of affordable housing and encourages mixed-income communities.
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Land Bank
Land Banks are governmental or nongovernmental non-profit entities that acquire vacant, abandoned or dilapidated properties and then develop or redevelop the property. Land banks force a community to plan for both the short-term and long-term. Often, a properly managed land bank can be the catalyst for further development in a community.
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Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
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Low Income Housing Tax Credits
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits provides a federal tax credit to investors developing affordable housing. Low-Income Housing Tax Credits require developers to set aside a minimum amount of units for low-income residents. Tax credits are applied each year for 10 years to the owner of the development. Many units developed serve very low- to extremely low-income residents.
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Mixed-Use Zoning
Mixed-Use Zoning is a specific land-use regulatory tool implemented by units of local government that permits multiple use-types within the same building, district, or corridor. The approach has been used successfully for years in urban settlement design. However, contemporary efforts are in response to 20th Century Euclidean zoning that features a stark separation of uses. Mixed-Use Zoning is an important step for a Mixed-Use Development. Mixed-Use Zoning is one of the many tools that can be used to create dense, unique, and walkable neighborhoods that can spur economic development and provide a sense of "place."
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Mold Reduction and Removal
Molds are part of our natural environment. Outdoors, they help break down dead leaves and other organic material. Indoors, however, mold growth should be avoided and prevented. Mold spores that land on a wet or damp spot indoors can begin growing and causing health problems. Molds produce allergens and irritants and can cause allergic reactions if inhaled or touched. Mold can cause asthma attacks, sneezing, and skin rash. Aside from the health issues, mold can also impact the structural integrity of buildings.
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Multigenerational Communities
Multigenerational planning is a holistic city planning approach that designs community infrastructure and assets while taking into consideration how those choices will impact residents across the spectrum of ages. The American Planning Association notes that sometimes certain planning concepts or efforts target specific populations or lifestyles. The reality is that through residential development, zoning, and historic land use patterns, many neighborhoods or suburban communities are designed to cater to a narrow age-segment. In contrast, Multigenerational Communities are places designed to incorporate populations of all age groups, interacting and living together in one community.
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Passive Solar Energy
Passive solar minimizes energy use through the strategic design of a structure, including site placement, natural climate, and building materials. Unlike other renewable energy sources, where the structure is still technically consuming electricity, passive solar energy harnesses the sun's natural warmth to supply at least part of a building's heating and lighting needs. By using certain materials and designs to capture heat and light from south-facing windows, buildings can reduce their energy consumption.
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Radon Reduction and Removal
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Radon is a bi-product of the breakdown of uranium. Homes and buildings can be tested for radon, and they can be designed to reduce exposure to this harmful element.
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Rehabilitation Subcodes
Building codes are essential to guarantee the safety of new buildings. These codes are often applied to the rehabilitation of old buildings, as well, and they are not always a perfect fit. Rehabilitation subcodes, which are also called Smart Codes, were first developed in the late 1990s and aim to establish modern, up-to-date codes that address the repair, alteration, addition, or change of occupancy in existing buildings.
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Renewable Energy for Homes
Many individuals are familiar with renewable energy as part of large-scale public policy discussions about electricity in the United States. But renewable energy can be a very local solution too - including for your very own home. Simply, your home relies on the power you buy from your electric utility, however, you can tap into many sustainable, naturally renewable solutions such as solar energy and wind power yourself. Not only do these solutions save you money off your power bill, but they also reduce pollution and negative impacts on human health.
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Rental Licensing Program
Rental Property Licensing Programs allow cities to address property maintenance and safety issues in rental property on a regular basis, which helps protect against the deterioration of housing stock caused by absentee landlords. Rental Licensing Programs protect the public heath, safety, and welfare of citizens who occupy rental units through a rental dwelling inspection and maintenance program that corrects substandard conditions and maintains a standard for newly constructed and existing rental dwellings. Rental Licensing Programs are enforced through city or municipal codes.
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Section 3 Hiring and Training
Section 3 is a HUD program aimed at economic development, neighborhood investment, and individual self-sufficiency. Homeownership is the ultimate goal of the Section 3 program. The program provides job skills training, employment, and contracts. The Section 3 program is aimed at public housing residents and low income individuals. Simply put, if local governments, private business, or non-profits accept HUD-funded work, they have a requirement to provide job training and employment to certain public housing residents and low income populations.
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Source of Income Protection Legislation
Source of Income (SOI) Protection legislation helps protect people who use government assistant programs from discrimination. Public assistance may include Section 8 Vouchers/Fair Choice Housing Vouchers, Social Security, TANF, and other forms. SOI is not protected under the Fair Housing Act. States and local governments supplement their fair housing laws to include source of income protection. Source of income protection gives those receiving housing assistance the opportunity to live in better and more sustainable housing.
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STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
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Tobacco Free Housing
Millions of Americans live in subsidized housing. Many of these residents are children, elderly, or disabled. Tobacco Free Housing policies forbid smoking within and near subsidized housing units and are becoming increasingly popular. Health and wellness and economic advantages are main determinants for the implementation of such policies.
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Transfer of Development Rights
Local governments can enact voluntary transferable development rights programs that allow the private marketplace to assess development feasibility while also preserving areas targeted for conservation. Zoning regulations authorize a certain level of development measured by the three dimensional aspect of the regulations (bulk, height and use). Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a technique for preserving a lower level of development density on one site by transferring unused development rights to another site.
A local community may prefer to protect certain areas from future growth, such as farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, ground for open space and parkland, historic districts, or residential areas. The primary benefit to the receiving property is being permitted additional density in an already developed area. The benefit to the sending property owner is receiving cash value and/or tax credits for transferring their development rights to another property owner. The community benefits by achieving a public benefit, such as those listed above.
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Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) refers to mixed-use development near rail transit stops. TOD communities are designed to be walkable and sustainable, thus allowing residents to live, work and play and be able to walk safely to the closest rail system.
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Universal Design
Universal Design is a human-centered design process through which products, housing, and buildings are developed to be usable by anyone, regardless of age or ability. Making housing/buildings accessible to all is advantageous for everyone regardless of ability, because anyone can find themselves disabled at any point in their lifetime.
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Volunteering & Community Service
Volunteering and community service are important components for community progress. Many programs and everyday events cannot succeed without the help of volunteers. This tool item should help to find service opportunities and help coordinate groups more efficiently. When a person donates their time, they learn the importance of these programs and why they are critical to help another.
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Yard Waste Recycling & Management
If you have a yard, you have yard waste. There are various practices that can make your lawncare routine more sustainable, including mowing grass with a mulching blade, composting yard waste, using compost for fertilizer, and collecting and storing rain water. The goal is to minimize the amount of lawn maintenance materials that are purchased and/or thrown away.
Land Use
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Accessory Dwelling Units
An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is an additional living space on a single-family lot with kitchen and bathroom facilities, either attached or detached from existing housing, to increase the affordability of housing with little or no impact on the neighborhood. An ADU is not a separate property; it has the same owner as the primary dwelling. ADUs can assist homeowners by offering a chance for extra income, can offset property taxes, and can offset the cost of home maintenance and repair.
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Brownfield Redevelopment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website states "Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." Costs for environmentally hazardous property cleanup may be expensive and even overbearing for property owners. This Brownfield Redevelopment tool presents residents and communities with the instructions to turn those costly unused properties into vibrant community and economic uses. Brownfield redevelopment involves people within the community, land parcel owners, developers, and the city/municipality. The US EPA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and Illinois EPA provide the means for cleaning up the properties.
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Climate Action Plan
A Climate Action Plan identifies the strategies an organization plans to implement to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While the instructions in this tool are tailored to local governments, any organization (including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and universities) can complete a Climate Action Plan.
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Cohousing
A cohousing community is a type of planned community in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhood. The community is planned, owned, and managed by the residents. The residents usually own their own home, but share ownership of the land and common facilities and areas. A cohousing community usually features a central corridor or pathway with the front of the homes facing inward and the parking restricted to behind the houses and a central house which is used for community gatherings and functions.
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Community Gardens
Community gardening is a group of people growing produce for their own consumption. Sometimes community gardens produce food for a local school or shelter. Community gardens are not the same as urban farms, which are usually larger and produce food for purchase and consumption by others.
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)/Food Co-Ops
Community supported agriculture (CSAs) programs are an economic system of producing and distributing food supplies more locally to the consumers. Most CSAs operate as a partnership between regional farmers and consumers. The customers pay up-front for a subscription service for the weekly delivery of fresh produce. Often the food is delivered in a single box - recent innovations include customized ordering and more than only produce items. Food cooperatives, or co-ops, are formal partnerships organized for food distribution but owned by their employees and/or customers, rather than by corporations. Most commonly a co-op will own and manage a traditional grocery store, but they can also be a "buying club" more similar to CSAs. The goal of either model is very similar - to better connect local consumers with local farmers and food producers. CSAs and Co-ops are related, but different than urban agriculture programs, farmer's markets, and local food consumption.
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Connectivity Indexes (Transportation Network Design)
Connectivity Indexes address a community's transportation network connectivity, most commonly streets and sidewalks. A connectivity index is simply a unit of measurement - a metric. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess a specific piece (connectivity) of a larger complete streets design.
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Conservation Easements
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. The easement is a voluntary land-protection tool that is privately or publicly initiated to conserve natural resources or open space on the property. Conservation easements help landowers protect agricultural or undeveloped land, especially when land values are rising rapidly.
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Conservation Subdivision Design
A conservation subdivision is a residential subdivision designed to protect the natural features of a location while maintaining the economic viability of it as a development site. In their Conservation Subdivision Design Handbook, Heartlands Conservancy compares conservation subdivisions to golf course subdivisions, where homes are oriented around the golf course and residents are guaranteed the existence of that golf course as an amenity. In a conservation subdivision, the amenities guaranteed and preserved are the natural features of the location such as a stand of trees, a lake, or a creek.
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Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) refers to the physical surroundings that deter criminal activity and keep neighborhoods safer and more enjoyable to live. CPTED promotes security through visibility and social interaction through surveillance, access control, property maintenance, and territorial reinforcement. Law enforcement officers, architects, planners, landscape and interior designers, and residents should be included in the environmental design process to prevent crime and create positive communities.
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Density Bonuses
Density bonuses are a tool offered to developers that allows for increased floor space, taller buildings, or more housing units than the traditional zoning code permits, in exchange for contributing to the community's vision by providing a defined public benefit. The public benefit can range from affordable housing units, to senior care facilities, to maximizing the use of public transit. Those priorities and policy decisions are made by the local government and based on the community's goals.
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Drought Awareness & Preparedness
The St. Louis Bi-State region has a plentiful water supply; however, drought awareness and preparation should still be top priorities for people in the region. By managing your water use properly, you ensure more water for others in the region and consquently throughout the Midwest.
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Farmland Preservation
Farmland preservation is a joint effort by local governments and non-governmental organizations to protect and preserve agricultural land. Often a part of regional planning and national historic preservation, farmland preservation includes implementing policies and programs to manage urban growth and encroaching development, prevent conversion of farmland to other uses, and to maintain the ecological integrity and environmental benefits of agricultural lands.
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Form-Based Code
Form Based Codes (FBCs) or zoning is a method of regulating development to achieve a specific urban form. Form Based Zoning regulates the design of buildings and other aspects of urban development. Its application regulates development to address challenges and achieve specific community goals.
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Graywater Reuse
Graywater is reusable wastewater from bathroom sinks, bathtub shower drains, and washing machine drains. These are included in residential, commercial, and industrial applications. Typically, graywater is reused onsite, and it tends to be used for landscape irrigation purposes. If the graywater is to be used for irrigation purposes, the soap and personal care products used in the household must be non-toxic and also low-sodium.
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Great Streets
The St. Louis Great Streets Initiative was created in early 2006 to expand the use of multi-modal streets, also known as Complete Streets. The goal of the program is to trigger economic and social growth with the aid of lively and attractive multi-modal streets.
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Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
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Greenhouse Gas Inventory
A greenhouse gas inventory is an accounting of all greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into or removed from the atmosphere over a certain period of time. Local governments use greenhouse gas inventories to create baselines in order to track emission trends. Creating a greenhouse gas inventory is usually the first step a local government takes to reduce emissions.
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Inclusionary Zoning
Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) is a tool that requires or encourages developers to make a percentage of housing units in new residential developments available to low-and moderate-income households. In return, developers receive incentives or development rights in the form of density bonuses, zoning variances and/or permits that decrease construction costs. IZ broadens the supply of affordable housing and encourages mixed-income communities.
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Land Bank
Land Banks are governmental or nongovernmental non-profit entities that acquire vacant, abandoned or dilapidated properties and then develop or redevelop the property. Land banks force a community to plan for both the short-term and long-term. Often, a properly managed land bank can be the catalyst for further development in a community.
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Livestock Waste Management (Clinton County)
A livestock waste management plan specifies how, when, and where animal waste will be handled. It is used for systems that store, stabilize, transport, or apply animal waste to land. Best management practices are designed to prevent contaminated runoff water from leaving the owner’s property and entering surface or groundwater. Proper manure handling, storage, and disposal ensure that farmers reap the maximum fertilizer value from animal wastes, while reducing risks of groundwater and surface water contamination from improper application of nutrients.
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Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
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Mixed-Use Zoning
Mixed-Use Zoning is a specific land-use regulatory tool implemented by units of local government that permits multiple use-types within the same building, district, or corridor. The approach has been used successfully for years in urban settlement design. However, contemporary efforts are in response to 20th Century Euclidean zoning that features a stark separation of uses. Mixed-Use Zoning is an important step for a Mixed-Use Development. Mixed-Use Zoning is one of the many tools that can be used to create dense, unique, and walkable neighborhoods that can spur economic development and provide a sense of "place."
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Mold Reduction and Removal
Molds are part of our natural environment. Outdoors, they help break down dead leaves and other organic material. Indoors, however, mold growth should be avoided and prevented. Mold spores that land on a wet or damp spot indoors can begin growing and causing health problems. Molds produce allergens and irritants and can cause allergic reactions if inhaled or touched. Mold can cause asthma attacks, sneezing, and skin rash. Aside from the health issues, mold can also impact the structural integrity of buildings.
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Native Landscaping
Native landscaping is the intentional growing of indigenous plants in their native habitats. As time goes on, plants evolve and adapt to the geography, climate, and hydrology of a region. When non-native plants, also known as invasive plants or exotic species, are introduced to the region, they tend to take over the area and eliminate the native plants. Using native plants in your landscaping eliminates the need for fertilizers and decreases the need for pesticides. Native landscaping is better for the environment and is more cost efficient than exotic species.
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Parking Requirements: Reducing Minimums & Improving Management
Required parking is a very common feature in most urban and suburban cities in the United States. Most municipal zoning codes have minimum off-street parking requirements, based on the size of an office, restaurant, or retail space. There are many unintended consequences related to requiring too much parking, both economically and environmentally, as surmised in the book by UCLA Professor Donald Shoup, The High Cost of Free Parking. Creating alternatives to mandatory parking requirements allows municipalities to take into account local community and area-specific variables that creates a customized, more efficient, and more business and environmentally friendly approach to managing parking demand.
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Pocket Parks
Pocket parks, also known as vest-pocket parks, mini parks, or parkettes, are small parks. The largest pocket park would be two-acres. These parks are open to the public but they are usually meant for people within the immediate vicinity of the park.
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Rain Gardens
A rain garden is a landscape depression with native deep-rooted plants designed to to slow down, temporarily store, and treat stormwater. While some rain gardens use amended soil, in the homeowner rain garden it is preferable to use the existing soil as long as a percolation test confirms that it will drain in a 48 hour period.
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Rainscaping
Rainscaping consists of an array of sustainable landscaping practices that a landowner may voluntarily employ to improve rainwater related problems. In addition to rain gardens and bioswales, a diverse landscape that includes trees, shrubs, perennials, mulch, and amended soils intercepts and disperses rain as it falls, instead of allowing it to run off into area streams.
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Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
Reducing VMT can be accomplished by implementing other tools in the OneSTL Toolkit. These tools include: bicycle and pedestrian programs, carpooling and rideshare programs, complete streets, great streets and transit-oriented development. Below are other methods for reducing VMT. The US national average VMT has declined in recent years, but traffic emissions continue to affect the environment and public health. Reducing VMT has the potential to improve regional air quality and shift travel to other transportation options that can promote physical activity and spur economic development.
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Rehabilitation Subcodes
Building codes are essential to guarantee the safety of new buildings. These codes are often applied to the rehabilitation of old buildings, as well, and they are not always a perfect fit. Rehabilitation subcodes, which are also called Smart Codes, were first developed in the late 1990s and aim to establish modern, up-to-date codes that address the repair, alteration, addition, or change of occupancy in existing buildings.
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Riparian Buffers
Riparian buffers are simply protected corridors along rivers, streams, lakes and other bodies of water that prohibit urbanized development. These buffers protect the environment by preventing erosion and pollution of a natural body of water. Riparian buffers also play a vital role in floodplain management and water runoff containment.
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Single Stream Recycling
Single stream recycling refers to a recycling system in which all materials including paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and jars, metal food and beverage cans, and food and beverage cartons are mixed within the same bin. These materials are collected, and then sorted by like material and sold to manufacturers to make new products.
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STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
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Streamwater and Wetland Mitigation Banking
Originating in 1996, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began considering the impact on local streams when granting nationwide permits. The focus of these efforts is to restore streams to their natural and original state. Mitigation is measured in "linear feet" of stream banks "created, enhanced or restored".
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Transfer of Development Rights
Local governments can enact voluntary transferable development rights programs that allow the private marketplace to assess development feasibility while also preserving areas targeted for conservation. Zoning regulations authorize a certain level of development measured by the three dimensional aspect of the regulations (bulk, height and use). Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a technique for preserving a lower level of development density on one site by transferring unused development rights to another site.
A local community may prefer to protect certain areas from future growth, such as farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, ground for open space and parkland, historic districts, or residential areas. The primary benefit to the receiving property is being permitted additional density in an already developed area. The benefit to the sending property owner is receiving cash value and/or tax credits for transferring their development rights to another property owner. The community benefits by achieving a public benefit, such as those listed above.
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Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) refers to mixed-use development near rail transit stops. TOD communities are designed to be walkable and sustainable, thus allowing residents to live, work and play and be able to walk safely to the closest rail system.
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Tree Maintenance and Preservation
Tree maintenance and preservation are a collection of activities aimed at prolonging the life of trees and bushes. While planting trees is the more popular activity, maintaining and protecting trees is just as important, if not more important in the grand scheme of things. Protecting mature trees during development will provide environmental benefits and increase the value of the developed land.
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Urban Agriculture
Urban agriculture is an innovative method of growing food crops and raising animals to cultivate locally produced fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat. The product of these farms is meant to be sold to others. If you want information on how to grow produce for your own consumption, please see our Community Gardens page.
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Urban and Community Forestry Management
Urban and Community Forestry is the planning and management of a community's forest resources to enhance the citizens' quality of life. The process integrates the economic, environmental, political, and social values of the community to develop a comprehensive management plan for the urban or community forest. Urban and community forests could be developed in almost any community.
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Watershed Planning
A watershed is the area of land that drains to a single point on a stream or river. Watershed planning is the identifcation of issues related to a watershed and the development of strategies to address those issues. Watershed plans usually only address a certain category of issues such as drinking water supply, water pollution, flooding, or natural habitat protection. Therefore, it is possible for one watershed to have multiple plans associated with it.
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Wetland Preservation
A wetland is a natural community characterized by soils that developed in saturated conditions and support a diversity of water tolerant plants. The array of species is a function of the seasonal pulse disturbances, such as spring flooding, that occur in that wetland.
There are several types of wetlands, including not only marshes and swamps but also oxbow lakes, sloughs, and bottomland forests.
Wetlands serve several ecological functions such as:
- water storage which helps to reduce flood heights and reduce risks of property damage and loss of life
- water filtration by reducing the level of contaminants, such as agricultural nutrients, from water
However, it is important to note than wetlands must be in a healthy state to perform these functions effectively. Unrestricted use of wetlands as depositories of point and non-point pollution (such as urban stormwater) can compromise their functionality. Thus in order to realize the multiple benefits of wetlands, effective management practices are required to ensure the health of the wetland ecosystem.
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Wildlife Corridor
One solution to address the negative effects of natural habitat fragmentation for wildlife populations is the creation of wildlife corridors within urban areas. A critical problem associated with the loss of inter-connected habitats is the loss of population migrations, which leads to inbreeding and a loss of biodiversity. Another issue is human/animal collisions which results in a considerable lost of life. A Wildlife Cooridor alleviates these problems by connecting existing habitats, which aids in animal migration and the protection of wild animals and humans alike.
Local Food/Urban Agriculture
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Community Gardens
Community gardening is a group of people growing produce for their own consumption. Sometimes community gardens produce food for a local school or shelter. Community gardens are not the same as urban farms, which are usually larger and produce food for purchase and consumption by others.
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)/Food Co-Ops
Community supported agriculture (CSAs) programs are an economic system of producing and distributing food supplies more locally to the consumers. Most CSAs operate as a partnership between regional farmers and consumers. The customers pay up-front for a subscription service for the weekly delivery of fresh produce. Often the food is delivered in a single box - recent innovations include customized ordering and more than only produce items. Food cooperatives, or co-ops, are formal partnerships organized for food distribution but owned by their employees and/or customers, rather than by corporations. Most commonly a co-op will own and manage a traditional grocery store, but they can also be a "buying club" more similar to CSAs. The goal of either model is very similar - to better connect local consumers with local farmers and food producers. CSAs and Co-ops are related, but different than urban agriculture programs, farmer's markets, and local food consumption.
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Composting
Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Compost can be used to enrich flower and vegetable gardens, to improve the soil around trees and shrubs, and as a soil amendment. Composting is the process of making compost from yard waste, fruit and vegetable waste, etc. It's easy to compost - as the saying goes "compost happens"!
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Farmers Markets
Farmers Markets serve many functions: they provide access to healthy foods, stimulate the local economy, support local agriculture, and create vibrant community gathering spots. In fact, Iowa State University found that farmers markets in the state contributed up to $20 million in sales and created another $12 million in direct and indirect economic activity.
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Farmland Preservation
Farmland preservation is a joint effort by local governments and non-governmental organizations to protect and preserve agricultural land. Often a part of regional planning and national historic preservation, farmland preservation includes implementing policies and programs to manage urban growth and encroaching development, prevent conversion of farmland to other uses, and to maintain the ecological integrity and environmental benefits of agricultural lands.
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Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
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Local Food for Public Institutions
Sustainable and locally grown foods provide institutions such as hospital, schools, and corporations with healthy alternatives. Institutions are normally located within a close proximity to its local food system, reducing travel costs and greenhouse gases. Local Food Systems also coordinate with public institutions to supply products for cafeterias, farmers markets, local gardens, and community supported agriculture programs.
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Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
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Ozone Garden
Ozone gardens are comprised of ozone sensitive plants such as the common milkweed or snap beans. During the growing season, these plants will show obvious signs of damage from elevated levels of ozone. High concentrations of ozone are toxic to animal and plant life especially on very hot days. Building an ozone garden provides a clear demonstration of negative impacts of ozone. There are also websites for you to post pictures and information about your garden, thus contributing to scientific research.
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STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
-
Transfer of Development Rights
Local governments can enact voluntary transferable development rights programs that allow the private marketplace to assess development feasibility while also preserving areas targeted for conservation. Zoning regulations authorize a certain level of development measured by the three dimensional aspect of the regulations (bulk, height and use). Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a technique for preserving a lower level of development density on one site by transferring unused development rights to another site.
A local community may prefer to protect certain areas from future growth, such as farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, ground for open space and parkland, historic districts, or residential areas. The primary benefit to the receiving property is being permitted additional density in an already developed area. The benefit to the sending property owner is receiving cash value and/or tax credits for transferring their development rights to another property owner. The community benefits by achieving a public benefit, such as those listed above.
-
Urban Agriculture
Urban agriculture is an innovative method of growing food crops and raising animals to cultivate locally produced fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat. The product of these farms is meant to be sold to others. If you want information on how to grow produce for your own consumption, please see our Community Gardens page.
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Watershed Planning
A watershed is the area of land that drains to a single point on a stream or river. Watershed planning is the identifcation of issues related to a watershed and the development of strategies to address those issues. Watershed plans usually only address a certain category of issues such as drinking water supply, water pollution, flooding, or natural habitat protection. Therefore, it is possible for one watershed to have multiple plans associated with it.
Native Plants/Trees
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Community Gardens
Community gardening is a group of people growing produce for their own consumption. Sometimes community gardens produce food for a local school or shelter. Community gardens are not the same as urban farms, which are usually larger and produce food for purchase and consumption by others.
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Density Bonuses
Density bonuses are a tool offered to developers that allows for increased floor space, taller buildings, or more housing units than the traditional zoning code permits, in exchange for contributing to the community's vision by providing a defined public benefit. The public benefit can range from affordable housing units, to senior care facilities, to maximizing the use of public transit. Those priorities and policy decisions are made by the local government and based on the community's goals.
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Farmland Preservation
Farmland preservation is a joint effort by local governments and non-governmental organizations to protect and preserve agricultural land. Often a part of regional planning and national historic preservation, farmland preservation includes implementing policies and programs to manage urban growth and encroaching development, prevent conversion of farmland to other uses, and to maintain the ecological integrity and environmental benefits of agricultural lands.
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Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
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Local Food for Public Institutions
Sustainable and locally grown foods provide institutions such as hospital, schools, and corporations with healthy alternatives. Institutions are normally located within a close proximity to its local food system, reducing travel costs and greenhouse gases. Local Food Systems also coordinate with public institutions to supply products for cafeterias, farmers markets, local gardens, and community supported agriculture programs.
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Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
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Native Landscaping
Native landscaping is the intentional growing of indigenous plants in their native habitats. As time goes on, plants evolve and adapt to the geography, climate, and hydrology of a region. When non-native plants, also known as invasive plants or exotic species, are introduced to the region, they tend to take over the area and eliminate the native plants. Using native plants in your landscaping eliminates the need for fertilizers and decreases the need for pesticides. Native landscaping is better for the environment and is more cost efficient than exotic species.
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Ozone Garden
Ozone gardens are comprised of ozone sensitive plants such as the common milkweed or snap beans. During the growing season, these plants will show obvious signs of damage from elevated levels of ozone. High concentrations of ozone are toxic to animal and plant life especially on very hot days. Building an ozone garden provides a clear demonstration of negative impacts of ozone. There are also websites for you to post pictures and information about your garden, thus contributing to scientific research.
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Rain Gardens
A rain garden is a landscape depression with native deep-rooted plants designed to to slow down, temporarily store, and treat stormwater. While some rain gardens use amended soil, in the homeowner rain garden it is preferable to use the existing soil as long as a percolation test confirms that it will drain in a 48 hour period.
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Rainscaping
Rainscaping consists of an array of sustainable landscaping practices that a landowner may voluntarily employ to improve rainwater related problems. In addition to rain gardens and bioswales, a diverse landscape that includes trees, shrubs, perennials, mulch, and amended soils intercepts and disperses rain as it falls, instead of allowing it to run off into area streams.
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Retention/Detention Ponds
Retention or detention ponds are designed to help control stormwater runoff and improve water quality by collecting water and allowing the excess water to slowly drain. Retention ponds (also known as wet ponds) retain a certain amount of water in the pond at all times. Detention ponds (also known as dry ponds) drain all of their water usually within 72-hours. Both types of ponds can be effective tools in watershed planning and floodplain management.
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Riparian Buffers
Riparian buffers are simply protected corridors along rivers, streams, lakes and other bodies of water that prohibit urbanized development. These buffers protect the environment by preventing erosion and pollution of a natural body of water. Riparian buffers also play a vital role in floodplain management and water runoff containment.
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STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
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Street Trees
Street trees are trees planted along the side of streets. Benefits include reduction in the heat island affect, improved property values, increase in shaded area and safer transit. In recent years cities have enacted laws requiring street trees and establishing other provisions.
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Transfer of Development Rights
Local governments can enact voluntary transferable development rights programs that allow the private marketplace to assess development feasibility while also preserving areas targeted for conservation. Zoning regulations authorize a certain level of development measured by the three dimensional aspect of the regulations (bulk, height and use). Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a technique for preserving a lower level of development density on one site by transferring unused development rights to another site.
A local community may prefer to protect certain areas from future growth, such as farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, ground for open space and parkland, historic districts, or residential areas. The primary benefit to the receiving property is being permitted additional density in an already developed area. The benefit to the sending property owner is receiving cash value and/or tax credits for transferring their development rights to another property owner. The community benefits by achieving a public benefit, such as those listed above.
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Urban Agriculture
Urban agriculture is an innovative method of growing food crops and raising animals to cultivate locally produced fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat. The product of these farms is meant to be sold to others. If you want information on how to grow produce for your own consumption, please see our Community Gardens page.
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Wetland Preservation
A wetland is a natural community characterized by soils that developed in saturated conditions and support a diversity of water tolerant plants. The array of species is a function of the seasonal pulse disturbances, such as spring flooding, that occur in that wetland.
There are several types of wetlands, including not only marshes and swamps but also oxbow lakes, sloughs, and bottomland forests.
Wetlands serve several ecological functions such as:
- water storage which helps to reduce flood heights and reduce risks of property damage and loss of life
- water filtration by reducing the level of contaminants, such as agricultural nutrients, from water
However, it is important to note than wetlands must be in a healthy state to perform these functions effectively. Unrestricted use of wetlands as depositories of point and non-point pollution (such as urban stormwater) can compromise their functionality. Thus in order to realize the multiple benefits of wetlands, effective management practices are required to ensure the health of the wetland ecosystem.
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Wildlife Corridor
One solution to address the negative effects of natural habitat fragmentation for wildlife populations is the creation of wildlife corridors within urban areas. A critical problem associated with the loss of inter-connected habitats is the loss of population migrations, which leads to inbreeding and a loss of biodiversity. Another issue is human/animal collisions which results in a considerable lost of life. A Wildlife Cooridor alleviates these problems by connecting existing habitats, which aids in animal migration and the protection of wild animals and humans alike.
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Yard Waste Recycling & Management
If you have a yard, you have yard waste. There are various practices that can make your lawncare routine more sustainable, including mowing grass with a mulching blade, composting yard waste, using compost for fertilizer, and collecting and storing rain water. The goal is to minimize the amount of lawn maintenance materials that are purchased and/or thrown away.
Resource Management
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Building and Energy Codes
The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is a standard that, when adopted into law, requires all building types undergoing construction and alteration to be built in such a way that they do not waste energy used for heating, cooling, and lighting. These construction practices also provide more comfortable, less drafty buildings that reduce energy use and energy bills.
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Climate Action Plan
A Climate Action Plan identifies the strategies an organization plans to implement to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While the instructions in this tool are tailored to local governments, any organization (including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and universities) can complete a Climate Action Plan.
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Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a program that trains people and organizations to assist their families and emergency services in the event of an emergency and/or natural disaster before professional first responders can arrive. CERT members are often the first responders to major disaster situations, especially when medical and emergency staff cannot immediately come to the rescue.
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Composting
Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Compost can be used to enrich flower and vegetable gardens, to improve the soil around trees and shrubs, and as a soil amendment. Composting is the process of making compost from yard waste, fruit and vegetable waste, etc. It's easy to compost - as the saying goes "compost happens"!
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Density Bonuses
Density bonuses are a tool offered to developers that allows for increased floor space, taller buildings, or more housing units than the traditional zoning code permits, in exchange for contributing to the community's vision by providing a defined public benefit. The public benefit can range from affordable housing units, to senior care facilities, to maximizing the use of public transit. Those priorities and policy decisions are made by the local government and based on the community's goals.
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Drought Awareness & Preparedness
The St. Louis Bi-State region has a plentiful water supply; however, drought awareness and preparation should still be top priorities for people in the region. By managing your water use properly, you ensure more water for others in the region and consquently throughout the Midwest.
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Electronics Recycling
Unlike traditional items you can recycle at home - electronics require special consideration when recycled. Computers, cell phones, and televisions contain toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury and should not be disposed of in a landfill or home recycling bin. Recycling electronics reduces pollution, because new materials are not created, and allows for the reuse of undamaged parts of discarded items.
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Farmland Preservation
Farmland preservation is a joint effort by local governments and non-governmental organizations to protect and preserve agricultural land. Often a part of regional planning and national historic preservation, farmland preservation includes implementing policies and programs to manage urban growth and encroaching development, prevent conversion of farmland to other uses, and to maintain the ecological integrity and environmental benefits of agricultural lands.
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Floodplain Management Solutions
Local governments can go about floodplain management through two mechanisms: structural and nonstructural solutions. Structural solutions include development of levees and dams. Nonstructural solutions include land use regulations and building codes. Over time, nonstructural solutions have become favorable to structural ones. Both solutions help a community protect itself against flooding.
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Food Waste Recovery
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food waste accounts for about 22 percent of all waste going into municipal landfills. In the Missouri Statewide Waste Composition Study published in 2018, food waste was identified to be the most prevalent material, accounting for 15% of the statewide municipal solid waste stream. Reducing food waste saves money, which is good for consumers, and reduces methane emissions, which is good for the environment. Much of the food waste can be composted, which is also good for the environment. Finally, donating surplus food to those in need helps our communities and keeps the unused items out of landfills.
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Graywater Reuse
Graywater is reusable wastewater from bathroom sinks, bathtub shower drains, and washing machine drains. These are included in residential, commercial, and industrial applications. Typically, graywater is reused onsite, and it tends to be used for landscape irrigation purposes. If the graywater is to be used for irrigation purposes, the soap and personal care products used in the household must be non-toxic and also low-sodium.
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Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
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Greenhouse Gas Inventory
A greenhouse gas inventory is an accounting of all greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into or removed from the atmosphere over a certain period of time. Local governments use greenhouse gas inventories to create baselines in order to track emission trends. Creating a greenhouse gas inventory is usually the first step a local government takes to reduce emissions.
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High Efficiency Vehicles for Municipal Fleets
Municipal fleets provide important services to citizens and account for a significant chunk of a city or county's operational budget. Powering these fleets is not only a costly endeavor monetarily, but it can also affect communities' air quality. Implementing high efficiency vehicles into a municipal fleet can provide for long term cost savings and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into our air.
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Home Improvement Loan Program
A Home Improvement Loan Program provides funds for homeowners to maintain and upgrade their property. Loan programs are usually targeted to low-income homeowners, and are effective at mitigating the downward, self-reinforcing cycle of deteriorating housing stock. Approved repairs or replacement should bring houses up to at least minimum code standards. Homeowners apply for home improvement loans through state and local housing agencies and nonprofit organizations.
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Low Flow Water Technology
Low flow water technology consists of technologies that reduce water consumption and use in the facilities in which they are installed. Replacing current appliances and facilities with low-flow versions can drastically reduce water consumption and also the costs associated with water use.
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Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
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Mixed-Use Zoning
Mixed-Use Zoning is a specific land-use regulatory tool implemented by units of local government that permits multiple use-types within the same building, district, or corridor. The approach has been used successfully for years in urban settlement design. However, contemporary efforts are in response to 20th Century Euclidean zoning that features a stark separation of uses. Mixed-Use Zoning is an important step for a Mixed-Use Development. Mixed-Use Zoning is one of the many tools that can be used to create dense, unique, and walkable neighborhoods that can spur economic development and provide a sense of "place."
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Passive Solar Energy
Passive solar minimizes energy use through the strategic design of a structure, including site placement, natural climate, and building materials. Unlike other renewable energy sources, where the structure is still technically consuming electricity, passive solar energy harnesses the sun's natural warmth to supply at least part of a building's heating and lighting needs. By using certain materials and designs to capture heat and light from south-facing windows, buildings can reduce their energy consumption.
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Reduce the Amount of Waste Going to Landfills
This article documents potential health concerns for communities living near landfills. The resources below can help reduce waste, resulting in less landfill space needed in a community.
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Rehabilitation Subcodes
Building codes are essential to guarantee the safety of new buildings. These codes are often applied to the rehabilitation of old buildings, as well, and they are not always a perfect fit. Rehabilitation subcodes, which are also called Smart Codes, were first developed in the late 1990s and aim to establish modern, up-to-date codes that address the repair, alteration, addition, or change of occupancy in existing buildings.
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Renewable Energy for Homes
Many individuals are familiar with renewable energy as part of large-scale public policy discussions about electricity in the United States. But renewable energy can be a very local solution too - including for your very own home. Simply, your home relies on the power you buy from your electric utility, however, you can tap into many sustainable, naturally renewable solutions such as solar energy and wind power yourself. Not only do these solutions save you money off your power bill, but they also reduce pollution and negative impacts on human health.
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Riparian Buffers
Riparian buffers are simply protected corridors along rivers, streams, lakes and other bodies of water that prohibit urbanized development. These buffers protect the environment by preventing erosion and pollution of a natural body of water. Riparian buffers also play a vital role in floodplain management and water runoff containment.
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Single Stream Recycling
Single stream recycling refers to a recycling system in which all materials including paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and jars, metal food and beverage cans, and food and beverage cartons are mixed within the same bin. These materials are collected, and then sorted by like material and sold to manufacturers to make new products.
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STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
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Streamwater and Wetland Mitigation Banking
Originating in 1996, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began considering the impact on local streams when granting nationwide permits. The focus of these efforts is to restore streams to their natural and original state. Mitigation is measured in "linear feet" of stream banks "created, enhanced or restored".
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Tobacco Free Housing
Millions of Americans live in subsidized housing. Many of these residents are children, elderly, or disabled. Tobacco Free Housing policies forbid smoking within and near subsidized housing units and are becoming increasingly popular. Health and wellness and economic advantages are main determinants for the implementation of such policies.
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Transfer of Development Rights
Local governments can enact voluntary transferable development rights programs that allow the private marketplace to assess development feasibility while also preserving areas targeted for conservation. Zoning regulations authorize a certain level of development measured by the three dimensional aspect of the regulations (bulk, height and use). Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a technique for preserving a lower level of development density on one site by transferring unused development rights to another site.
A local community may prefer to protect certain areas from future growth, such as farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, ground for open space and parkland, historic districts, or residential areas. The primary benefit to the receiving property is being permitted additional density in an already developed area. The benefit to the sending property owner is receiving cash value and/or tax credits for transferring their development rights to another property owner. The community benefits by achieving a public benefit, such as those listed above.
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Volunteering & Community Service
Volunteering and community service are important components for community progress. Many programs and everyday events cannot succeed without the help of volunteers. This tool item should help to find service opportunities and help coordinate groups more efficiently. When a person donates their time, they learn the importance of these programs and why they are critical to help another.
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Watershed Planning
A watershed is the area of land that drains to a single point on a stream or river. Watershed planning is the identifcation of issues related to a watershed and the development of strategies to address those issues. Watershed plans usually only address a certain category of issues such as drinking water supply, water pollution, flooding, or natural habitat protection. Therefore, it is possible for one watershed to have multiple plans associated with it.
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Wildlife Corridor
One solution to address the negative effects of natural habitat fragmentation for wildlife populations is the creation of wildlife corridors within urban areas. A critical problem associated with the loss of inter-connected habitats is the loss of population migrations, which leads to inbreeding and a loss of biodiversity. Another issue is human/animal collisions which results in a considerable lost of life. A Wildlife Cooridor alleviates these problems by connecting existing habitats, which aids in animal migration and the protection of wild animals and humans alike.
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Yard Waste Recycling & Management
If you have a yard, you have yard waste. There are various practices that can make your lawncare routine more sustainable, including mowing grass with a mulching blade, composting yard waste, using compost for fertilizer, and collecting and storing rain water. The goal is to minimize the amount of lawn maintenance materials that are purchased and/or thrown away.
Stormwater/Flooding
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Bioswales
Bioswales, also known as vegetated swales, are stormwater runoff conveyance systems used to improve water quality, diminish flooding potential, and move stormwater away from infrastructure. Bioswales are linear in design, and (despite some disagreement within the field) the length to width dimension ratios are typically recommended to be or exceed 2:1. Bioswales are best suited for residential, industrial, and commercial areas with low stormwater flow.
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Brownfield Redevelopment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website states "Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." Costs for environmentally hazardous property cleanup may be expensive and even overbearing for property owners. This Brownfield Redevelopment tool presents residents and communities with the instructions to turn those costly unused properties into vibrant community and economic uses. Brownfield redevelopment involves people within the community, land parcel owners, developers, and the city/municipality. The US EPA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and Illinois EPA provide the means for cleaning up the properties.
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Cisterns
A cistern is a device that captures and stores rainwater for reuse. Cisterns are typically made of concrete, plastic, polythylene, or metal and are larger and more permanent that rain barrels. They range in size from 100 to 10,000 gallon capacities and can be placed underground, aboveground, or on rooftops. Cisterns are usually constructed in a traditional tank shape.
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Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a program that trains people and organizations to assist their families and emergency services in the event of an emergency and/or natural disaster before professional first responders can arrive. CERT members are often the first responders to major disaster situations, especially when medical and emergency staff cannot immediately come to the rescue.
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Conservation Easements
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. The easement is a voluntary land-protection tool that is privately or publicly initiated to conserve natural resources or open space on the property. Conservation easements help landowers protect agricultural or undeveloped land, especially when land values are rising rapidly.
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Conservation Subdivision Design
A conservation subdivision is a residential subdivision designed to protect the natural features of a location while maintaining the economic viability of it as a development site. In their Conservation Subdivision Design Handbook, Heartlands Conservancy compares conservation subdivisions to golf course subdivisions, where homes are oriented around the golf course and residents are guaranteed the existence of that golf course as an amenity. In a conservation subdivision, the amenities guaranteed and preserved are the natural features of the location such as a stand of trees, a lake, or a creek.
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Density Bonuses
Density bonuses are a tool offered to developers that allows for increased floor space, taller buildings, or more housing units than the traditional zoning code permits, in exchange for contributing to the community's vision by providing a defined public benefit. The public benefit can range from affordable housing units, to senior care facilities, to maximizing the use of public transit. Those priorities and policy decisions are made by the local government and based on the community's goals.
-
Drought Awareness & Preparedness
The St. Louis Bi-State region has a plentiful water supply; however, drought awareness and preparation should still be top priorities for people in the region. By managing your water use properly, you ensure more water for others in the region and consquently throughout the Midwest.
-
Farmland Preservation
Farmland preservation is a joint effort by local governments and non-governmental organizations to protect and preserve agricultural land. Often a part of regional planning and national historic preservation, farmland preservation includes implementing policies and programs to manage urban growth and encroaching development, prevent conversion of farmland to other uses, and to maintain the ecological integrity and environmental benefits of agricultural lands.
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Floodplain Management Solutions
Local governments can go about floodplain management through two mechanisms: structural and nonstructural solutions. Structural solutions include development of levees and dams. Nonstructural solutions include land use regulations and building codes. Over time, nonstructural solutions have become favorable to structural ones. Both solutions help a community protect itself against flooding.
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Green Roofs
A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation growth. Green roofs absorb rainwater, provide insulation, provide a living space for insects and birds, and help to mitigate the heat island effect. In addition, green roofs reduce energy costs and can enhance the quality of life for residents nearby.
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Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
-
Low Flow Water Technology
Low flow water technology consists of technologies that reduce water consumption and use in the facilities in which they are installed. Replacing current appliances and facilities with low-flow versions can drastically reduce water consumption and also the costs associated with water use.
-
Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
-
Mixed-Use Zoning
Mixed-Use Zoning is a specific land-use regulatory tool implemented by units of local government that permits multiple use-types within the same building, district, or corridor. The approach has been used successfully for years in urban settlement design. However, contemporary efforts are in response to 20th Century Euclidean zoning that features a stark separation of uses. Mixed-Use Zoning is an important step for a Mixed-Use Development. Mixed-Use Zoning is one of the many tools that can be used to create dense, unique, and walkable neighborhoods that can spur economic development and provide a sense of "place."
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National Flood Insurance Program and Community Rating System
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) offers flood insurance to homeowners, renters and business owners if their community participates in NFIP, implementing NFIP regulations. The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes communities for implementing floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirments of NFIP. Both of these programs help encourage communities to implement regulations which keep them safe, make sense finanically, and are friendly to the environment.
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Native Landscaping
Native landscaping is the intentional growing of indigenous plants in their native habitats. As time goes on, plants evolve and adapt to the geography, climate, and hydrology of a region. When non-native plants, also known as invasive plants or exotic species, are introduced to the region, they tend to take over the area and eliminate the native plants. Using native plants in your landscaping eliminates the need for fertilizers and decreases the need for pesticides. Native landscaping is better for the environment and is more cost efficient than exotic species.
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Parking Requirements: Reducing Minimums & Improving Management
Required parking is a very common feature in most urban and suburban cities in the United States. Most municipal zoning codes have minimum off-street parking requirements, based on the size of an office, restaurant, or retail space. There are many unintended consequences related to requiring too much parking, both economically and environmentally, as surmised in the book by UCLA Professor Donald Shoup, The High Cost of Free Parking. Creating alternatives to mandatory parking requirements allows municipalities to take into account local community and area-specific variables that creates a customized, more efficient, and more business and environmentally friendly approach to managing parking demand.
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Pervious Pavement
Pervious pavement is a pavement surface that allows rain water and snow melt to seep through the pavement to recharge subgrade water supplies. This type of pavement helps prevent storm water runoff and reduces erosion. There are three types of pervious pavement: pervious concrete, porous asphalt and permeable interlocking pavers.
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Rain Barrels
A rain barrel is a device that captures and stores rainwater for later use. Typically designed for homeowner use, rain barrels can be used by communities and corporations, although the use of cisterns is typically more common for applications greater than a single household. Rain barrels are available in a variety of sizes and complexity and are the most common method of rainwater harvesting used by homeowners.
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Rain Gardens
A rain garden is a landscape depression with native deep-rooted plants designed to to slow down, temporarily store, and treat stormwater. While some rain gardens use amended soil, in the homeowner rain garden it is preferable to use the existing soil as long as a percolation test confirms that it will drain in a 48 hour period.
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Rainscaping
Rainscaping consists of an array of sustainable landscaping practices that a landowner may voluntarily employ to improve rainwater related problems. In addition to rain gardens and bioswales, a diverse landscape that includes trees, shrubs, perennials, mulch, and amended soils intercepts and disperses rain as it falls, instead of allowing it to run off into area streams.
-
Retention/Detention Ponds
Retention or detention ponds are designed to help control stormwater runoff and improve water quality by collecting water and allowing the excess water to slowly drain. Retention ponds (also known as wet ponds) retain a certain amount of water in the pond at all times. Detention ponds (also known as dry ponds) drain all of their water usually within 72-hours. Both types of ponds can be effective tools in watershed planning and floodplain management.
-
Riparian Buffers
Riparian buffers are simply protected corridors along rivers, streams, lakes and other bodies of water that prohibit urbanized development. These buffers protect the environment by preventing erosion and pollution of a natural body of water. Riparian buffers also play a vital role in floodplain management and water runoff containment.
-
STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
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Stormwater Trash Separators
Stormwater trash separators, also known as gross pollutant traps or hydrodynamic separators, are devices which are used to separate pollutants and trash from stormwater as the flow passes through the device.
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Streamwater and Wetland Mitigation Banking
Originating in 1996, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began considering the impact on local streams when granting nationwide permits. The focus of these efforts is to restore streams to their natural and original state. Mitigation is measured in "linear feet" of stream banks "created, enhanced or restored".
-
Transfer of Development Rights
Local governments can enact voluntary transferable development rights programs that allow the private marketplace to assess development feasibility while also preserving areas targeted for conservation. Zoning regulations authorize a certain level of development measured by the three dimensional aspect of the regulations (bulk, height and use). Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a technique for preserving a lower level of development density on one site by transferring unused development rights to another site.
A local community may prefer to protect certain areas from future growth, such as farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, ground for open space and parkland, historic districts, or residential areas. The primary benefit to the receiving property is being permitted additional density in an already developed area. The benefit to the sending property owner is receiving cash value and/or tax credits for transferring their development rights to another property owner. The community benefits by achieving a public benefit, such as those listed above.
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Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) refers to mixed-use development near rail transit stops. TOD communities are designed to be walkable and sustainable, thus allowing residents to live, work and play and be able to walk safely to the closest rail system.
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Tree Maintenance and Preservation
Tree maintenance and preservation are a collection of activities aimed at prolonging the life of trees and bushes. While planting trees is the more popular activity, maintaining and protecting trees is just as important, if not more important in the grand scheme of things. Protecting mature trees during development will provide environmental benefits and increase the value of the developed land.
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Two-Stage Ditch Design
When drainage issues affect farmland or large developments, a two-stage ditch can be an effective strategy to handle rainwater runoff while reducing the risk of erosion in areas where a stream has already been developed. A two-stage ditch design is comprised of a main stream for the standard amount of water in the stream. A second larger ditch is built around the main ditch to handle any surge in water. The two-stage ditch design increases water capacity while reducing erosion on the surrounding land. Other benefits include less flooding, and slower-moving water and opportunities for natural riparian habitat restoration.
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Urban and Community Forestry Management
Urban and Community Forestry is the planning and management of a community's forest resources to enhance the citizens' quality of life. The process integrates the economic, environmental, political, and social values of the community to develop a comprehensive management plan for the urban or community forest. Urban and community forests could be developed in almost any community.
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Watershed Planning
A watershed is the area of land that drains to a single point on a stream or river. Watershed planning is the identifcation of issues related to a watershed and the development of strategies to address those issues. Watershed plans usually only address a certain category of issues such as drinking water supply, water pollution, flooding, or natural habitat protection. Therefore, it is possible for one watershed to have multiple plans associated with it.
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Wetland Preservation
A wetland is a natural community characterized by soils that developed in saturated conditions and support a diversity of water tolerant plants. The array of species is a function of the seasonal pulse disturbances, such as spring flooding, that occur in that wetland.
There are several types of wetlands, including not only marshes and swamps but also oxbow lakes, sloughs, and bottomland forests.
Wetlands serve several ecological functions such as:
- water storage which helps to reduce flood heights and reduce risks of property damage and loss of life
- water filtration by reducing the level of contaminants, such as agricultural nutrients, from water
However, it is important to note than wetlands must be in a healthy state to perform these functions effectively. Unrestricted use of wetlands as depositories of point and non-point pollution (such as urban stormwater) can compromise their functionality. Thus in order to realize the multiple benefits of wetlands, effective management practices are required to ensure the health of the wetland ecosystem.
Transportation
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Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities and Programs
Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities and Programs refers to all structures and services that encourage and promote the active lifestyle of walking and bicycling. Benefits to the community include lower carbon emissions and reduced traffic congestion resulting from reduced use of automobilies, increased physical activity, and improved health of the population.
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Carpooling
Carpooling, also known as ride-sharing and car-sharing, is the act of sharing a vehicle so that more than one person travels in the vehicle at a particular time. Carpooling reduces air pollution, energy use, toll expenses, and stresses of driving. Vehicular wear and tear can also be reduced, since the car will not be traveling as much as it would if the driver did not carpool.
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Climate Action Plan
A Climate Action Plan identifies the strategies an organization plans to implement to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While the instructions in this tool are tailored to local governments, any organization (including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and universities) can complete a Climate Action Plan.
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)/Food Co-Ops
Community supported agriculture (CSAs) programs are an economic system of producing and distributing food supplies more locally to the consumers. Most CSAs operate as a partnership between regional farmers and consumers. The customers pay up-front for a subscription service for the weekly delivery of fresh produce. Often the food is delivered in a single box - recent innovations include customized ordering and more than only produce items. Food cooperatives, or co-ops, are formal partnerships organized for food distribution but owned by their employees and/or customers, rather than by corporations. Most commonly a co-op will own and manage a traditional grocery store, but they can also be a "buying club" more similar to CSAs. The goal of either model is very similar - to better connect local consumers with local farmers and food producers. CSAs and Co-ops are related, but different than urban agriculture programs, farmer's markets, and local food consumption.
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Complete Streets
Complete Streets is a program that advocates for street design that incorporates safe use through all modes of transportation including walking, biking, transit, and vehicular. The goal of Complete Streets is to make communities safer and more enjoyable to live in, and to raise the value of the surrounding property.
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Connectivity Indexes (Transportation Network Design)
Connectivity Indexes address a community's transportation network connectivity, most commonly streets and sidewalks. A connectivity index is simply a unit of measurement - a metric. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess a specific piece (connectivity) of a larger complete streets design.
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Density Bonuses
Density bonuses are a tool offered to developers that allows for increased floor space, taller buildings, or more housing units than the traditional zoning code permits, in exchange for contributing to the community's vision by providing a defined public benefit. The public benefit can range from affordable housing units, to senior care facilities, to maximizing the use of public transit. Those priorities and policy decisions are made by the local government and based on the community's goals.
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Drought Awareness & Preparedness
The St. Louis Bi-State region has a plentiful water supply; however, drought awareness and preparation should still be top priorities for people in the region. By managing your water use properly, you ensure more water for others in the region and consquently throughout the Midwest.
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Form-Based Code
Form Based Codes (FBCs) or zoning is a method of regulating development to achieve a specific urban form. Form Based Zoning regulates the design of buildings and other aspects of urban development. Its application regulates development to address challenges and achieve specific community goals.
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Great Streets
The St. Louis Great Streets Initiative was created in early 2006 to expand the use of multi-modal streets, also known as Complete Streets. The goal of the program is to trigger economic and social growth with the aid of lively and attractive multi-modal streets.
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Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
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Greenhouse Gas Inventory
A greenhouse gas inventory is an accounting of all greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into or removed from the atmosphere over a certain period of time. Local governments use greenhouse gas inventories to create baselines in order to track emission trends. Creating a greenhouse gas inventory is usually the first step a local government takes to reduce emissions.
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High Efficiency Vehicles for Municipal Fleets
Municipal fleets provide important services to citizens and account for a significant chunk of a city or county's operational budget. Powering these fleets is not only a costly endeavor monetarily, but it can also affect communities' air quality. Implementing high efficiency vehicles into a municipal fleet can provide for long term cost savings and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into our air.
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Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
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Mixed-Use Zoning
Mixed-Use Zoning is a specific land-use regulatory tool implemented by units of local government that permits multiple use-types within the same building, district, or corridor. The approach has been used successfully for years in urban settlement design. However, contemporary efforts are in response to 20th Century Euclidean zoning that features a stark separation of uses. Mixed-Use Zoning is an important step for a Mixed-Use Development. Mixed-Use Zoning is one of the many tools that can be used to create dense, unique, and walkable neighborhoods that can spur economic development and provide a sense of "place."
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Parking Requirements: Reducing Minimums & Improving Management
Required parking is a very common feature in most urban and suburban cities in the United States. Most municipal zoning codes have minimum off-street parking requirements, based on the size of an office, restaurant, or retail space. There are many unintended consequences related to requiring too much parking, both economically and environmentally, as surmised in the book by UCLA Professor Donald Shoup, The High Cost of Free Parking. Creating alternatives to mandatory parking requirements allows municipalities to take into account local community and area-specific variables that creates a customized, more efficient, and more business and environmentally friendly approach to managing parking demand.
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Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
Reducing VMT can be accomplished by implementing other tools in the OneSTL Toolkit. These tools include: bicycle and pedestrian programs, carpooling and rideshare programs, complete streets, great streets and transit-oriented development. Below are other methods for reducing VMT. The US national average VMT has declined in recent years, but traffic emissions continue to affect the environment and public health. Reducing VMT has the potential to improve regional air quality and shift travel to other transportation options that can promote physical activity and spur economic development.
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Smog-Eating Concrete
Smog-eating concrete is concrete mixed with a titanium oxide additive. Originally developed to ensure that the concrete remained a bright white color, it was discovered that the compound breaks down nitrogen oxide molecules in addition to other pollutants. Adding this compound to any concrete construction has the capability of improving the air quality of the surrounding area.
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STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
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Transfer of Development Rights
Local governments can enact voluntary transferable development rights programs that allow the private marketplace to assess development feasibility while also preserving areas targeted for conservation. Zoning regulations authorize a certain level of development measured by the three dimensional aspect of the regulations (bulk, height and use). Transfer of development rights (TDR) is a technique for preserving a lower level of development density on one site by transferring unused development rights to another site.
A local community may prefer to protect certain areas from future growth, such as farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, ground for open space and parkland, historic districts, or residential areas. The primary benefit to the receiving property is being permitted additional density in an already developed area. The benefit to the sending property owner is receiving cash value and/or tax credits for transferring their development rights to another property owner. The community benefits by achieving a public benefit, such as those listed above.
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Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) refers to mixed-use development near rail transit stops. TOD communities are designed to be walkable and sustainable, thus allowing residents to live, work and play and be able to walk safely to the closest rail system.
Water Quality
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Bioswales
Bioswales, also known as vegetated swales, are stormwater runoff conveyance systems used to improve water quality, diminish flooding potential, and move stormwater away from infrastructure. Bioswales are linear in design, and (despite some disagreement within the field) the length to width dimension ratios are typically recommended to be or exceed 2:1. Bioswales are best suited for residential, industrial, and commercial areas with low stormwater flow.
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Brownfield Redevelopment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website states "Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." Costs for environmentally hazardous property cleanup may be expensive and even overbearing for property owners. This Brownfield Redevelopment tool presents residents and communities with the instructions to turn those costly unused properties into vibrant community and economic uses. Brownfield redevelopment involves people within the community, land parcel owners, developers, and the city/municipality. The US EPA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and Illinois EPA provide the means for cleaning up the properties.
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Building and Energy Codes
The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is a standard that, when adopted into law, requires all building types undergoing construction and alteration to be built in such a way that they do not waste energy used for heating, cooling, and lighting. These construction practices also provide more comfortable, less drafty buildings that reduce energy use and energy bills.
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Cisterns
A cistern is a device that captures and stores rainwater for reuse. Cisterns are typically made of concrete, plastic, polythylene, or metal and are larger and more permanent that rain barrels. They range in size from 100 to 10,000 gallon capacities and can be placed underground, aboveground, or on rooftops. Cisterns are usually constructed in a traditional tank shape.
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Conservation Easements
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. The easement is a voluntary land-protection tool that is privately or publicly initiated to conserve natural resources or open space on the property. Conservation easements help landowers protect agricultural or undeveloped land, especially when land values are rising rapidly.
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Conservation Subdivision Design
A conservation subdivision is a residential subdivision designed to protect the natural features of a location while maintaining the economic viability of it as a development site. In their Conservation Subdivision Design Handbook, Heartlands Conservancy compares conservation subdivisions to golf course subdivisions, where homes are oriented around the golf course and residents are guaranteed the existence of that golf course as an amenity. In a conservation subdivision, the amenities guaranteed and preserved are the natural features of the location such as a stand of trees, a lake, or a creek.
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Density Bonuses
Density bonuses are a tool offered to developers that allows for increased floor space, taller buildings, or more housing units than the traditional zoning code permits, in exchange for contributing to the community's vision by providing a defined public benefit. The public benefit can range from affordable housing units, to senior care facilities, to maximizing the use of public transit. Those priorities and policy decisions are made by the local government and based on the community's goals.
-
Drought Awareness & Preparedness
The St. Louis Bi-State region has a plentiful water supply; however, drought awareness and preparation should still be top priorities for people in the region. By managing your water use properly, you ensure more water for others in the region and consquently throughout the Midwest.
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Farmland Preservation
Farmland preservation is a joint effort by local governments and non-governmental organizations to protect and preserve agricultural land. Often a part of regional planning and national historic preservation, farmland preservation includes implementing policies and programs to manage urban growth and encroaching development, prevent conversion of farmland to other uses, and to maintain the ecological integrity and environmental benefits of agricultural lands.
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Graywater Reuse
Graywater is reusable wastewater from bathroom sinks, bathtub shower drains, and washing machine drains. These are included in residential, commercial, and industrial applications. Typically, graywater is reused onsite, and it tends to be used for landscape irrigation purposes. If the graywater is to be used for irrigation purposes, the soap and personal care products used in the household must be non-toxic and also low-sodium.
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Green Teams
A green team is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to promote, identify, and implement specific solutions to help their organization operate in a more sustainable fashion. Green teams can form within governments, businesses, neighborhoods, churches, schools, or any other organization. Green teams can be started by an interested employee, can be mandated from above, or can be a combination of the two. Green teams are usually comprised of interested individuals who sometimes bring expertise in a specific topic or field but who are interested in civic engagement and sustainability.
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Low Flow Water Technology
Low flow water technology consists of technologies that reduce water consumption and use in the facilities in which they are installed. Replacing current appliances and facilities with low-flow versions can drastically reduce water consumption and also the costs associated with water use.
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Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development is as simple as trying to develop in a manner that maintains stormwater as close to its original source as possible while also working with natural environmental systems to do so. In general LID uses green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. The fundamental philosophy is that public infrastructure should be designed to treat stormwater as an asset and resource instead of a waste product. Many other tools in the OneSTL toolkit address LID, such as bioswales, rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, rainscaping, green roofs, and pervious pavement.
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National Flood Insurance Program and Community Rating System
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) offers flood insurance to homeowners, renters and business owners if their community participates in NFIP, implementing NFIP regulations. The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes communities for implementing floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirments of NFIP. Both of these programs help encourage communities to implement regulations which keep them safe, make sense finanically, and are friendly to the environment.
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Native Landscaping
Native landscaping is the intentional growing of indigenous plants in their native habitats. As time goes on, plants evolve and adapt to the geography, climate, and hydrology of a region. When non-native plants, also known as invasive plants or exotic species, are introduced to the region, they tend to take over the area and eliminate the native plants. Using native plants in your landscaping eliminates the need for fertilizers and decreases the need for pesticides. Native landscaping is better for the environment and is more cost efficient than exotic species.
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Pervious Pavement
Pervious pavement is a pavement surface that allows rain water and snow melt to seep through the pavement to recharge subgrade water supplies. This type of pavement helps prevent storm water runoff and reduces erosion. There are three types of pervious pavement: pervious concrete, porous asphalt and permeable interlocking pavers.
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Rain Barrels
A rain barrel is a device that captures and stores rainwater for later use. Typically designed for homeowner use, rain barrels can be used by communities and corporations, although the use of cisterns is typically more common for applications greater than a single household. Rain barrels are available in a variety of sizes and complexity and are the most common method of rainwater harvesting used by homeowners.
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Rain Gardens
A rain garden is a landscape depression with native deep-rooted plants designed to to slow down, temporarily store, and treat stormwater. While some rain gardens use amended soil, in the homeowner rain garden it is preferable to use the existing soil as long as a percolation test confirms that it will drain in a 48 hour period.
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Rainscaping
Rainscaping consists of an array of sustainable landscaping practices that a landowner may voluntarily employ to improve rainwater related problems. In addition to rain gardens and bioswales, a diverse landscape that includes trees, shrubs, perennials, mulch, and amended soils intercepts and disperses rain as it falls, instead of allowing it to run off into area streams.
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Renewable Energy for Homes
Many individuals are familiar with renewable energy as part of large-scale public policy discussions about electricity in the United States. But renewable energy can be a very local solution too - including for your very own home. Simply, your home relies on the power you buy from your electric utility, however, you can tap into many sustainable, naturally renewable solutions such as solar energy and wind power yourself. Not only do these solutions save you money off your power bill, but they also reduce pollution and negative impacts on human health.
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Retention/Detention Ponds
Retention or detention ponds are designed to help control stormwater runoff and improve water quality by collecting water and allowing the excess water to slowly drain. Retention ponds (also known as wet ponds) retain a certain amount of water in the pond at all times. Detention ponds (also known as dry ponds) drain all of their water usually within 72-hours. Both types of ponds can be effective tools in watershed planning and floodplain management.
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Riparian Buffers
Riparian buffers are simply protected corridors along rivers, streams, lakes and other bodies of water that prohibit urbanized development. These buffers protect the environment by preventing erosion and pollution of a natural body of water. Riparian buffers also play a vital role in floodplain management and water runoff containment.
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STAR Communities Rating System
STAR Communities is a national organization whose goal is to help “cities and counties achieve meaningful sustainability through the first national framework for local community efforts.” Similar to OneSTL, STAR Communities provides a framework and a set of tools for governments to become more sustainable. The STAR Community Rating System is an objective rating system for communities to gauge their progress.
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Stormwater Trash Separators
Stormwater trash separators, also known as gross pollutant traps or hydrodynamic separators, are devices which are used to separate pollutants and trash from stormwater as the flow passes through the device.
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Streamwater and Wetland Mitigation Banking
Originating in 1996, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began considering the impact on local streams when granting nationwide permits. The focus of these efforts is to restore streams to their natural and original state. Mitigation is measured in "linear feet" of stream banks "created, enhanced or restored".
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Tree Maintenance and Preservation
Tree maintenance and preservation are a collection of activities aimed at prolonging the life of trees and bushes. While planting trees is the more popular activity, maintaining and protecting trees is just as important, if not more important in the grand scheme of things. Protecting mature trees during development will provide environmental benefits and increase the value of the developed land.
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Two-Stage Ditch Design
When drainage issues affect farmland or large developments, a two-stage ditch can be an effective strategy to handle rainwater runoff while reducing the risk of erosion in areas where a stream has already been developed. A two-stage ditch design is comprised of a main stream for the standard amount of water in the stream. A second larger ditch is built around the main ditch to handle any surge in water. The two-stage ditch design increases water capacity while reducing erosion on the surrounding land. Other benefits include less flooding, and slower-moving water and opportunities for natural riparian habitat restoration.
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Urban and Community Forestry Management
Urban and Community Forestry is the planning and management of a community's forest resources to enhance the citizens' quality of life. The process integrates the economic, environmental, political, and social values of the community to develop a comprehensive management plan for the urban or community forest. Urban and community forests could be developed in almost any community.
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Watershed Planning
A watershed is the area of land that drains to a single point on a stream or river. Watershed planning is the identifcation of issues related to a watershed and the development of strategies to address those issues. Watershed plans usually only address a certain category of issues such as drinking water supply, water pollution, flooding, or natural habitat protection. Therefore, it is possible for one watershed to have multiple plans associated with it.
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Wetland Preservation
A wetland is a natural community characterized by soils that developed in saturated conditions and support a diversity of water tolerant plants. The array of species is a function of the seasonal pulse disturbances, such as spring flooding, that occur in that wetland.
There are several types of wetlands, including not only marshes and swamps but also oxbow lakes, sloughs, and bottomland forests.
Wetlands serve several ecological functions such as:
- water storage which helps to reduce flood heights and reduce risks of property damage and loss of life
- water filtration by reducing the level of contaminants, such as agricultural nutrients, from water
However, it is important to note than wetlands must be in a healthy state to perform these functions effectively. Unrestricted use of wetlands as depositories of point and non-point pollution (such as urban stormwater) can compromise their functionality. Thus in order to realize the multiple benefits of wetlands, effective management practices are required to ensure the health of the wetland ecosystem.
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