Smart Growth News

http://www.uli.org

"Smart Growth News" is prepared every week for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and is available from ULI at no charge by e-mail subscription. Each issue contains 25 to 30 abstracts of articles culled from more than 1,400 information sources, including major national newspapers, business magazines, Web sites, national and international wire services, and periodicals focusing on housing, development, and real estate. "Smart Growth News" covers regional planning initiatives, transportation, affordable and infill housing, environment and open space conservation, master-planned communities, economic development, urban revitalization, and retail. In August, subscribers will receive a weekly e-mail listing headlines with a link to the most current abstracts. A searchable archive of past issues will be available September 1. For more information, send an e-mail to <news@uli.org>.

Neighborhoods, Regions and Smart Growth Project

http://www.neighborhoodcoalition.org/podium.htm

The Neighborhoods, Regions and Smart Growth project will help NNC's network to become better informed and educated about smart growth issues and to more fully appreciate the ways that regional development decisions affect the economy and environment in lower income neighborhoods. The project will articulate a neighborhood-focused vision of regional smart growth and provide examples of how community-based organizations address the environmental and economic impacts of sprawl through local community development initiatives. This project includes both research and coalition-building components. Specific outcomes include: a best practices report focusing on the role of community and neighborhood organizations in regional growth issues; a checklist of neighborhood principles for smart growth; and community collaboration pilot meetings that bring together representatives of community organizations that are part of NNC's network in selected regions or metropolitan areas.

Smartgrowth.net

http://www.uli.org

ULI is creating a smart growth website for journalists that will include a cross-section of stakeholders, such as Bank of America, the National Association of Home Builders, the Trust for Public Land, and the Conservation Fund. The site will host pages for these groups containing fact sheets, interview sources, press releases, and links to position papers, research studies, and testimony. Scheduled to go online in September 1999. For more information, e-mail Peggy Meehan at <pmeehan@uli.org>.

Growing Smart - Vol. II

http://www.planning.org/info/forpress/ftp0727.htm

The second of a three-volume set of essays and papers about how American communities can plan for the new century and revamp land use planning laws - which in many states have been unchanged since the 1920s - is available from the American Planning Association (APA). Among the topics addressed in Modernizing State Planning Statutes: The Growing Smart Working Papers - Volume 2 are improving local planning processes, integrating state environmental policy acts with local plans, and increasing neighborhood involvement with city-wide planning efforts. Other topics address transportation planning, economic development strategies, land supply monitoring systems, state comprehensive planning statutes, telecommunications planning, and hazard mitigation.

The GDP Myth: Why "growth" isn't always a good thing

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/1999/9903.rowe.growth.html

Smart Growth Project Reference Files

http://www.uli.org

Smart growth is an evolving approach to development, the goal of which is to balance economic progress with environmental protection and quality of life. While the term "smart growth" is new, its elements are present in many existing real estate development projects. In carrying out the Urban land Institute's commitment to provide leadership in land use to enhance the total environment, ULI is pleased to offer snapshots of several developments that exhibit some of the features of smart growth. The projects are not necessarily meant to be wholly representative of the smart growth concept; rather, they incorporate at least some of the ideas behind intelligent land use. These features include access to public transportation; use of existing infrastructure; conservation of resources; infill and brownfield development; pedestrian-friendly developments; and mixed, compact, and adaptive uses. Equally important for the success of many of these projects is the support and encouragement of smart growth policies by local planning officials, both through planning policies and more flexible zoning. The projects featured are drawn from ULI's Project Reference Files (PRFs) database. Each project is briefly summarized in a profile that includes a checklist of the smart growth features present in the project. Complete PRF reports are available by subscription through ULI's PRF Database.

Genuine Progress Indicator: 1998 Update - Executive Summary

http://www.rprogress.org/pubs/gpi1998/gpi1998_execsum.html

http://www.rprogress.org/pubs/pdf/gpi1998_execsum.pdf

The latest update to the GPI shows that despite rapid GDP growth, the quality of life for many Americans continues to decline in key respects, largely due to dramatic increases in income inequality.

Real Wealth: The Genuine Progress Indicator Could Provide an Environmental Measure of the Planet's Health

http://www.emagazine.com/may-june_1999/0599feat2.html

An excellent article on the Genuine Progress Indicator in the May/June 1999 issue of E Magazine. Features comments by Paul Hawken and Mathis Wackernagel.

BUILDING LIVABLE COMMUNITIES

http://www.comm-dev.org/journal/cds292.htm

Author William R. Hosler addresses several of the major issues surrounding sustainable community development, including its role in forward thinking, local decision making, its central components, and its implementation. Published in the Journal of the Community Development Society (Vol. 29, No. 2 1998)

Valuing the New Urbanism: The Impact of the New Urbanism on Prices of Single-Family Homes

http://www.uli.org

Now there is solid evidence that consumers will pay more to live in new urbanist communities. The first book to examine the new urbanism from a housing market perspective, this study compared sales and characteristics of homes in four regionally diverse new urbanist developments with homes in nearby conventional neighborhoods. After accounting for site traits, housing characteristics, unit quality, neighborhood, and other market factors, the authors found that buyers were willing to pay a premium for homes in new urbanist communities. Ideal for making the case for new urbanist communities to public officials, lenders, and community groups.

Consuming Desires: Consumption, Culture, and the Consuming Desires

http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/consumdes.html

Consider this paradox: Ecologists estimate that it would take three planets Earth to provide an American standard of living to the entire world. Yet it is that standard of living to which the whole world aspires. Rosenblatt brings together a brilliant collection of thinkers and writers to shed light on the triumphs and tragedies of that disturbing paradox. The book represents a captivating salon, offering a rich and varied dialogue on the underlying roots of consumer culture and its pervasive impact on ourselves and the world around us. Each author offers a unique perspective, their layers of thoughts and insights building together to create a striking, multifaceted picture of our society and culture.

(1999, Shearwater Books, 300 pages, ISBN: 1-55963-535-5, hardcover $24.95)

Redefining the American Dream: Our Consuming Desires and the Quest for a More Sustainable Society

http://www.islandpress.org/ecocompass/dream.html

A feature of Eco-Compass (published by Island Press) that offers a "thought-provoking cornucopia of columns, articles, papers, and online resources that examine western consumption habits in the context of demographic and economic trends, global population, and the pursuit of happiness."

U.S. Dept. of the Interior Livability Initiative

http://www.doi.gov/livability

In January, 1999, Vice President Gore announced an interagency plan to preserve open space and enhance the quality of life in communities across the country. The Livability Initiative presents an opportunity for the federal government to work in partnership with local communities to help address sprawl and other quality of life issues. By sharing expertise and resources, the federal government provides tools so local communities can protect green space for wildlife and recreation, ease traffic

congestion and pursue regional "smart growth" strategies. As the nation's largest land management agency, a premier science agency, and an agency with responsibility for protecting wildlife and habitat resources and providing recreational opportunities for the public, Interior has tools to help.

EPA Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators

http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/env_ind/index.html

EPA recently released a new tool for comparing information about pollution in local communities. This new tool entitled, "Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators," is available on CD-ROM and is a part of the agency's public right-to-know efforts. It uses national data on toxic chemical emissions from EPA's Toxic Release Inventory. The new tool can be used to compare relative risk from toxic chemicals grouped by categories like cities, states, and industrial facilities, based on factors like pounds of pollutants released, relative toxicity, population and exposure data. It is critical to note that these relative-risk rankings can only be used for comparisons. For example, the rankings now allow one industrial facility to be compared to another, but are not intended for quantifying actual risks posed to public health from any single facility, geographical area or other category. Such comparisons are meant to be helpful only for identifying and prioritizing areas for further research and attention. A more detailed description of the tool, the user manual, frequently asked questions, and contact information is available on the website. More information on the Toxic Release Inventory is available at http://www.epa.gov/tri.

Sorting out "Green Advertising" Claims

http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/environmental-labeling/sortgrn.pdf

A guide developed by EPA and the Federal Trade Commission to help consumers better understand green advertising claims. The guide summarizes and provides clarification of several environmental claims used frequently on consumer products in the marketplace.

Integrated Urban Air Toxics Strategy

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/uatw/urban/urbanfs.html

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/uatw/urban/strategy.pdf

As part of its national air toxics program, EPA released a strategy to further reduce toxic air emissions in hundreds of areas across the country to protect public health and the environment, particularly in urban areas. Required by the Clean Air Act, this strategy presents goals for reducing cancer and non-cancer risks as well as plans for addressing disproportionate effects from toxic air pollutants in low-income and minority communities. The strategy also outlines how EPA will work in partnership with state, local and tribal governments to monitor air toxic levels and develop plans to reduce emissions of these pollutants.

It's YOUR Drinking Water: Get to Know it and Protect it!

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/consumer/itsyours.pdf

Describes how the right-to-know provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act can help you learn about and protect your drinking water.

The Yellowbook: Guide to Environmental Enforcement and Compliance at Federal Facilities

http://es.epa.gov/oeca/fedfac/yellowbk/index.html

An informational tool to help facility managers comply with environmental requirements and to clearly explain the compliance and enforcement processes used by EPA and States at Federal facilities.

A Life Cycle Approach to Sustainable Agriculture Indicators

http://www.umich.edu/~nppcpub/resources/compendia/Proceedings.PDF

Proceedings from a workshop held in February 1999 at the University of Michigan, attended by representatives of family farms, sustainable agriculture programs, agribusiness, state and national policymakers, and non-governmental agencies. Workshop participants discussed sustainable agriculture indicators within working groups (dairy, fruit, grain, and pork). These proceedings include presenters' manuscripts and/or slides, summaries of the case study presentations and the discussion, and descriptions of the final indicators developed by the working groups. These indicators serve as an initial standard against which farms and agricultural institutions nationwide may evaluate their progress toward sustainability, both in theory and practice.

Measuring Progress

http://www.foe.co.uk/progress

This site looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW). Features include "Make Your Own ISEW" and international examples. Sponsored by Friends of the Earth - UK and the New Economics Foundation.

Consumption, Population, and Sustainability: Perspectives from Science and Religion

http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/conpopsus.html

"Consumption, Population, and Sustainability" is an outgrowth of a conference sponsored jointly by the Boston Theological Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science that brought together more than 250 scientists and people of religious faith to discuss the environmental impact of consumption patterns and population trends, and to consider alternative and more equitable value systems, economic arrangements, and technologies that will be necessary for achieving a more sustainable future. The book:

• Provides a brief history of the dialogue between science and religion on environmental issues;
• Outlines potential contributions of the religious community to the debate about global sustainability;
• Offers a science-based assessment of issues such as carrying capacity, sustainability indicators, and the environmental impacts of consumer-based lifestyles;
• Considers religious and theological perspectives on consumption and population from a variety of viewpoints including Roman Catholic, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, and Islamic; and
• Examines the ethical and policy dimensions of reorienting today's consumer society to one more focused on values, spiritual growth, and relationships.

(Available Fall 1999, Island Press)

Designing Sustainable Communities: Learning from Village Homes.

http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/designsustain.html

The movement toward creating more sustainable communities has been growing for decades, and in recent years has gained new prominence with the increasing visibility of planning approaches such as the New Urbanism. Yet there are few examples of successful and time-tested sustainable communities. Village Homes outside of Davis, California offers one such example. Built between 1975 and 1981 on 60 acres of land, it offers unique features including extensive common areas and green space; community gardens, orchards, and vineyards; narrow streets; pedestrian and bike paths; solar homes; and an innovative ecological drainage system. In Designing Sustainable Communities, authors Michael and Judy Corbett examine the history of the sustainable community movement and discuss how Village Homes fits into the context of that movement. They offer an inside look at the development of the project from start to finish, describing how the project came about, obstacles that needed to be overcome, design approaches they took, problems that were encountered and how those problems were solved, and changes that have occurred over the years. In addition, they compare Village Homes with other communities and developments across the country, and discuss the future prospects for the continued growth of the sustainable communities movement. (Available Fall 1999, Island Press)

Green Urbanism: Learning from European Cities

http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/greenurban.html

As the need to confront unplanned growth increases, planners, policymakers, and citizens are scrambling for practical tools and examples of successful and workable approaches. Growth management initiatives are underway in the U.S. at all levels, but many American "success stories" provide only one piece of the puzzle. To find examples of a holistic approach to dealing with sprawl, one must turn to models outside of the United States. In Green Urbanism, author Timothy Beatley explains what planners and local officials in the United States can learn from the sustainable city movement in Europe. The book draws from the extensive European experience, examining the progress and policies of twenty-five of the most innovative cities in eleven European countries. Throughout, Beatley focuses on the key lessons from these cities and what their experience can teach us about effectively and creatively promoting sustainable development in the United States. (Available Fall 1999, Island Press)

Growing Greener: Putting Conservation into Local Plans and Ordinances

http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/growgreen.html

An illustrated workbook that presents a new look at designing subdivisions while preserving green space and creating open space networks. Author Randall Arendt explains how to design residential developments that maximize land conservation without reducing overall building density, thus avoiding the political and legal problems often associated with "down-zoning." Arendt offers a three-pronged strategy for shaping growth around a community's special natural and cultural features, demonstrating ways of establishing or modifying the municipal comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance, and subdivision ordinance to include a strong conservation focus. Open space protection becomes the central organizing principle for new residential development, and the open space that is protected is laid out to form an interconnected system of protected lands running across a community. In addition, Growing Greener includes eleven case studies of actual conservation developments in nine states, and two exercises suitable for group participation. "Growing Greener" builds upon and expands the basic ideas presented in Arendt's earlier work "Conservation Design for Subdivisions, broadening the scope to include more detailed sections on the comprehensive planning process and information on how zoning ordinances can be updated to incorporate the concept of conservation design. (Available Fall 1999, Island Press)

The Local Politics of Global Sustainability

http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/localpologlobe.html

The most difficult questions of sustainability are not about technology; they are about values. Answers to such questions cannot be found by asking the "experts," but can only be resolved in the political arena. In "The Local Politics of Global Sustainability", author Thomas Prugh, with Robert Costanza and Herman Daly, two of the leading thinkers in the field of ecological economics, explore the kind of politics that can help enable us to achieve a sustainable world of our choice, rather than one imposed by external forces. The authors begin by considering the biophysical and economic dimensions of the environmental crisis, and tracing the crisis in political discourse and our public lives to its roots. They then offer an in-depth examination of the elements of a re-energized political system that could lead to the development of more sustainable communities. Based on a type of self-governance that political scientist Benjamin Barber calls "strong democracy," the politics is one of engagement rather than consignment, empowering citizens by directly involving them in community decision-making. After describing how it should work, the authors provide examples of communities that are experimenting with various features of strong democratic systems. (Available Fall 1999, Island Press)

"Sustainability" Internet Site

http://sustainability.com

This site is "dedicated to providing interesting articles on sustainability issues."

Partnerships in Communities: Reweaving the Fabric of Rural America

http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/partnercomm.html

"Partnerships in Communities" provides a fresh perspective on sustainable rural community development, offering community-based and community-driven responses to the challenges facing rural America. Author Jean Richardson draws on her many years of experience working in rural areas both at home and abroad to offer an integrated and practical approach to rural community development. Some of the findings presented are derived from a comprehensive project known as Environmental Partnerships in Communities (EPIC), which Richardson has directed for the past seven years in Vermont. From this experience and those of others from across America, Richardson provides a wealth of insight regarding what works, what doesn't, and how financial and human resources can be most effectively focused in rural communities. (Available Fall 1999, Island Press)

Protecting the Land: Conservation Easements Past, Present, and Future

http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/protectland.html

Conservation easements are among the fastest growing methods of land preservation in the United States today. "Protecting the Land" provides a thoughtful examination of land trusts and how they function, and a comprehensive look at the past and future of conservation easements. The book:

• Provides a geographical and historical overview of the role of conservation easements;
• Analyzes relevant legislation and its role in achieving community conservation goals;
• Examines innovative ways in which conservation easements have been used around the country;
• Considers the links between social and economic values and land conservation.

(Available Fall 1999, Island Press)

Conservation Action Network

http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org

An electronic advocacy network that enables subscribers to obtain concise information and take action quickly and easily on important issues such as endangered species, global warming, forest protection, fisheries conservation, and many others. Communicate with the president, members of Congress, state legislators, newspaper editors, corporations, foreign government leaders, and international agencies. Learn what products to buy to lessen your impact on the Earth. Call upon business and industry to use and manufacture products that do not cause environmental harm. Take advantage of cutting edge information technology that will make it easy for you have a say in the future of the planet and for you and others to mount a rapid response to threats to the environment. Sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund.

NATURE'S NUMBERS: EXPANDING THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC ACCOUNTS TO INCLUDE THE ENVIRONMENT

http://www.nap.edu/books/0309071518/html/

In order to really see the forest, what's the best way to count the trees? Understanding how the economy interacts with the environment has important implications for policy, regulatory, and business decisions. How should our national economic accounts recognize the increasing interest in and importance of the environment? "Nature's Numbers" responds to concerns about how the United States should make these measurements. The book recommends how to incorporate environmental and other non-market measures into the nation's income and product accounts. Published by the National Research Council.

Earth Day Top Ten Architectural Design Solutions

http://www.e-architect.com/pia/cote/earthd99/earth99.asp

In recognition of Earth Day 1999, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) selected 10 examples of viable architectural design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. The facilities, selected by the executive committee of the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE), address one or more significant environmental challenges that have a lasting and positive impact on the built and unbuilt environment such as energy and water conservation, use of recycled construction materials, and design that improves indoor air quality. Committee members selected the facilities for a variety of reasons, including environmentally responsible use of building materials, use of daylight over artificial lighting, designs that create efficiency in heating or cooling, and overall sensitivity to local environmental issues.

Making a Living While Making a Difference:

The Expanded Guide to Creating Careers with a Conscience

http://www.newsociety.com/new.html

This completely revised second edition updates the rapidly expanding career opportunities in socially responsible and green business, industry, commerce, and non-profits. Professional career counselor Melissa Everett guides the reader through a 10-step program for career development that stresses personal fulfillment, integrity, and contribution. Unlike traditional career guides that focus on defining skill areas, "Making a Living While Making a Difference" focuses on personal, social, and environmental values as the driving force for career decisions. Expanded and updated self-assessments, exercises, and visualizations point the reader toward defining their personal area of commitment.

(Available October 1999, New Society Publishers)

Street Reclaiming: Creating Livable Streets and Vibrant Communities

http://www.newsociety.com/new.html

Imagine your street with 50% less traffic. Imagine drivers acting as guests on your street -now transformed into a dynamic "outdoor living room" with children playing and neighbors chatting. Dream no longer! Historically, streets were not just for traffic. They were the epicenter of community life - a place for socializing, children's play, drama, education, celebrations, social events, and economic activity. These important functions have been slowly eroded as car traffic has exerted its dominance. Part social history and part community-activist handbook, "Street Reclaiming" celebrates the potential of our streets to become vibrant and prosperous centers of culture and community once again. International urban planner David Engwicht provides a step-by-step process to psychologically and physically reclaim our streets, starting with a simple six-week program to reduce traffic by 30%-50% (without involving local officials), then introducing psychological reclaiming techniques that the whole community can participate in to counter car culture and exert the community's rights to the street. The last stage calls for actual physical reclaiming: converting traffic space into community spaces that will enhance the social fabric of the neighborhood. (Available September 1999, New Society Publishers)

AIA Center for Livable Communities

http://www.e-architect.com/gov/livable/home2.asp

The Center brings together the many activities the Institute has undertaken related to urban design and quality of life. The Center is designed to provide information sharing, policy development, member advocacy, and resource guidance to architects nationwide seeking to become more involved in the development of communities. The center is seeking to catalogue and disseminate innovative and successful solutions to local problems.

What Works: A Guide to Environmental Education and Communication Projects for Practitioners and Donors

http://www.newsociety.com/new.html

Environmental education and communication projects are used in schools, communities, parks and wildlife preserves. This lively manual illustrates some of the most successful environmental education and communication projects from around the world and provides program ideas for professionals as well as those involved part-time in environmental education. Over forty unique projects - from a puppet show in Guatemala that explains the consequences of deforestation, to an air-pollution monitoring program with youth in Brazil - highlight the strategies that have worked for environmental educators, program directors, and their financial supporters. (1999, New Society Publishers)

EarthFuture: Seeds of a Sustainable World

http://www.newsociety.com/new.html

As we enter the 21st century, the greatest challenges we face may not be environmental, but psychological - a failure of vision prompted by a world beset by so many problems that people have lost hope and fear that things can only get worse. "Earthfuture" restores optimism by providing us with positive, and achievable, alternatives. "Earthfuture" presents over 40 provocative and inspiring glimpses into a world that people are managing to make sustainable. They are premised on the idea that, if we can visualize a paradise on Earth, then we can create it. Set in the early years of the new millennium, it is a world of ecovillages and self-organizing city neighborhoods, of near-zero garbage and climate-friendly cars, of work-sharing and social investment, of neighborhood democracy and the 'syntropy revolution,' of a world-wide sustainable trade and environment treaty, and the Earth Pledge. In short, it is a world where wealth is defined by peace, a healthy environment, and the high quality of our relationships. At the same time, it is not, of course, a world without its nightmares - such as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and genetic pollution. Nor is it without its difficult choices - ecologically managed forests versus business-as-usual, or the free-flow of city traffic versus community gardens. (Available November 1999, New Society Publishers)

Fostering Sustainable Behavior:

An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing

http://www.newsociety.com/new.html

Our consumption patterns are threatening to outstrip Earth's ability to support humanity and other species. A sustainable future will require sweeping changes in public behavior. While conventional marketing can help create public awareness, social marketing identifies and overcomes barriers to long-lasting behavior change. This ground-breaking book is the primary resource for the emerging new field of community-based social marketing, and an invaluable guide for anyone involved in designing public education programs with the goal of promoting sustainable behavior, from recycling and energy efficiency, to alternative transportation. (1999, New Society Publishers)

Measuring Community Success and Sustainability: An Interactive Workbook

http://www.ncrcrd.iastate.edu/Community_Success/entry.html

This guide describes a process to help communities learn how to measure the local or regional impacts of economic and community development processes that enhance rural community sustainability. The goal is to help communities learn how to measure the concrete results of rural community development and conservation efforts. The entire process is anchored in research that determined the ways in which communities define success in their local development efforts. The workbook provides guidance to communities who want to get a better idea of the possible ways to gather information that details progress toward community-established outcomes. Rural communities use these outcomes to develop practical ways to measure progress toward both them and locally established goals in terms of outputs, activities and inputs. Communities can relate their projects to the various outcomes and pick a single measure of that outcome from the menu or design their own measure. The workbook provides a way for local communities to measure progress toward local goals. A vital community has the capacity to use, sustain and renew the resources and skills it needs to thrive over time-and to become the kind of community its residents want it to become. Measurement gives feedback to make communities more effective.

EPA Region 2 Community Resources Pages

http://www.epa.gov/region02/community

Easy access to a broad set of resources for communities, including tools for learning about and improving the environment, directories of community grants and financial assistance, as well as links to EPA contacts and other information sources.

Once There Were Greenfields: How Urban Sprawl is Undermining America's Environment, Economy, and Social Fabric

http://www.nrdc.org/nrdcpro/reports/tronce.html

In the decades following World War II, the United States has been transformed from a nation of urban dwellers to one of suburbanites. This trend has been accompanied by a range of environmental, social, and economic impacts, including air and water pollution, traffic congestion, loss of open space, rising taxes, and concentrations of poverty, to name just a few. In response to these trends, citizens, non-profit organizations, and local, state, and federal governments have recently shown a keen interest in understanding and ameliorating these impacts. To assist these efforts, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Surface Transportation Policy Project have published the first book to document comprehensively how urban sprawl affects many aspects of American life and present the case for smarter growth. Highlights of the book are available on the NRDC website.

Green Building Financial Initiative

http://www.nahb.com/news/green_initiative.htm

Fannie Mae, the nation's largest source of financing for home mortgages, and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recently announced an environmental partnership that will recognize the growing interest in environmentally-responsible construction methods and help further these efforts nationwide. As part of this new initiative, Fannie Mae and NAHB will begin working with home builders, lenders, and other community partners to test and develop a menu of mortgage financing products based on environmentally efficient "green building" criteria. As part of the partnership, six pilot cities have been identified where local home builder associations and Fannie Mae building initiatives which emphasize the efficient use of resources, such as energy and water, in the design, construction and operation of homes. These six cities are: Atlanta, GA; Columbus, OH; Albuquerque, NM; Denver, CO; Los Angeles, CA; and Seattle, WA. Fannie Mae is also providing an additional $100 million for investment in environmental product initiatives that test new housing finance products, support local green builder efforts, and develop creative solutions to environmental issues with community partners in these cities. One of the goals of the Fannie Mae/NAHB Partnership is the development of a comprehensive menu of environmental mortgage options that would allow the consumer to capture the benefits of environmentally-responsible construction - including lower operating costs, reduced maintenance and increased durability. The environmental partnership will help local home builder associations and other community partners promote environmentally-responsible construction methods and materials, or "green building" as it's come to be known.

Guide to Developing Green Building Programs

http://www.nahbrc.org/builders/green/gbguide2.pdf

Published by the National Association of Home Builders, this guide describes program development and green building techniques. It discusses issues, costs, technologies, availability, practicality and additional references for everything from framing materials to xeriscaping. Based on local green building programs from six communities around the country, including Austin and Denver.

Clean Government: Options for Governments to Buy Renewable Energy

http://www.repp.org/articles/issuebr12/index_ib12.html

A report from the Renewable Energy Policy Project that discusses how government procurement can prepare renewable energy firms for the consumer markets on which they ultimately will have to depend.11

Watershed Management: Practice, Policies, and CoordinationWatershed Management: Practice, Policies, and Coordination

http://mcgraw-hill.inforonics.com/cgi/getarec?mgh41759%new

This book provides comprehensive international coverage of effective watershed management. Experts representing a variety of environmental professions and viewpoints provide detailed case studies of how watershed management is being implemented around the world. The book highlights successful approaches, watershed management; river basin planning; integrated management and water resource protection; wetlands restoration; water quality monitoring and assessment; stormwater and other nonpoint pollution source management; and wastewater discharge permitting.

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