Landscaping and Agriculture

CALGreen Section 5.106.12 Shade Tree requirements for public schools and community colleges which DSA has authority over. DSA also developed a resource with California Water Boards to address Best Practices for Managing Storm Water Runoff and Reuse. Link: www.waterboards.ca.gov

Statistic

• Since 2009, five separate editions of CALGreen have been published. A sixth will be published July 1, 2025.
  Two tiers of voluntary measures that go beyond the mandatory regulations are available for local government to adopt and make required, or for designers and buildings to use voluntarily.
• Embodied Carbon Reduction 3 pathways - building reuse, whole building life cycle assessment, prescriptive product global warming potential.
  20% - mandatory percentage of parking spaces that must be EV-capable

Key Initiatives

• Through the CALGreen Code, DSA regulates sustainable practices that reduce negative impacts on the environment or provide a positive environmental impact. These mandatory measures target energy efficiency, water efficiency, water conservation, material conservation, resource efficiency, and environmental quality. DSA has authority for 1st in the nation reduction of embodied carbon regulation over K-12 public schools and community colleges.
• CALGreen was published in 2009 in response to California's Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). DSA adopted CALGreen in 2010.

• These guidelines provide insights for the selection, design, and implementation of practices that can reduce runoff and pollutants that flow from school properties. These practices include minimizing impervious surfaces, increasing green space, promoting infiltration, and treating runoff on site. In using these guidelines, school districts can achieve benefits that apply directly to schools, such as creating school yards that promote natural play and improve student health and well-being, developing educational opportunities related to sustainability, and reducing the heat island effects of asphalt. This guidance also provides strategies school districts can use to help protect local watersheds, such as augmenting water supply, protecting against localized flooding, protecting and improving water quality, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The guidelines are not requirements or standards. Instead, they provide background on and examples of stormwater management principles and common capture practices.

CALGreen's goals:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings
• Promote environmentally responsible, cost-effective, healthier places to live and work
• Reduce energy and water consumption
• Respond to the environmental directives of the administration
• CALGreen's Divisions
• Planning & Design - deconstruction and reuse, stormwater reuse, EV charging, light pollution reduction, grading & paving, shade trees and landscaping, bicycle parking
• Water Efficiency & Conservation - indoor and outdoor water use
• Material Conservation & Resource Efficiency - NEW July 1, 2024 - embodied carbon reduction regulations - construction waste recycling, building life cycle assessments, building maintenance and operations Environmental Quality - pollutant control, indoor & outdoor air quality, acoustical control
• During the 15 years CALGreen has been in effect, industry familiarity and acceptance has grown. Public participation by sustainability stakeholders has also expanded with hundreds of interested parties attending code development and review meetings to provide feedback and input. The regulations in CALGreen have helped California meet many environmental goals, including for electric vehicle charging and reduction in greenhouse gasses.

The DOJ project conserved water by reducing the area of high-water using grass and planting low water use trees and shrubs and adding a walking trail.

Statistic

• In 2010, the baseline year for measuring water savings, annual water use was 7,082,300 gallons. In 2021, the first full year after project completion, annual water use was 3,179,700 gallons or a savings of 123%.
• DOJ Water Conservation Landscaping Project saved 3,902,600 gallons of water annually.

Key Initiatives

• The water-efficient design for the 11.6-acre site uses the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance update of 2015.    
• The design is biodiverse, environmentally friendly, and uses climate-appropriate plantings.
• The project installed an ADA-compliant crushed granite walking trail for use by both employees and local residents.
• Other landscaping improvements included installing small drainage basins, and new water-efficient irrigation.

Image

The May Lee State Office Complex is a zero net carbon, zero net energy, all electric campus and is SITES certified GOLD.  The landscaping features restored native habitats and climate-adaptive plants and trees to help reduce the recycled irrigation water demand. There is also a significant water reduction usage from the utilization of Bio-swales, native landscaping, and permeable pavers. Links: May Lee Standard Final Report; SITES Scorecard. 

Statistic

• May Lee State Office Complex is the first ever DGS building that is certified SITES Gold.

Key Initiatives

• Stormwater Management System
• Planting and Soil
• Site Furniture
• Permeable pavers
• Bio-swales