Public Gardens Sustainability Index Proven Practice Workbook Version 1.0 Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens Proven Practice Workbook Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Important Definitions................................................................................................................................ 3 .................................................................................................................................................................. 4 How to use this Workbook ....................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 1 Water Consumption ..................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2 Water Quality ............................................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 3 Wastewater Reduction............................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 4 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) .............................................................................................................. 19 Chapter 5 Non-Renewable Energy .............................................................................................................. 23 Chapter 6 Solid Waste ................................................................................................................................. 28 Chapter 7 Plant Conservation ..................................................................................................................... 33 Chapter 8 Toxic/Hazardous Waste ............................................................................................................. 40 Chapter 9 Training ....................................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 10 External Stakeholders .............................................................................................................. 51 Chapter 11 Community Education .............................................................................................................. 54 Chapter 12 Sustainable Community ........................................................................................................... 58 Chapter 13 Well-being at garden ................................................................................................................ 61 Chapter 14 Finance & Business ................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 15 Strategic Planning & Governance ............................................................................................ 71 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 80 ANNEX A .................................................................................................................................................. 81 Gap Assessment ...................................................................................................................................... 81 2 Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens Proven Practice Workbook Introduction Longwood Gardens and a Peer Advisory Group, consisting of several North American public gardens, collaborated with experts and stakeholders to develop a Sustainability Index and accompanying Proven Practice Workbook. While the overall goal of the Index is to create measures of sustainable practices within public gardens across North America, the goal of the Workbook is to communicate information on how to successfully implement these sustainability measures regardless of the gardens current level of sustainability performance or resources. It is intended for this initiative to establish innovative environmental stewardship practices, drive innovation and continual improvement in the sustainability performance of the public garden sector. Although this Workbook was created as a stand-alone resource, it is suggested that its readers also examine the Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens. It is within this Index that you will find information on sustainability within public gardens, the purpose and principles for the Index, the scope of the Index, and background information on the development of selected Attributes. Important Definitions Attribute: A characteristic that has a direct influence on environmental performance. Proven Practice: The term “Proven Practice” has been chosen to highlight practices that have been successful in the garden presented. The benefit of a specific practice is dependent on the size, resources, and current of implementation of sustainability in the garden. Criteria: The environmental requirements that the product shall meet in order to be awarded an environmental label. [ISO 14024] Sustainability: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. [World Commission on the Environment and Development] Organizations in a range of sectors - retail, green building, and agriculture to name a few – are working to understand what sustainability means for their operations and looking at ways to improve their products and services. The term “sustainability” is widely used and variably defined, but current convention generally defines sustainable business practices as having a “triple bottom line” to measure success based on three pillars: • people (social performance); • planet (environmental performance); and, • financial viability (economic performance). The illustration below shows a model approach for a sustainable enterprise built on these three pillars, joined by an organizational governance system as the means to achieve more sustainable performance. Governance is a critical part of sustainability since it defines how sustainability is executed and managed across the organization. It is sometimes viewed as the “glue” that binds the three pillars: environment, social and economic performance. 3 Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens Proven Practice Workbook Green vs. Sustainable “Green” refers only to the environmental performance of a product or organization, whereas “sustainable” refers to three components – environmental, social, and economic performance. Figure 1: Sustainability for organizations and business How to use this Workbook This Workbook was developed to be used by management, employees, and volunteers within large or small gardens with varying degrees of resources and abilities to implement change. Every chapter within this Workbook is connected to one of the 15 attributes listed within the Sustainability Index. Inside each chapter, you will find a page dedicated to each of the Attributes, each Attributes’ criteria, case studies, a variety of possible initiatives, and tools to help the garden achieve success. While most examples focus on North American Public Gardens, some examples highlight relevant global initiatives that could successfully be implemented at a garden regardless of its location. At the end of each chapter, along with a summary, there is a space to record the readers’ notes on the garden’s progress related to the varying Attributes and criteria. As this Workbook is meant to be used according to individual requirements, each chapter or even page can be read independently. 4 Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens Proven Practice Workbook Chapter 1 Water Consumption Attribute 1 Water consumption reduction/management for all public garden activities and events Why is Attribute 1 important? What to expect from this chapter: • When developing the Sustainability Index, 1. Tools to measure annual water Water Consumption was identified as a consumption significant impact by all involved public 2. An example of a garden with a gardens. successful water management plan • The diverse nature of water consumption within public gardens provides various opportunities for water reduction strategies. Water fountain at Longwood Gardens 5 Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens Proven Practice Workbook Water Consumption Measuring Tips: Criteria 1 .1 • Measure water consumption The garden measures its annual consumption by reading the water meter or by looking at of water across all its activities and events, the garden’s water bills • A centralized data management plan using guidance (where applicable) from any will ensure records are kept and of the following: LEED EBOM, US DOI, available for future comparison WBCSD, or equivalent Case Study: Sonae Sierra’s Plaza Mayor Shopping Centre, Spain Why is Criteria 1 important? Plaza Mayor Shopping Centre is a beautifully • Measuring annual water consumption is a landscaped outdoor complex. In 2010, Sonae necessary step in understanding and Sierra applied the WBCSD Global Water Tool which revealed that there was a high risk for effectively managing water use and allowing Plaza Mayor to be affected by water scarcity. for attainable targets to be set • Water tools can identify which area of the Grassed areas have been replaced with native garden should receive attention plants and a pipeline