The manual introduces general audiences to designing landscapes for urban stormwater runoff -- a primary source of watershed pollution. The goal is to motivate awareness and implementation of LID in a wide cross-section of stakeholders, from property owners to municipal governments that regulate infrastructure development. The manual provides a holistic framework in which a novice homeowner and an experienced developer can each find an equally tranformative role to enact.

Selected papers from the 2011 Low Impact Development Conference, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 25-28, 2011. Sponsored by the Low Impact Development Committee of the Urban Water Resources Research Council of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute of ASCE As federal, state, and local governments realize that traditional approaches to stormwater management are not achieving the desired environmental protection goals, they are increasingly adopting low impact development (LID) technology as the preferred approach to stormwater management in land development and redevelopment. Low Impact Development Technology: Design Methods and Case Studies contains 22 papers that address a wide range of LID design applications and includes a number of practical case studies. Topics include: rain gardens and bioretention systems; green streets and hardscapes; green roofs; and watershed restoration. A companion volume, Low Impact Development Technology: Implementation and Economics, is also available. Both collections will be of interest to engineers, land planners, and government officials working on stormwater management and land use policy.

This guide to the designs, technologies and materials that really make green buildings work will help architects, specifiers and clients make informed choices, based on reliable technical information. Low Impact Building: Housing using Renewable Materials is about changing the way we build houses to reduce their ‘carbon’ footprint and to minimise environmental damage. One of the ways this can be done is by reducing the energy and environmental impact of the materials and resources used to construct buildings by choosing alternative products and systems. In particular, we need to recognise the potential for using natural and renewable construction materials as a way to reduce both carbon emissions but also build in a more benign and healthy way. This book is an account of some attempts to introduce this into mainstream house construction and the problems and obstacles that need to be overcome to gain wider acceptance of genuinely environmental construction methods. The book explores the nature of renewable materials in depth: where do they come from, what are they made of and how do they get into the construction supply chain? The difference between artisan and self-build materials like earth and straw, and more highly processed and manufactured products such as wood fibre insulation boards is explored. The author then gives an account of the Renewable House Programme in the UK explaining how it came about and how it was funded and managed by Government agencies. He analyses 12 case studies of projects from the Programme, setting out the design and methods of construction, buildability, environmental assessment tools used in the design, performance in terms of energy, air tightness, carbon footprint and post-occupancy issues. The policy context of energy and sustainability in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world is subjected to a critical examination to show how this affects the use of natural and renewable materials in the market for insulation and other construction materials. The debate over energy usage and embodied energy is discussed, as this is central to the reason why even many environmentally progressive people ignore the case for natural and renewable materials. The book offers a discussion of building physics and science, considering energy performance, moisture, durability, health and similar issues. A critical evaluation of assessment, accreditation and labelling of materials and green buildings is central to this as well as a review of some of the key research in the field.

Dealing with stormwater runoff in urban areas is a problem that is getting bigger and more expensive. As we cover porous surfaces with impervious structures—commercial buildings, parking lots, roads, and houses—finding places for rainwater and snowmelt to soak in becomes harder. Many landscapers, architects, planners, and others have proposed that the use of "green" localized management practices, such as rain gardens and bio-swales, may function as well as traditional "gray" pipes and basins at reducing the effects of stormwater runoff, and do so in a way that is more attractive in the landscape—and possibly also less expensive. To make stormwater management practices work, however, communities need to know the real costs and policy makers need to give people incentives to adopt the best practices. Economic Incentives for Stormwater Control addresses the true costs and benefits of stormwater management practices (SMPs) and examines the incentives that can be used to encourage their adoption. Highlighting the economic aspects, this practical book offers case studies of the application of various stormwater runoff control policies. It also presents the theory behind the different mechanisms used and illustrates successes and potential obstacles to implementation. The book covers: Efficient use of "green" SMPs Low-impact development (LID) style new construction Green infrastructure Property prices and incentive mechanisms to encourage homeowners to retain stormwater on their property Legal, economic, and hydrological issues associated with various incentive mechanisms In-lieu fees and cap-and-trade incentives Primarily concerned with the sociodemographic and economic aspects of people’s participation in stormwater runoff control, this accessible volume explores opportunities available to municipalities, stormwater managers, and stakeholder groups to enact sustainable, effective stormwater management practices.

Authored by world-class scientists and scholars, The Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, is an excellent reference for understanding the consequences of changing natural resources to the degradation of ecological integrity and the sustainability of life. Based on the content of the bestselling and CHOICE-awarded Encyclopedia of Natural Resources, this new edition demonstrates the major challenges that the society is facing for the sustainability of all well-being on the planet Earth. The experience, evidence, methods, and models used in studying natural resources are presented in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the main systems of land, water, and air. It reviews state-of-the-art knowledge, highlights advances made in different areas, and provides guidance for the appropriate use of remote sensing and geospatial data with field-based measurements in the study of natural resources. Volume 4, Fresh Water and Watersheds, covers fresh water and watersheds, their health and conservation, protection, and management. Organized for ease of reference, it provides fundamental information on groundwater storage, water quality, supply and balance, and water resource vulnerability. New in this edition are discussions on water footprint assessment, water surface dynamics, and water management on a global scale. Understanding the conditions of watersheds is crucial for restoring areas with degraded water quality as well as protecting healthy waters from emerging problems. This volume demonstrates the key processes, methods, and models used through several practical case studies from around the world. Written in an easy-to-reference manner, The Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, as individual volumes or as a complete set, is an essential reading for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the science and management of natural resources. Public and private libraries, educational and research institutions, scientists, scholars, and resource managers will benefit enormously from this set. Individual volumes and chapters can also be used in a wide variety of both graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental science and natural science at different levels and disciplines, such as biology, geography, earth system science, and ecology.