THE PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER (EO 13148) – GREENING THE GOVERNMENT THROUGH LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, AND THE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SECURITY ACT OF 2007 (ACT) HAVE PLACED CHALLENGES ON BUILDING DESIGNERS AND ENGINEERING TEAMS.

ISSUE

EO 13148, signed by Bush in 2000, mandates that “environmental management considerations must be a fundamental and integral component of Federal Government policies, operations, planning, and management.” The primary goal of this EO is “for each agency to strive to promote the sustainable management of Federal facility lands through the implementation of cost-effective, environmentally sound landscaping practices and other programs to reduce adverse impacts to the natural environment.”

Title IV - Energy Savings in Building and Industry, Subtitle C - High Performance Federal Buildings of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 contain two sections, Section 436 and Section 438, that place specific requirements on the design of new federally funded buildings. Section 436 requires “green practices that can be used throughout the life of a Federal facility.” Section 438-Stormwater Runoff Requirements for Federal Development Projects, states that “any development or redevelopment project …with a footprint that exceeds 5,000 square feet shall use site planning, design, construction and maintenance strategies for the property to maintain or restore, to the maximum extent technically feasible, the predevelopment hydrology of the property with regard to the temperature, rate, volume and duration of flow.”

Because of the requirements defined in EO 13148 and the Act, a building design needs to include sustainable management, environmentally sound practices, and restore site hydrology to predevelopment condition as near as possible.

One effective sustainable management strategy, rainwater harvesting, is a practice recognized by the most widely used green building rating system in the world, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It conserves potable water and is a form of storm water volume control and pollutant load reduction. Commercial rainwater harvesting applications include schools, hospitals, shopping centers, government buildings, office buildings, factories and warehouses, farms and garden centers. By supplementing or eliminating the use of potable water in non-potable applications, “green” buildings not only reduce their municipal water bills, but also contribute to conserving a valuable, limited resource in our environment. Since rainwater is collected using existing structures, i.e., the roof and/or parking areas, rainwater harvesting has few negative environmental impacts such as increased runoff, and higher pollutant loads.