LANDSCAPES & STREETS NOW GET GREEN RATINGS

FROM THE USA TODAY NEWSPAPER - NOVEMBER 6, 2009








Landscapes now get 'green' ratings



By Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY




"Green" seals of approval are slapped on dishwashers, heat pumps, light bulbs and entire buildings. So why not the outdoors?



As of Thursday, even open-air spaces — from parks and parking lots to corporate and college campuses — will have their own environmental rating system.



"The recognition of the need to address climate change and sustainability is going up and up," says Nancy Somerville, CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects, who worked with the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas-Austin to create the first national rating system for sustainable landscapes.



Until now, the most comprehensive guidelines and sought-after environmental ratings were for buildings. A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council can qualify builders and cities for tax credits. Now that the nation is embracing all things green to save money and natural resources, a LEED rating also brings marketing cachet to a project.



The spaces around buildings now can earn similar recognition from the Sustainable Sites Initiatives' new star rating scale (four stars is the highest).



"It can be the site and landscaping around a building," Somerville says.



The rating will measure several criteria.




They may include planting trees in a parking lot or paving with permeable materials to minimize heat and storm-water runoff.




Or landscaping with native plants to reduce maintenance, irrigation and use of pesticides.

NORTH CENTRAL AVENUE GARDEN CLUB

H E L P ! We are trying to persuade the Clayton citizens and City Hall employees to make some simple, inexpensive changes to North Central Avenue - the result being:

1. A More Lively Urban Street Scene full of boutique shops and Outdoor Cafes ~ adding 250+ more chairs lining the street means more people, means the restaurants weather the economy and we have more choices where to dine.

2. More Green Space - the retailers and restaurants will add hundreds of trees and plants to 'green' the street. Result is a lush green garden with outdoor cafes and shops tucked within the greenery.

3. The Citizens are Happier - They ask for more dining and shopping choices. They ask for a Paris-feel to their street scene. They profess that they want to WALK to their shops and restaurants. They want a clean, GREEN city. And by making a few simple changes, Everyone Wins."

We need your help -- please vote in our survey and visit North Central Avenue and tell someone that you are a supporter !!!
THE FOLLOWING IS A DIAGRAM OF WHAT WE HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH ON NORTH CENTRAL AVE.
WE CAN MAKE A FEW SIMPLE CHANGES AND GET MANY REWARDS ~ TAXES, MORE GREENERY, MORE & BETTER SHOPS & RESTAURANTS

THE STEPS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

1. Reduce the Central Avenue Traffic from present 4 lanes (2 each way) to 2 lanes (1 each way)

2. Move the meter parked cars inward one lane, toward the center of the street.

3. Pour a Synthetic Sidewalk Faux-Brick (as near Café Napoli) the length of the street, over the existing parking places.

4. The traffic lights at the North-end can remain as is…

5. The traffic lights at the South-end at Forsyth need to be adjusted.

6. Parking meters can stay where they are – might need some more signage pointing out location of meter coin slot.

7. Increase Parking Meter Revenue by adding new tech to meters (so a meter resets when a car leaves; increase $ by 15-20%)

8. Pay for the Synthetic Sidewalk out of extra Parking Meter revenue

9. Wooden or Concrete Plant-Box style dividers will be used to separate the different shop’s sidewalk areas from each other – more plants and trees !

10. Shopkeepers responsible for Buying and Maintaining foliage; Shopkeepers clean the sidewalks daily

CENTRAL AVENUE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

DEVELOP A PEDEDSTRIAN-FRIENDLY STREET SCENE

( a la Central West End or U. City Loop)



1. Start with N. Central – expand the outdoor dining, solve pedestrian walkway problem

2. Continue Southward down S. Central thru the County Government Complex to MetroLink

3. Create a City of Clayton “ GRAND Entry Point “ on Lower S. Central Avenue to greet the MetroLink Riders and the cars Exiting Forest Park Expressway into Clayton

ALL-STAR BASEBALL BOULEVARD BASH on NORTH CENTRAL AVENUE!!!














NORTH CENTRAL AVENUE'S ALL-STAR BASEBALL BOULEVARD BASH !!!