Shrinking Our Environmental Footprint

According to a recent report by the non-profit organization 1000 Friends of Florida, the population in the state of Florida could double in size by the year 2060 to over 36 million people. A 2006 Money magazine article, "100 Fastest Growing Counties", indicated that 6 of the top 100 fastest growing counties in the entire country are entirely or partially located within the St. Johns River watershed (Clay, Marion, Osceola, St. Johns, Lake, and Flagler). Flagler was number 1, Lake County was 21, and St. Johns came in at 23 on the list. What does all of this growth mean for the future of our river? We are obviously struggling to accommodate the current growth and development that is underway. Our river is sick. We are allowing our wetlands, the kidneys of our environment, to be paved over at a startling rate. We are not adequately enforcing our environmental laws and regulations. We are depleting our groundwater and are turning our attention to the St. Johns to quench our thirst. Clearly, the status quo is no longer viable. Business as usual has run its course. A paradigm shift is in order that will lead us down a path of sustainability.

Fortunately, it is not too late. We have viable options and alternatives that are more sustainable and can reduce our impact on our environment and our river. We can now purchase homes that are more energy and water efficient and can actually save us money in the long run. New home developments, like Harmony and Madera, demonstrate that we can create more sustainable communities by utilizing cost-effective conservation technologies and low-impact development techniques. We can do a better job of managing growth and planning our communities. Each of us can reduce our ecological footprint without too much effort or expense.

Low-Impact Development (LID) techniques can offer developers a more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way to manage storm water. The LID approach aims to manage runoff close to the source by implementing lot-level strategies that minimize the disturbance of the site, reduce impervious surface areas, retain and filter storm water at the source, and rely on the natural features and hydrological functions of the site.

University of Florida Wildlife Extension - Harmony Community
http://www.wec.ufl.edu/extension/gc/harmony/
http://www.harmonyfl.com/

University of Florida Wildlife Extension - Madera Community
http://www.wec.ufl.edu/extension/gc/madera/

Florida Green Building Coalition
http://floridagreenbuilding.org/

Massachusetts Low-impact Development Toolkit - Bioretention Cells
http://www.mapc.org/regional_planning/LID/bioretention.html

Environmental Protection Agency - Smart Growth and Water Resources
http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/smartgrowth/resources/resources.htm

Environmental Protection Agency - Demonstration Project
Project at EPA Headquarters demonstrates how low-impact development practices can retain and manage much of the stormwater onsite.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/stormwater_hq/