Local 'green development' projects receive awards

Media Contact: Christy Perrin, Watershed Education for Communities & Officials, N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, N.C. State University: christy_perrin@ncsu.edu or 919.515.4542

RALEIGH – On April 24, four local land development projects received awards from the Greater Triangle Stewardship Development Awards Program (GTSDA). The event, in conjunction with the City of Raleigh Environmental Awards, was held at the brand-new Nature Resource Center at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh.

These winning, innovative projects were recently constructed and include a mix of public and private projects:
The Town of Garner’s White Deer Park, Garner
A local park with greenways, interpretive trails, harvested rainwater, and numerous green building features received the Gold Stewardship Development Award.

West Village Phase II Expansion, Durham
A tobacco warehouse upfit with green roofs, harvested rainwater and numerous green building features received the Gold Stewardship Development Award.

The Market at Colonnade, Raleigh
A commercial in-fill project by Regency Partners and Soil & Environmental Consultants that harvests, stores and reuses rainwater, received an Honorable Mention for Water Quality Protection.

The Courtyard at Duke Hospital, Durham
A renovation of an institutional concrete patio into a greener space for recreation and contemplation, received Honorable Mention Integration with the Community.

An expert panel of impartial judges evaluated the projects for achievement in multiple areas of sustainability:
1. Natural Resource Assessment
2. Water Quality Protection
3. Wildlife Habitat Protection
4. Vegetation Protection and Enhancement
5. Green Building
6. Integration with the Community
7. Long-Term Management and Maintenance
8. Community Outreach and Education

Modeled after a sister program in the coastal area of North Carolina, the Greater Triangle Stewardship Development Awards Program is a partnership established in 2010 among local businesses, academia, local governments and state agencies. N.C. Cooperative Extension is among nine partner organizations that make up the awards program’s governing council.

In 2011, the Greater Triangle Stewardship Development Awards Program recognized the Wake Forest Town Hall with a GOLD Award, the Chatham Community Library & Central Carolina Community College Sustainable Technologies Center with a GOLD Award, and the Market at Colonnade by Regency Partners and Soil & Environmental Consultants in Raleigh with a Stewardship Development Design Recognition Award.

More information about the program and past winners is available online at www.trianglestewardship.org.