Sustainable Sites: Upcycling Our Urban Ecosystems

USGBC Central Texas – Balcones Chapter

Monthly Luncheon

Sustainable Sites:
Upcycling Our Urban Ecosystems

Thursday, March 12th, 2015

The Barn Door, 8400 N. New Braunfels, San Antonio 78209

TO REGISTER CLICK HERE.

Presenter:
Heather Venhaus
Principal, Regenerative Environmental Design

Description:
In a world where 6 million people are added each month, every piece of land matters. More than half of our planet’s 7 billion people now live in cities.

Urban areas are increasingly where we come into contact with the natural world – not just in parks and nature preserves, but in more familiar places like residential landscapes, outdoor restaurants, campuses, and even parking lots. Too often, these spaces are designed to serve a particular, and often limited, purpose.

In our quest for sustainability, we habitually neglect the potential of urban landscapes. A growing body of evidence suggests that many of the same benefits nature provides in pristine wilderness and habitat preserves (“ecosystem services”) can be provided in the outdoor spaces of our cities, if they are designed and maintained with those benefits in mind.

This presentation will challenge attendees to think broadly about all outdoor places/spaces and recognize their untapped potential. Low Impact Development Practices and their associated ecosystem service benefits will also be discussed.

Participants: USGBC Central Texas-Balcones Chapter members and non-members are welcome

 Cost:
Member: $30
Non-member: $40
Student: $20

Refunds for USGBC CT-B events will only be given as a result of cancellation by the Chapter.