Create a wildlife sanctuary in a housing development
Wildlife sanctuaries can be part of urban as well as rural projects.
Along with preserving blocks of undeveloped land for wildlife, developers should try to create wildlife corridors to allow animals to travel freely. Even in highly developed areas, isolated patches of good wildlife habitat can be beneficial to migrating songbirds. Environmental benefits include greater biodiversity and more stable populations of native animal species. In some suburban areas there aren't enough natural predators to control certain species, such as rabbits and deer. These animals can become problematic.
Green points
LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED for Homes is the residential green building program from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). While this program is primarily designed for and applicable to new home projects, major gut rehabs can qualify. -H: 1 point for minimizing the disturbed area of a site by developing a tree or plant preservation plant, or by leaving at least 40% of the building lot undisturbed (SS 1.2).
NGBSNational Green Building Standard Based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and passed through ANSI. This standard can be applied to both new homes, remodeling projects, and additions. /ICC-700: 4 points for taking steps to support a wildlife habitat, 1 additional point for maintaining a wildlife habitat and 2 additional points for expanding a habitat (503.6).
Learn more in the Green Building Encyclopedia
