Green Development Guidelines

Flooding might well be the most pressing environmental impact facing Moncton specifically Climate modelling suggests that Moncton in the future will see:

• More intensive rainfall events, where more rain falls in a short period of time than was typical in the past;
• More precipitation falling as rain instead of snow, since part of what previously was the snowy winter season is now warm enough to rain instead; and
• Winter temperatures that more often hover around freezing, resulting in snowfalls that begin melting within a few days before freezing again.

These trends are compounded by Moncton's clay soils, which absorb water more slowly than other soil types. Together, this means a need to better control and limit how much storm- and melt-water flows from a building or site within a given period.

Reduce impervious surfaces

Normally, when it rains or when snow melts, a lot of that water seeps into the ground. But in the city, hard surfaces like asphalt, concrete, and rooftops don't let the water through. That water has to go somewhere, and if there's a lot of it all at once, it can cause localized flooding.
Right-sizing parking lots (see Section 1, above) is one way to reduce excessive paving.

Ribbon or 'Hollywood' driveways

In the case of detached, semi-detached and other housing types where each house has its own driveway, a ribbon or 'Hollywood driveway' can greatly reduce the amount of paved surface. Instead of paving an entire car-wide strip of land, a ribbon driveway provides just two hardscaped strips at the width of a car's wheelbase; the rest of the driveway is left as gravel, grass or other low-growing vegetation.
 

Rain barrels

As the name suggests, rain barrels are containers positioned below the downspout from a roof to collect rainwater. Rain barrels are often proposed as a way of capturing rainwater to water lawns and gardens, instead of using tap water. Doing this does have some environmental benefit since it takes energy to purify and pump potable water, and plants don't need that level of water quality.

However, the bigger benefit in Moncton might be to help capture runoff from big storms that dump a lot of rain all at once and contribute to flooding when it flows off the roof. However you look at it, rain barrels aren't a bad idea. Just make sure you keep water from pooling in exposed places, used a closed-barrel design, and cover any openings with mosquito-proof 1/16" mesh. 

Rain gardens, naturalized stormwater ponds and sand pits

Where the lot is big enough, stormwater can be partly managed by establishing a rain garden, a depressed and vegetated area on the lot designed to catch some of the site's drainage. Some of the site's stormwater is then taken up by vegetation instead of being channeled into the city's conventional hard storm drains. The vegetation assists in removing pollutants contained in stormwater runoff. At the subdivision scale, naturalized stormwater ponds are larger and more biologically complex versions of a rain garden.

Even on a small lot, when there is not enough space for a full rain garden, digging out a low point on the lot and filling it with sand or sandy soil can help some water infiltrate faster than it would in Moncton's usual clay soils. This is a low-cost way to, in some cases, prevent or reduce surface flooding that would otherwise occur in unusually heavy rainfall. 

A naturalized stormwater pond uses vegetation to help detain and filter runoff from a subdivision or development site. The resulting pond resembles a natural waterbody, providing wildlife habitat and a more attractive neighbourhood feature compared to conventional dry ponds. 

The embodied energy of a building includes the energy that went into making the materials from which it was built. When a building is demolished, that embodied energy and resources is lost. Much of the material sent to landfills consists of construction of demolition waste. While a lot of this material is too degraded to use, some materials may be salvaged and re-used in new buildings. This can be particularly true of materials like hardwood floorboards and other materials that were common decades ago but have become more scarce or expensive since then. There can be opportunities to reuse these materials in a new building.

At the same time, many materials from old buildings are too difficult to reuse, because the design and construction was not concerned with how the building would eventually come down. New buildings provide an opportunity to plan for the eventual deconstruction of the building, and planning for as much of the material as possible to be re-used in future buildings. A design that plans for the entire life cycle of the building, including the eventual demolition or disassembly, provides an opportunity to save energy and resources well into the future.
 

Waste separation

There are many reasons for separating your garbage, including

• Recycling valuable or useful materials like paper, metal and some plastics;
• Reducing the impact of producing more of such materials from scratch; and
• Composting of food and yard waste.

These are great reasons, but they're not the only ones! Landfills are expensive and take up a lot of space. The more material we can keep out of the landfill, the less it costs and the longer before we have to build a new one. Less material in the landfill also means less leachate and landfill gas are produced, making it easier to manage the landfill and reducing our carbon footprint.

As well, different kinds of waste break down in different ways over time. Keeping all the waste from being jumbled together in the same landfill also allows different kinds of waste to be treated in the most effective ways. For instance, it's worth keeping plastic away from everything else, because decomposing plastic breaks down into a more toxic product than, say, food waste. So waste separation is as much about quarantining different kinds of waste from each other, and thereby treating each kind of waste in the most appropriate way, as it is about recycling or composting.

Eco360 provides waste management services in Southeast New Brunswick. Residential customers are already familiar with the three-stream collection system (green bags for Organics, blue bags for Recyclables, clear bags for Garbage). However, multiple-unit residential, industrial, commercial and institutional buildings can also participate in the waste sorting program. Participation is voluntary but is encouraged through lower disposal fees for sorted Recyclables and Organics.
 

Contact Eco360

Eco360 is eager for you to participate in multi-unit and ICI (industrial/commercial/institutional) waste separation. Every site will have different needs, but Eco360 will work with you and your waste hauler to find a solution that works best. You can reach Eco360 through their website; by email at reception [at] nbse.ca (reception[at]nbse[dot]ca); or by phone at (506) 877-1040.

Set aside adequate space for different waste containers

A well-designed waste area is more likely to be used appropriately. Ease of access for residents and employees is key. So is sheltering and maintaining the waste area so it remains accessible after winter snowfalls.
Ensure adequate paths of travel

Clear, level, hardscaped paths of travel from the storage to the collection area make it easier to manage waste appropriately. A flat grade is particularly important for heavy wheeled dumpster-type containers.
Signage and instructions

Ensuring that users understand what waste goes in which container is important. As well, asking users to break down and flatten cardboard boxes before recycling them will make better use of the collection container and keep it from overflowing. Eco360 can help design clear and effective signage for your building and provide training and education for residents and/or employees.
Beverage container basket

Most beverage containers (including wine and beer bottles, pop cans, and juice bottles) in New Brunswick have a deposit charge and can be redeemed for money. These containers are often saved by residents for later redemption, or sought out and collected by other individuals. If residents or employees pool redemption revenues for use as a group, it makes sense to set aside space to store these containers prior to redemption. You may also wish to provide an area readily accessible from the street where such containers can be placed for easy recovery by those inclined to do so.

Eco360 also accepts all non-glass beverage containers for recycling in the regular Recyclables stream.

Freecycle boxes

A great deal of perfectly good stuff gets thrown out, simply because the owner doesn't want it anymore. Unfortunately, most consumer goods, including clothes, furniture and appliances, generally can't be recycled and end up in the landfill when discarded.

Establishing a dedicated "freecycle" box where residents can put books, clothes and other goods to be picked up by whoever wants them, is a good way to keep things out of the garbage if you have the resources to manage it. Choosing a space in a common interior area, or sheltering exterior freecycle areas under a canopy also ensures goods aren't ruined by the first rainfall. Freecycle boxes are especially useful with apartment buildings, whose residents have less storage space and are less likely to have cars to bring unwanted goods to a more central donation centre.
 

Many green development standards and systems emphasize conserving water. However, many of these frameworks were designed in, or for, water-scarce areas like the southwestern United States. To be clear, we shouldn't waste water; it does take energy to produce and distribute, and avoiding water waste reduces the need for expanding treatment facilities. But New Brunswick's context calls for a different emphasis, and some measures promoted in areas of extreme water scarcity are likely not worth the additional complications here.
 

Low-flow shower heads

Efficient shower heads save water but, more importantly, since showers are usually hot water, they save a lot of energy as well. About 15% of household energy use goes to water heating, so making a building's showers (and other hot-water-using appliances) more efficient helps to reduce GHG emissions.
 

Dual-flush toilets

We do not recommend single-setting low-flow toilets, that is, toilets where the water used in flushing is always reduced. A low-flow fixture might have difficulty disposing of bigger solids; the resulting use of drain-clearing chemicals to clear clogged drains are likely not worth the water saved. However, dual-flush toilets, with two flush levers or buttons allowing the user to choose a small or large volume of flush water depending on what they're flushing, are appropriate.
 

Not recommended at this time: gray-water recycling

Some green building guidelines recommend using gray water (that is, used water from bathtubs, sinks and washing machines that is too dirty to drink but is not actual sewage from the toilet) to water lawns and non-edible garden plants. However, gray-water connection requires complicated plumbing and introduces the risk of backflows contaminating the potable water plumbing in the building. On balance, we do not consider water scarce enough in New Brunswick to warrant reusing gray water. 
 

Not recommended at this time: xeriscaping

Xeriscaping is landscaping adapted to dry climates and relies on gravel or stone and little to no vegetation, thereby reducing the need for watering. Xeriscaping is often promoted in southwest-U.S.-based green building guidance. However, we don't recommend this in Moncton; all other things being equal, here, plants are better than no plants!
 

Bird-and bat-friendly windows

Windows can pose a hazard to birds and bats, who may not realize there is an invisible solid wall in their flight path.  Windows can be equipped with etched designs, window films, external coverings, and other treatments that send a visual cue to flying animals so they can avoid a potentially lethal collision.

Conversely, netting, UV treatment, tinted glass, and interior approaches such as drapes are not recommended; these approaches are either ineffective or the research is inconclusive.

Limiting light pollution

Some degree of outdoor lighting is necessary for safety in the city. However, excessive outdoor lighting degrades the human environment, affecting (among other things) people's ability to sleep. It also affects the natural environment, confusing some species of wildlife who rely on the natural cues of sunlight, moonlight and darkness for mating and feeding. Light pollution can occur anywhere, but it is particularly prevalent in commercial development, where lighting and signage is designed to be seen from far away down a highway.

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) outlines five principles for responsible outdoor lighting. Lighting should be useful, targeted, low light levels, controlled, and uses warm colour where possible. The IDA maintains a searchable database of certified Dark Sky Compliant lighting products that meet the required minimization to glare, reduction of light trespass, and that help protect visibility of the night sky.
 

Alternatives to turf grass

Turf grass has long been used as the "go-to" vegetation for ground cover. However, keeping a lawn green and tidy takes a lot of energy, water, fertilizer and chemical maintenance. For all the environmental impacts of maintaining grass, the result is a monoculture offering little in the way of ecosystem services. Some alternatives include:

• Nitrogen-fixing plants such as clover. These plant species absorb nitrogen from the air and return it to the soil, instead of demanding continuing inputs of artificial fertilizer.
• Wildflowers and groundcovers such as thyme are attractive to look at and provide greater biodiversity. They also support pollinators such as bees, whose populations are declining.
• Intensive landscaping such as shrubs and trees. More vertical, volumetric plantings such as shrubs do not require mowing. They offer more visual interest and presence than turf grass.
• As noted above, we do not recommend xeriscaping in Moncton.

Clover lawn. Clover has many advantages over turf grass