Truly sustainable Indian Creek Nature Center project models greener standards

‘Sustainable” and 'green” are two words often thrown around loosely in an effort to prove a positive environmental impact. Nowadays, more and more products have a little green leaf printed on them, lulling consumers into a false sense of satisfaction that those products are 'environmentally friendly.” But have you ever stopped to think about what sustainability actually means and whether that green leaf does anything more than make us feel good?

Sustainability is 'the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely.” This means that sustainable practices should not only decrease the negative environmental impact; they should have no impact on the environment whatsoever in the short or long term.

Consider this example. I recently saw a green leaf and 'sustainability” statement on a polystyrene foam (Styrofoam-type) cup. It read, 'An average weight paper hot cup generates about 181 percent more solid waste by weight than a comparable foam cup.” While this statement may be true, it lacks necessary context. In reality, the foam cup will sit in the landfill unable to decompose long after the paper cup has returned to the earth and provided valuable compost. Furthermore, polystyrene foam relies on petroleum as a raw ingredient. The disposable foam cup is far from meeting the definition of sustainable, yet we are led to believe this cup is environmentally friendly.

AMAZING SPACE WILL BE AN EXAMPLE

These same challenges exist as Indian Creek Nature Center moves from design to actual construction of its new 12,000-square-foot living learning center, which we are striving to make the most sustainable building in Iowa. As a living learning center, Amazing Space at Indian Creek Nature Center will be a model for learning and provide a cultural attraction for thousands of people every year.

As an organization that has always focused on sustainability, we committed to challenging ourselves by building to the standards of the Living Building Challenge, a program run by the International Living Future Institute. ICNC is the only Iowa organization striving to achieve these aggressive goals.

The center will be built with materials that are durable and sustainably harvested, such as Forest Stewardship Council certified wood and natural limestone. Our intent is to build a truly sustainable building, lower long-term maintenance costs, and develop a plan to be financially, as well as environmentally sustainable.

Our final goal is not to put a fancy certification plaque on the wall. In fact, it is exactly opposite. We will educate and teach about all aspects of the building and construction process. Throughout the new space visitors will find helpful tools teaching them how they can implement this level of sustainability at their home or business.

PROJECT SUCCESSES

The Living Building Challenge presents many opportunities for success in true sustainability. It dictates everything from the treatment of rainwater to on-site construction practices, and it requires a formal audit after one year of operating in the building to ensure that stringent operational requirements are being met in reality, not only in pre-construction modeling. This is a significant difference from the LEED certification program as LEED does not require actual proof of operational performance.

One example of success includes our partnership with Alliant Energy. When completed, the solar panels installed and operated by Alliant Energy will produce energy equivalent to ICNC's electric usage, making our building one of the few Net Zero energy facilities in Iowa. Net Zero buildings produce at least the same amount of renewable energy on-site as is used over the course of a year, thereby reducing its environmental impact.

We have also achieved successes in waste reduction in our efforts to alleviate the amount of disposed materials going to the landfill. Ninety-five percent of construction waste will be recycled, reused, or composted. Locally reclaimed materials will be used in construction. In 2014 Indian Creek Nature Center dismantled a 100-plus year old barn in Marion that was destined for the landfill. Material from this barn, including 16-foot hand-hewn timbers and many exterior plank boards, will be used for decorative and artistic purposes in the new building. Use of these materials diverted several thousand tons of waste from the landfill and decreased our reliance on newly manufactured products.

MORE TO BE DONE

Significant challenges still exist. The availability of truly sustainable construction materials is nowhere near an acceptable level. Because manufacturers respond to demand, more people and companies must demand environmentally responsible products and look beyond the green leaf that primarily exists to make us feel good.

The Living Building Challenge requires that all ingredients within every material used in the building must be specified. Currently, manufacturers are only required to provide Material Safety Data Sheets disclosing dangerous materials. There is no requirement to disclose 100 percent of the ingredients used in manufacturing and a lack of transparency often exists when researching the remainder of the ingredients. Unknown materials are a barrier to achieving true sustainability.

Where the materials come from also presents a significant problem. As truly sustainable materials have limited availability, our team has had to expand our sourcing radius, often looking to manufacturers to ship products a farther distance. This adds cost, time and transportation, using more fossil fuels.

Whenever a new technology or practice is introduced the cost often makes it available for only a select few. Sustainable construction is no different. Indian Creek Nature Center is investing an additional $1.4 million toward constructing a truly sustainable building and site.

This is an investment we can make because our mission allows us to do so. However, the cost of constructing a sustainable building must decrease for the average homeowner and business owner. With increased time and consumer demand, we believe the principles and requirements of the Living Building Challenge will become mainstream.

When completed, the Amazing Space building at Indian Creek Nature Center will be the most sustainable building in Iowa and will serve as a communitywide challenge to look beyond feel-good measures and achieve true sustainability. We look forward to sharing this with you when we open our doors next summer!

' John Myers is executive director of the Indian Creek Nature Center. Comments: jmyers@indiancreeknaturecenter.org