The Home Depot Foundation Award of Excellence

The City of North Charleston and The Sustainability Institute have been awarded the 2009 Award of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development from The Home Depot Foundation.  Oak Terrace Preserve was a major part of North Charleston being chosen as a winner.

WATCH THE AWARD VIDEO HERE

The Foundation sent a team of experts to over 30 cities around the country to judge on these criteria:

Overarching Sustainability:

• Demonstrates superior strategic thinking about goals and outcomes of the neighborhood project/initiative as it relates to the city’s overall Sustainability Plan
• Demonstrates success in public-private partnership in which leadership is shared
• Quantifies positive impact on livability and economic viability of the community
• Achieves sustained and varied involvement by diverse members of the community

Environmental Sustainability:

• Utilizes sustainable design and construction practices in the production/preservation of the built environment with a particular focus on affordable housing and resident health
• Quantifies how the project reduces the environmental footprint of the community
• Enhances walk-ability, bicycling and mass transit access for the community
• Reduces waste significantly and demonstrates leadership in recycling practices

Green Infrastructure:

• Effectively demonstrates the economic, social, health and recreational value of green spaces and trees
• Restores the overall local ecosystem health through remediation measures (i.e. stormwater management, reduction in heat island effect, habitat creation, etc.)
• Demonstrates leadership in the use of emerging green infrastructure know-how and technology
• Serves as a source of ongoing outreach, community-building and education

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below or subscribe to the feed and get articles delivered automatically.