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Sustainability Index

for North American Public Gardens

Version 1.0

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Table of Contents

1. Foreword ......................................................................................................................................... 4

2. Preface ............................................................................................................................................ 6

3. What is “Sustainability”?.................................................................................................................. 6

Sustainability and Public Gardens ........................................................................................................ 8

4. Value of Sustainability Index ............................................................................................................ 9

5. Drafting Process............................................................................................................................. 11

A. Purpose ...................................................................................................................................... 12

B. Principles .................................................................................................................................... 12

6. Scope ............................................................................................................................................. 12

7. Terms and Definitions .................................................................................................................... 13

8. Core Attributes .............................................................................................................................. 16

9. Measuring Progress ....................................................................................................................... 18

10. Attributes, Criteria and Metrics .................................................................................................. 21

1. Water consumption reduction/management for all public garden activities and events ............. 21

2. Water quality management for all water discharged from all public garden buildings/facilities and horticultural activities ........................................................................................................................ 21

3. Wastewater reduction / management from all public garden buildings/facilities and horticultural activities ............................................................................................................................................ 22

4. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction / management from all public garden activities ..... 22

5. Non-renewable energy consumption/reduction for all public garden facilities, activities and events ............................................................................................................................................... 23

6. Solid waste reduction/management for all public garden facilities, activities and events ............ 23

7. Conservation of plants, plant communities associated habitats and ecosystems throughout public garden programs ............................................................................................................................... 24

8. Toxic and hazardous waste reduction/management from all activities (i.e. pest control, fertilizer and chemical use, cleaning products, etc.) ......................................................................................... 25

9. Development and growth opportunities for public garden employees ........................................ 25

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10. External stakeholder engagement on public garden sustainability policies, programs and targets 26

11. Community education and outreach on public garden sustainability initiatives........................... 26

12. Education and outreach on sustainable community development (incl. health & safety) ............ 27

13. Well-being of public garden users, guests and employees .......................................................... 27

14. Financial Planning & Business Management ............................................................................... 28

15. Strategic Planning and Governance ............................................................................................ 28

11. Verification and Record Keeping ................................................................................................ 29

Annex A. Methodology for Developing Attributes .................................................................................. 30

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1. Foreword Longwood Gardens, with the support of the American Public Garden Association (APGA) and a Peer Advisory Group, consisting of several North American public gardens, collaborated with experts and stakeholders to develop this Sustainability Index. The overall goal of this Index is to create measures of sustainable practices with key themes that are clearly understood and could be applied by a wide range of public gardens across North America, regardless of their current level of sustainability performance. This initiative is intended to define and promote leading environmental stewardship practices, and drive innovation and continual improvement in the sustainability performance of the public gardens sector. The development of this Sustainability Index is grounded in science-based, life cycle thinking as well as the insights of experts and key stakeholders within this sector. A Workbook containing examples of “proven practices”, tools and guidance to help gardens better integrate sustainability into their overall operations was also developed as a companion reference to be used in conjunction with this Sustainability Index. Longwood Gardens and the Peer Advisory Group would like to acknowledge the assistance of PE INTERNATIONAL and Five Winds Strategic Consulting whose staff served as experts and project managers.

Longwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres (4.2 km²) of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States in the Brandywine Creek Valley. It is one of the premier botanical gardens in the United States and is open to visitors year-round to enjoy exotic plants and horticulture (both indoor and outdoor), events and performances, seasonal and themed attractions, as well as take part in educational lectures, courses, and workshops. Longwood Gardens consists of 20 outdoor gardens and 20 indoor gardens within 4.5 acres (18,200 m²) of heated greenhouses, known as conservatories. It contains 11,000 different types of plants and trees, as well as fountains. The Gardens also has extensive educational programs including a tuition-free two-year school of professional horticulture, a graduate program, and extensive internships. It hosts 800 horticultural and performing arts events each year, from flower shows, gardening demonstrations, courses, and children's programs to concerts, organ and carillon recitals, musical theatre, fountain shows, and fireworks displays.1 More information is available at: http://www.longwoodgardens.org

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longwood_Gardens

http://www.longwoodgardens.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longwood_Gardens

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Peer Advisory Group

The Peer Advisory Group (PAG) comprised of representatives from:

• Applewood Estates / Ruth Mott • Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest • Brooklyn Botanic Garden • Cleveland Botanical Garden • Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden • Humber Arboretum • Ganna Walska Lotusland • Green Mountain College • Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden • Longwood Gardens • Missouri Botanical Garden • Mt. Cuba Center • North Carolina Botanical Garden • Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens • Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden • Royal Botanic Gardens • Santa Barbara Botanic Garden • Sarah P. Duke Gardens (Duke University) • Shangri-La Botanical Gardens • Smithsonian Gardens • The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College • University of Delaware • University of Maryland • U.S. Botanic Gardens • VanDusen Botanical Garden

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2. Preface This is the first edition of the Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens. It was prepared by Longwood Gardens and members of the Peer Advisory Group. The Sustainability Index was written specifically for public gardens within the United States and Canada.

This Index utilizes a multi-attribute and holistic approach in its assessment of the sustainability performance of public gardens. This approach, detailed in Annex A, determined the sustainability attributes of public gardens for inclusion in this Index. The Peer Advisory Group expects to learn much from the application of this First Edition in the ensuing years. The use of this Sustainability Index and self-assessment by public gardens will be used to revise the Index in drafting the second and subsequent editions. It is contemplated by all parties that this Index will be updated regularly to increase the rigor with time and to challenge public gardens to continually improve their sustainability performance.

3. What is “Sustainability”? In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), commonly referred to as the “Brundtland Commission”, released a report entitled “Our Common Future2” in which the term “sustainable development” was defined as:

“….development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Within the late 1990s, this term has become more formally adapted by the business world to encompass environmental, social, economic and corporate governance practices. At the organizational/business level, “sustainability” is interpreted as integration, and continual improvement of, financial, social and environmental performance. Several terms have been used by business to describe “sustainability”, including: People, Planet & Profit, Triple Bottom Line, as well as Corporate Responsibility / Citizenship Sustainable Enterprise.

Society’s growing awareness and interest in sustainability is creating demand for organizations to adopt more sustainable practices. The past decade has witnessed a wider awareness and concern about environmental issues like climate change, water scarcity, and the efficient use of natural resources. Organizations in a range of sectors - retail, green building, and agriculture to name a few – are working 2 United Nations, 1987. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future. Transmitted to the General Assembly as an Annex to document A/42/427 Development and International Co-operation: Environment. Chapter 2: Towards Sustainable Development.

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to understand what sustainability means for their operations and looking at ways to improve their products and services. The term “sustainability” is widely used and variably defined, but current convention generally defines sustainable business practices as having a “triple bottom line” to measure success based on three pillars:

• people (social performance); • planet (environmental performance); and, • financial viability (economic performance).

Figure 1: Sustainability for organizations and business

The illustration above shows a model approach for a sustainable enterprise built on these three pillars, joined by an organizational governance system as the means to achieve more sustainable performance. Governance is a critical part of sustainability since it defines how sustainability is executed and managed across the organization. It is sometimes viewed as the “glue” that binds the three pillars: environment, social and economic performance.

Green vs. Sustainable

“Green” refers only to the environmental performance of a

product or organization, whereas “sustainable” refers to

three components – environmental, social, and

economic performance.

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Sustainability and Public Gardens While the image of a garden may evoke a sense of harmony with nature and the environment, the public garden sector does not have well defined or widely adopted sustainable business practices. A public garden’s mission is inherently aligned with the environment – growing, arranging and displaying plants for preservation and public enjoyment. Many public gardens also strive to maintain biodiversity, for example through propagation, preservation, or promotion of indigenous plants. There are many other examples of public gardens adopting sustainability practices, such as the US Green Building Council’s standards for newly constructed buildings. However, according to a report commissioned by Longwood Gardens and conducted by Five Winds International in 2009 to scan sustainability best practices in the public garden, the public garden sector does not have well defined or widely adopted sustainable business practices. Some specific observations include:

• Although some individual gardens are adopting more sustainable operating practices, few have fully implemented leadership level approaches to sustainability,

• The sector does not have a holistic, harmonized approach to measuring sustainable operating practices;

• Clearly defined performance standards or best practices to improve environmental and social performance do not exist, and

• A wide range of operating and management practices are required to address differences in public gardens’ mission, geography, facilities, and size.

Public gardens do not have a unified way to holistically define, measure, and improve sustainability performance. Recently, several groups have put forward approaches to address sustainable performance related to activities at public gardens. For example, the interdisciplinary Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES™) aims to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. As another example, Green Building Council rating systems around the world address energy efficiency and environmental performance for building design and operation. Related business sectors are also actively developing model approaches for more sustainable business practices; two recent examples include the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops. There is no unified approach in the public garden sector to holistically address all aspects of sustainable business practices that consider both environmental and social performance.

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4. Value of Sustainability Index Despite the lack of a holistic approach to define, measure, and improve sustainability performance within the public garden sector, there are several other initiatives in place that address various aspects of sustainability. While some of these initiatives have a specific focus that could be used to address environmental impacts to buildings (e.g. LEED® - EB O&M3) or landscape (e.g. Sustainable SITES™4) or more generally support environmental management (e.g. ISO 140015), only a few consider non-environmental or social aspects of sustainability. Even if a public garden were to pursue all of these various initiatives, they would still not likely address the full suite of sustainability impacts across the garden’s operations, activities and events.

This Sustainability Index considers a more comprehensive breadth of sustainability aspects of public gardens than other existing initiatives (see Figure 2) and is designed to be applied to all gardens regardless of size, location, or resources. It offers a holistic, harmonized approach to address the unique sustainability challenges presented in public gardens.

This Sustainability Index is not intended to duplicate or replace efforts by some of the other existing initiatives, but is complementary to, and references these efforts. The criteria within the Sustainability Index are more encompassing of all the activities of a public garden. The highlighted initiatives often provide a more prescriptive and detailed map for achieving sustainability in one area of a garden. For example, LEED certification provides details on developing and operating more sustainable buildings. Within horticultural suppliers, there are a variety of third-party certified programs such as Veriflora, MPS and USDA Organic that provide more sustainable options for plant materials. While not all public gardens may have the ability to actively pursue these other initiatives, alignment with the criteria outlined within this Sustainability Index may aid public gardens in meeting their requirements.

3 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance More information: https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=19201 4The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) is an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. More Information: http://www.sustainablesites.org/ 5 ISO 14001 is an international consensus-based standard that specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organization to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and other requirements to which the organization subscribes, and information about significant environmental aspects. More information: http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=31807

https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=19201

http://www.sustainablesites.org/

http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=31807

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In addition to these benefits, the Sustainability Index has the following inherent value:

• It is grounded in science-based, life cycle thinking towards sustainability performance • It defines a consistent approach to evaluate and communicate sustainability performance • It will help to promote practices that drive measurable improvements in sustainability

performance • It will enable public gardens to measure and benchmark their own sustainability performance.

Figure 2: Comparison of Sustainability Index with other existing initiatives used by public gardens to address sustainability.

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5. Drafting Process Longwood Gardens worked with PE INTERNATIONAL and Five Winds Strategic Consulting Services, under the guidance of the Peer Advisory Group to identify the significant sustainability impacts across all operations of North American public gardens. Subject matter experts and other key stakeholders were consulted during this exercise as well as in drafting the Sustainability Index and accompanying Proven Practice Workbook.

Figure 3: Developers of the Sustainability Index.

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A. Purpose With its commitment to conservation and sustainable practices, the Peer Advisory Group developed the Sustainability Index in order to create measures of sustainable practices with key themes that are clearly understood by all.

B. Principles

The Peer Advisory Group developed the Sustainability Index following the principles:

1. Provide public gardens with a common language regarding sustainability elements.

2. Define a set of consistent metrics to measure and communicate sustainability performance that is grounded in science-based, life cycle thinking.

3. Identify and promote key practices that drive measurable improvements in sustainability performance.

4. Enable public gardens to measure and benchmark their own sustainability performance.

5. Allow public gardens to make verifiable marketing claims about sustainability performance backed by data.

6. Connect a garden’s mission and values with their daily operations and performance.

7. Include tiered performance levels that reflect a range of acceptable practices and promote continual improvement.

8. Provide sufficient flexibility to involve a wide range of public gardens and allied institutions allowing gardens to engage in the effort regardless of their current level of sustainability

6. Scope This Sustainability Index may be applied to all North American public gardens and arboretums, regardless of size or location. This document constitutes the First Edition of this Index. If and when subsequent editions of the Index are produced, a reasonable timeframe will be allocated to allow public gardens the opportunity to meet any new / additional requirements.

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7. Terms and Definitions Attribute: A characteristic of a system (i.e. structure, function or process) that has a direct influence on the environmental performance of the garden. Collaborative Process: Partial or full agreement of the involved parties, steered by a chair or coordinator towards the broadest possible agreement on the issue at stake. The involved parties consult with interested parties, and encourage dialogue across sectors in the development of the Index. The involved parties maintain ultimate decision-making authority. Conservation: The responsible preservation, protection, restoration, management and care of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife. Criteria: The environmental requirements that the system (i.e. structure, function or process) shall meet in order to be awarded an environmental label. [Adapted from ISO 14024] Environmental management system (EMS): Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects. [ISO 14050] First, Second and Third Party: The first party is generally the person or organization that provides the object. In the case of this Sustainability Index, the first party is the product manufacturer. The second party is usually a person or organization that has a user interest in the product, such as the customer. The third party is a person or body that is recognized as being independent of the person or organization that provides the object, as well as the user or customer of the object. [Adapted from ISO 17000] Greenhouse Gas (GHG): Gaseous constituent of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorbs and emits radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere, and clouds. [ISO 14050]

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Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative (Scopes 1, 2, 3): An international accounting tool widely used by government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage GHG emissions. Scope 226 1, 2, and 3 emissions are the GHG Protocol’s categories of direct and indirect emissions. According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative website, the definitions of Scopes 1, 2, and 3 are:

• Scope 1: All direct GHG emissions • Scope 2: Indirect GHG emissions from consumption of purchased electricity, heat or steam • Scope 3: Other indirect emissions, such as the extraction and production of purchased materials

and fuels, transport-related activities in vehicles not owned or controlled by the reporting entity, electricity- related activities (e.g. T&D losses) not covered in Scope 2, outsourced activities, waste disposal, etc.

[World Resource Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, “The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative,” http://www.ghgprotocol.org/] Hot Buttons: An issue of high concern for consumers when thinking about sustainability and more specifically about the impact of system life cycles. Hot Buttons (consumer identified issues) may or may not align with Hot Spots (expert identified issues). Hot Spots: An area of a system’s life cycle that has significant potential impact on a given environmental, social or economic aspect. A ‘hot spot’ refers to a unit process, or phase, along the life cycle of a system. ISO 14001: An international consensus-based standard that specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organization to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and other requirements to which the organization subscribes, and information about significant environmental aspects. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance (LEED® - EB O&M): A rating system that helps building owners and operators measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. It addresses whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues (including chemical use), recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs, and systems upgrades. It also focuses on the operation and maintenance phase of the building lifecycle rather than the construction phase. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a system throughout its life cycle. [Adapted from ISO 14040] MPS: Based in Holland, MPS is a nonprofit organization developed by the Dutch floriculture industry to respond to environmental concerns and has been active in more than 50 countries. Participating growers document their fertilizer, energy and chemical use and waste management and achieve an A, B or C rating on a 100-point scale.

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Plant Conservation: The responsible preservation, protection, management and care of plants, plant communities, associated habitats and ecosystems, in order to prevent loss of plant diversity. Stakeholder: Those groups or individuals: (a) that can reasonably be expected to be significantly affected by the organization’s activities, products, and/or services; or (b) whose actions can reasonably be expected to affect the ability of the organization to successfully implement its strategies and achieve its objectives. [GRI] Sustainability: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. [World Commission on the Environment and Development] Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™): An interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. More Information: http://www.sustainablesites.org/

USDA Organic: The Organic Certification Program is designed to certify every step of the organic chain: from the land on which the product is grown; to the producers growing the product; to the post-harvest facilities preparing the product; to the processing and handling facilities transforming the product. This includes the use of sustainable farming techniques that rely on natural systems of production, pest management, and weed and fungal control, such as: cover cropping, composting, beneficial insect release, crop rotation, and prohibited use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It also prohibits the use of toxic and persistent chemicals commonly found in industrial pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

Veriflora: An agricultural sustainability certification and eco-labeling program recognized as the gold-standard in the floriculture and horticulture industries. The program is administered by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a global third-party certifier of environmental, sustainability and agricultural product quality claims.

Weighting: Assigning a weighting factor to each attribute, criteria and metric in the Index, depending on its relative importance.

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8. Core Attributes Sustainability performance of North American public gardens shall be evaluated on the 15 following core attributes: Environmental Performance

1. Water consumption reduction/management for all public garden activities and events

2. Water quality management for all water discharged from all public garden buildings/facilities and horticultural activities

3. Wastewater reduction / management from all public garden buildings/facilities and horticultural activities

4. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction / management from all public garden activities

5. Non-renewable energy consumption/reduction for all public garden facilities, activities and events

6. Solid waste reduction/management for all public garden facilities, activities and events

7. Conservation of plants, plant communities, associated habitats and ecosystems throughout public garden programs

8. Toxic and hazardous waste reduction/management from all activities (i.e. pest control, fertilizer and chemical use, cleaning products, etc.)

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Social Performance

9. Development and growth opportunities for public garden employees

10. External stakeholder engagement on public garden sustainability policies, programs and targets

11. Community education and outreach on public garden sustainability initiatives

12. Education and outreach on sustainable community development (incl. health & safety)

13. Well-being of public garden users, guests and employees

Economic Performance

14. Financial Planning & Business Management

Governance

15. Strategic Planning and Governance

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9. Measuring Progress This initial version of the Sustainability Index is intended to be a “framework” or “roadmap” for sustainability of public gardens. Users of this edition of the Index will therefore, not receive a score or points for meeting its requirements. It is envisioned that future editions of the Index will incorporate a scoring system that will allow for more detailed quantitative evaluation, and will be instrumental in developing a certification system on sustainability. In an effort to establish a baseline for users and for the sector; to begin to track progress of public garden level of adoption/integration of sustainability; as well as, to encourage continuous improvement among users, the following table is provided to facilitate these objectives:

Sustainability Aspect Attribute Total

Criteria Criteria Met by Garden

Environmental

1. Water consumption reduction/management for all public garden activities and events 3


2

3. Wastewater reduction / management from all public garden buildings/facilities and horticultural activities 3

4. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction / management from all public garden activities 3

5. Non-renewable energy consumption/reduction for all public garden facilities, activities and events 3

6. Solid waste reduction/management for all public garden facilities, activities and events 3

7. Conservation of plants, plant communities, associated habitats and ecosystems throughout public garden programs

5


3

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Social

9. Development and growth opportunities for public garden employees 5

10. External stakeholder engagement on public garden sustainability policies, programs and targets 2

11. Community education and outreach on public garden sustainability initiatives 2

12. Education and outreach on sustainable community development (incl. health & safety) 2

13. Well-being of public garden users, guests and employees 4

Economic 14. Financial Planning & Business Management 3

Governance 15. Strategic Planning and Governance 7

TOTAL 50

Note: There is currently no weighting assigned to the attributes and criteria in this current version of the Index. Weighting may be introduced in future editions.

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Gauging Sustainability Performance

To also help determine the user’s (as well as the sector’s) level of maturity with regards to sustainability, the criteria for each attribute are presented in a format that moves sequentially from a minimum level of sustainability adoption / performance to a greater level of sustainability adoption / performance. One might think about this at several levels – e.g., starting off, making progress, and comprehensive approach. For example, several of the attributes have criteria that follow the sequence of:

1. Planting Seeds: Establishing a baseline or some measurement of impact 2. Bearing Fruit: Establishing/utilizing some action to facilitate reduction of

the impact 3. Sustaining Growth: Setting a reduction target, monitoring and/or

reporting progress.

Using the example above, while a garden may conceivably set a reduction target, they cannot measure progress without having a baseline and implemented some measures to facilitate a reduction.

With this structure, there is some ability for gardens individually or sector-wide to gauge the level of sustainability adoption/ performance by the number of criteria met under each attribute, for each aspect of sustainability and overall for the Index.

Increasing level of sustainability

adoption / performance

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10. Attributes, Criteria and Metrics


Context: Within public gardens, water is widely used within an array of activities (e.g., domestic use, irrigation, maintenance, cooling towers, display fountains, etc.). This attribute seeks to make gardens more aware of water consumption throughout their operations and to encourage better management via establishing baseline documentation, creating reduction plans and monitoring progress against annual targets. Criteria 1.1: The garden meets the criteria if it measures its annual consumption of water across all its activities and events, using guidance (where applicable) from any of the following: LEED EBOM-2009 WEc1Water Performance Management, LEED EBOM-2009 WEc3 Water Efficient Landscaping, the US Department of Interior (DOI) Water Measurement Manual, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Global Water Tool, or equivalent. Criteria 1.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a water management plan to reduce consumption of municipally supplied water across all its activities and events. Criteria 1.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall water consumption and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.


Context: Much of the water used within public gardens becomes contaminated (to varying degrees) with biological, chemical and other pollutants, thereby affecting the quality of the water discharged. Some of this wastewater may be discharged (untreated or partially treated) into municipal streams for treatment or into other bodies. This attribute encourages gardens to actively monitor and improve the quality of water discharges from their buildings facilities and horticultural activities with the aim of moving the garden beyond regulatory compliance. Criteria 2.1: The garden meets the criteria if its water management plan seeks to improve quality of water discharged. Criteria 2.2: The garden meets the criteria if it measures the quality of water discharged from all its buildings/facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.) and horticultural activities, to ensure that it moves beyond compliance levels stipulated within local / municipal regulatory

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requirements, and follows water quality recommendations made by government agencies to improve regional water quality.


Context: Public gardens generate significant amounts of wastewater from their activities and events. Some gardens discharge their (untreated or partially treated) wastewater into municipal streams and other bodies, while others may fully treat and recycle their wastewater onsite. Sources of wastewater include (but are not limited to): grey water from washrooms / kitchens and other domestic use, run-off from gardens and irrigation, run-off from hardscape / greenhouses / buildings / parking lots, cleaning and other maintenance activities, etc. This attribute seeks to make gardens more aware of their wastewater generated throughout their operations and to encourage better management via establishing baseline documentation, creating reduction plans and monitoring progress against annual targets. Criteria 3.1: The garden meets the criteria if it measures its annual discharge of wastewater from all its buildings/facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.) and horticultural activities, using the US Department of Interior (DOI) Water Measurement Manual, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Global Water Tool, or equivalent. Criteria 3.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a water management plan to reduce discharge of wastewater (including storm water) across all its activities and events. Criteria 3.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall wastewater discharge and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.


Context: Public gardens generate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout their operations both directly (e.g., onsite fuel consumption in fleet vehicles, lawn mowers and other equipment, etc.), and indirectly (e.g., consumption of purchased electricity used in lighting, space heating/cooling, etc., purchased steam used onsite, or energy attributed to products or services procured and outside the gates/control of the garden). This attribute seeks to make gardens more aware of GHG emissions generated throughout their operations and to encourage better management via measurement, reduction plans and monitoring progress against annual targets. Criteria 4.1: The garden meets the criteria if it calculates Scope 1 and 2 GHG Emissions in accordance with WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol, or equivalent.

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Criteria 4.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a program to reduce its Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions. Criteria 4.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall GHG Scope 1 & 2 emissions and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.


Context: Public gardens utilize non-renewable energy in several aspects of their operations, including lighting, space heating/cooling, greenhouses and plant over-wintering activities, fuels for fleet vehicles, lawn mowers and other maintenance equipment, etc. This attribute seeks to make gardens more aware of their use of non-renewable throughout their operations and to encourage better management via reduction plans and monitoring progress against annual targets. While this attribute is related to Attribute 4 (above), it looks at use on non-renewable energy broadly and not just GHGs.

Criteria 5.1: The garden meets the criteria if it measures its annual consumption of non-renewable energy from all its facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.), activities and events. Criteria 5.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a plan to reduce its consumption of non-renewable energy from all its facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.), activities and events. Criteria 5.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall consumption of non-renewable energy and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.


Context: Public gardens generate solid waste in practically every aspect of their operations, including horticultural activities, administration, guest activities, hosted events, restaurants, retail operations, etc. This attribute seeks to make gardens more aware of the generation of solid waste throughout their operations and to encourage better management via reduction/recycling plans and monitoring progress against annual targets. Criteria 6.1: The garden meets the criteria if it measures its annual generation/disposal of solid waste from all its facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.), activities and events.

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Criteria 6.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a solid waste reduction plan and/or recycling program to reduce solid waste disposed from all its facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.), activities and events. Criteria 6.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall disposal of solid waste and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.

7. Conservation of plants, plant communities associated habitats and ecosystems throughout public garden programs

Context: The Earth’s plant biodiversity is rapidly being lost due to habitat loss, spread of invasive species, over-exploitation of plants, chemical alteration of the environment, and climate change. Public gardens are stewards of plant biodiversity and are often at the forefront of conservation efforts to delay or reverse these negative impacts. Some of these conservation efforts involve the incorporation and display of several botanical varieties and species (often including non-native and invasive species) within their collections as means of raising awareness and educating their guests. This attribute seeks to enhance the plant conservation efforts of public gardens via better strategy implementation, documentation and management of plant collections. Criteria 7.1: The garden meets the criteria if it develops a plant collections policies or annually reviews a guide to plant conservation initiatives in public gardens endorsed by professional horticulture and conservation organizations (e.g. the North American Botanic Garden Strategy for Plant Conservation or similar guide), and sets targets for implementing each section of the strategy across garden programs. Criteria 7.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has a plan in place for monitoring, management, and introduction of aggressive / invasive / non-native species that do not fit into guidelines in 7.1 (above), and annually monitors progress and sets new goals. Criteria 7.3: The garden meets the criteria if it documents native flora on garden lands, and incorporates conservation of regional plant species and plant communities in its goals, education programs, and garden plan. Criteria 7.4: The garden meets the criteria if it regularly trains garden staff in effectively implementing conservation into horticulture, research, land management, education, and planning at the garden. Criteria 7.5: The garden meets the criteria if it regularly assesses and improves the implementation and efficacy of its conservation efforts throughout garden planning, operations, and programs.

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Context: In addition to solid waste, public gardens also generate toxic or hazardous waste in some aspects of their operations. Some of the sources of this type of waste include: residual amounts/rinse solutions from horticultural activities such as fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides; spent oils, lubricants and fuel used in fleet and maintenance equipment, cleaning products for janitorial and other industrial type applications, etc. This attribute seeks to make gardens more aware of the generation of toxic or hazardous waste throughout their operations and to encourage better management via establishing baseline documentation, creating reduction plans and monitoring progress against annual targets. Criteria 8.1: The garden meets the criteria if it annually measures toxic and hazardous waste generated from all activities (i.e. pest control, fertilizer and chemical use, cleaning products, etc.). Criteria 8.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a program to eliminate/reduce toxic and hazardous waste generated from all activities (i.e. pest control, fertilizer and chemical use, cleaning products, etc.). Criteria 8.3: The garden meets the criteria if it provides regular training to staff on the safe use/application, handling, storage and disposal of pesticides, fertilizers, cleaning products and other chemicals.


Context: Knowledgeable and competent staff is a key factor in the successful functioning of a public garden. The ability to acquire and maintain staff with the appropriate expertise and skill-set requires investment in development, training and providing opportunities to grow professionally. Attracting and retaining talent is not only necessary for day-to-day function and economic prosperity, but is also instrumental in building the necessary intellectual capacity and “institutional” knowledge and expertise to fully and effectively be a sustainable organization. This attribute encourages gardens to provide its staff with the necessary training and development opportunities for their function within the garden, as well as that required to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of sustainability within the context of public gardens and its successful implementation. Criteria 9.1: The garden meets the criteria if has a program to provide training, development, promotion and advancement opportunities for its employees to support their continued employability (i.e. skills management training, lifelong learning programs, etc.).

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Criteria 9.2: The garden meets the criteria if it broadly engages its employees on all aspects of sustainability (both directly and indirectly related to their role within the garden). Criteria 9.3: The garden meets the criteria if it provides regular training to its employees (or retraining, as required), on the use of the Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens, the garden’s own sustainability policies, program and targets. Criteria 9.4: The garden meets the criteria if it engages employees on the use of the Public Gardens Sustainability Index Proven Practice Workbook to facilitate the implementation and advancement of sustainability in its operations activities and events. Criteria 9.5: The garden meets the criteria if it annually reports on the percentage of employees trained (incl. training specified in criteria, 9.1, 9.3 and 9.4 above).


Context: There are a wide range of external stakeholders associated with public gardens, including: guests, local community, product and service vendors, media, regulators, academia, APGA, other public gardens, environmental non-governmental organizations, sustainability experts/networks, etc. This attribute encourages gardens to engage with these different groups to communicate their activities on sustainability with the aim of exchanging ideas and successes, and as a means to seeking feedback necessary to continually improving sustainability goals and implementation. Criteria 10.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a program to engage stakeholders on the garden’s own sustainability policies, program and targets. Criteria 10.2: The garden meets the criteria if it annually reports on its external stakeholder engagement activities on sustainability.


Context: While guests and local community is a key segment of the public garden’s external stakeholders, there is a need to have education and outreach tailored specifically to these two groups. This attribute encourages gardens to engage specifically with its guests and local community to communicate their activities on sustainability, to exchange ideas and successes, to seek feedback necessary to continually reviewing sustainability goals and improving

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sustainability implementation with a focus on how it can enhance the experience of guests and contributes to the local community. Criteria 11.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a program to engage and educate its local community and visitors on the garden’s own sustainability policies, program and targets. Criteria 11.2: The garden meets the criteria if it annually reports on its engagement activities with its local community and visitors on sustainability.


Context: The public garden can be a model for sustainability for its local community by highlighting its initiatives within its gates (e.g., informative signage for guests, inclusion of sustainability in major seasonal events/promotions, specific programming to target segments of the population, educational courses/classes, etc.), and also by sharing its learning, knowledge and expertise on sustainability outside its gates (e.g., formal community outreach programs, educational visits to local schools or groups in the community, volunteering in local community projects, etc.). This attribute encourages gardens to engage with their local communities to effectively encourage, empower and extend the implementation of sustainability outside the garden and into the broader community. Criteria 12.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a program to engage, educate and empower its local community (incl. children, underserved populations, minorities, etc.) on managing its environmental/social impacts and promoting overall advancement of sustainability within the community. Criteria 12.2: The garden meets the criteria if it annually reports on its contribution to the sustainability of its local community and the success of these contributions.


Context: In addition to educating and entertaining their guests, public gardens also possess the intrinsic ability to positively enhance their visitors’ cognitive, physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being. This attribute has a two-fold purpose: to encourage gardens to implement programs that leverage this unique ability in promoting quality of life for their guests and employees; and, to ensure that the safety of guests has been considered in all aspects of a garden and that garden employees have a safe and healthy work environment, via access to appropriate training, and monitoring progress against annual targets.

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Criteria 13.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a program implemented to promote increased quality of life (i.e., cognitive, physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being) for users, guests, and employees via their overall experience/interaction with the garden as a means of connecting with nature. Criteria 13.2: The garden meets the criteria if it provides regular training to all employees on enhancing well-being for all users, in addition to traditional health and safety topics. Criteria 13.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a health and safety program in place to meet the safety requirements of users, guests, and employees. Criteria 13.4: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of incidents/accidents/other impacts that affect overall well-being of users, guests and employees while on public garden property.


Context: Successful sustainability implementation is underpinned by sound financial planning and business management. This attribute encourages gardens to include sustainability considerations into these core business and management practices. Criteria 14.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a policy to integrate sustainability into its financial planning, investments (i.e., socially responsible investment options), employee saving plans (401k) and business management decisions. Criteria 14.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has developed a business plan to ensure its long term viability. Criteria 14.3: The garden meets the criteria if it regularly assesses its economic viability and overall sustainability performance against the business plan and makes required adjustments to ensure long term viability.


Context: Strategic planning and sound governance practices are also key enablers of sustainability implementation. This attribute encourages gardens to integrate sustainability considerations into their strategic planning and governance practices, including the appointment of a designated sustainability manager, the establishment of, and annual monitoring of progress against strategic sustainability targets. The attribute also contains

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criteria for master planning including adaptation strategies for climate change impacts and management of aging infrastructure. Criteria 15.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a policy to integrate sustainability into its strategic / master planning and governance. Criteria 15.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has a designated manager with overall governance/ responsibility and oversight for sustainability within all public garden operations, activities and events. Criteria 15.3: The garden meets the criteria if its master plan includes a strategy to attract, retain, and train a competent and diverse workforce with the appropriate intellectual capital and skill to ensure its long-term viability/sustainability. Criteria 15.4: The garden meets the criteria if it actively assesses sustainability considerations and implements strategic actions to advance sustainability associated with public garden operations, activities and events. Criteria 15.5: The garden meets the criteria if it has developed and implemented an adaptation plan (e.g. to consider and manage the impacts of climate change on plants) as part of its strategic / master planning. Criteria 15.6: The garden meets the criteria if sustainability considerations are integrated into deferred maintenance decisions (e.g. managing aging infrastructure). Criteria 15.7: The garden meets the criteria if it incorporates sustainability targets within its strategic plan, and annually assesses progress on this target.

11. Verification and Record Keeping While verification and certification of sustainability practices within public gardens against the criteria within this version of the Sustainability Index is not currently required, it is envisioned that in the future this may be a requirement. As such users of this Sustainability Index are encouraged to maintain records or other documentation that could be helpful for future verification or certification.

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Annex A. Methodology for Developing Attributes

1.0 Context This document describes the approach used to identify the set of multiple attributes of public gardens selected for the Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens developed collaboratively by Longwood Gardens, the Peer Advisory Group (PAG), experts, and other relevant stakeholders. These attributes, which form the basis of the Sustainability Index, were developed using science-based, life cycle thinking as well as the insights of experts and key stakeholders within this sector.

The purpose of developing this set of multiple attributes is to establish and stimulate innovative environmental stewardship practices for use within public gardens.

1.1 Research of Existing Efforts

1.1.1 Benchmarking Public Gardens In 2009, PE International & Five Winds Strategic Consulting conducted a benchmark study of sustainability management within four leading public gardens. The following key findings were established:

1. The sector does not have a holistic, harmonized approach to measuring sustainable operating practices

2. Individual gardens are adopting more sustainable practices, but few have fully implemented leadership-level approaches to sustainability

3. Clearly defined performance standards or best practices to improve environmental and social performance of day-to-day garden operations do not exist

4. A wide range of operating and management practices are required to address differences in public gardens’ mission, geography, facilities, and size.

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1.1.2 Program Review There are several initiatives currently available that can be used by those in the public garden context to manage and grade the performance of various sustainability indicators (i.e. plant management, waste reduction, green buildings). The following systems were reviewed to determine the degree to which each program successfully acknowledges the wide variety of public garden sustainability concerns:

• Green Restaurants Association6 • AAM PIC Green7 • Veriflora8 • Sustainable SITES™9 • LEED® EB O&M10 • ISO 1400111

While there are several initiatives that focus on various sustainability impacts within the public garden, no one program holistically addresses the full set of sustainability impacts across the garden’s operations, activities, and events.

A comparison of programs is illustrated in Figure 1:

6 Green Restaurants Association is a non-profit organization that helps restaurants, manufacturers, distributors, and consumers become more environmentally responsible. More information: http://www.dinegreen.com/ 7 American Association of Museums’ Pic Green was established to promote sustainable museum projects. More information: http://www.aam-us.org/getinvolved/comm/green.cfm/ 8 Veriflora is an agricultural sustainability certification and eco-labeling program recognized as the gold-standard in the floriculture and horticulture industries. The program is administered by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a global third-party certifier of environmental, sustainability and agricultural product quality claims. More information: http://www.veriflora.com/ 9 Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) is an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. More Information: http://www.sustainablesites.org/ 10 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance More information: https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=19201 11 ISO 14001 is an international consensus-based standard that specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organization to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and other requirements to which the organization subscribes, and information about significant environmental aspects. More information: http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=31807

http://www.dinegreen.com/

http://www.aam-us.org/getinvolved/comm/green.cfm/

http://www.veriflora.com/

http://www.sustainablesites.org/

https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=19201

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Figure 1: Comparison of Sustainability Index with other existing initiatives used by public gardens to address sustainability.

1.1.3 Garden Initiatives A review of North American Public Gardens was completed to determine the size and extent of sustainability initiatives that are currently being implemented. The following six North American Public Gardens were reviewed:

• United States Botanic Gardens • Missouri Botanical Garden • Queens Botanical Garden • Cleveland Botanical Gardens • Olbrich Botanical Gardens • New York Botanical Gardens

This review of select public gardens revealed the following initiatives as currently being implemented:

• Carbon Footprint measurement • Community gardening program

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• Constructed wetlands • Education (sustainable living, conservation, sustainability symposia) • Endangered species conservation • Greener garden designs (e.g. use of low maintenance perennials) • Green procurement of cleaning supplies • Healthy Families program • Plant pot recycling program • Lawn alternatives • Natural Insect control • Use of renewable energy • Sustainable stormwater management • Green roofs • Solar panels • Waste reduction / recycling programs

1.1.4 Results of Preliminary Research A review of benchmarks, sustainability programs, and public garden initiatives revealed a need for an index that considers the full breadth of sustainability aspects of public gardens. Although created specifically for use within the public gardens, the Sustainability Index is intended to be complementary to initiatives such as Veriflora, LEED-EB O&M and SITES™.

The Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens offers a holistic, harmonized approach to address the unique sustainability challenges presented in public gardens.

2.0 Methodology

2.1 Timeline Longwood Gardens developed and utilized the following approach to identify and prioritize attributes for inclusion within the Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens:

1. Following a review of sustainability within the public garden sector, the scope and arrangement of attributes was drafted. This preliminary list was reviewed by the PAG, experts, and stakeholders.

2. The first draft of the Sustainability Index was developed under ongoing review from all stakeholders.

3. A completed draft of the Sustainability Index is reviewed and the companion piece to the Index, the Proven Practices Workbook, is developed.

4. The Index and Workbook are finalized after all reviews and lessons from testing are incorporated into the final drafts.

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This approach is illustrated in Figure 2 below:

Figure 2: Collaborative Index Development Approach

2.2 Hot Spot Methodology The hot spots, or areas of a life cycle (LCA) with significant potential impact on a given environmental, social or economic aspect, were determined by the following three step process:

1. Literature Review –review of scientific reports, publicly available LCAs, publicly available LCAs Websites

2. Internal Stakeholders –an online sustainability survey was completed by members of the PAG. Following the sustainability survey, interviews were held with select PAG members to reveal additional pertinent information

3. Professional Insight –PE International provided professional expertise and guidance throughout the analysis

The hot spot methodology is illustrated in Figure 3 below:

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Figure 3: Hot Spot Methodology

2.2.1 Literature Review to Identify Preliminary Hot Spots An important part of identifying attributes for public gardens involved a review of publicly available reports and studies.

The following Public Reports & Studies were reviewed:

• Morris, Jeffrey and Jennifer Bagby. 2008. Measuring environmental value for Natural Lawn and Garden Care practices. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 13 (3): 226-234. Springer-Verlag.

• Bhander, G.S., Christensen, T.H., and M.Z. Hauschild. 2010. EASEWASTE – life cycle modeling capabilities for waste management technologies. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.15: 403-416. Springer.

• Easewaste website: Tool developed by the Technical University of Denmark. Available for use by consultants, but only after proper training.

• Del Borghi, A., Gallo, M. and Marco Del Borghi. 2009. A survey of life cycle approaches in waste management. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 14: 597-610. Springer.

A review of existing literature focusing on issues related to the public garden sector revealed the following sustainability priorities:

• Education & Community Outreach • Plant Conservation

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• Pest/Weed Management (Organic vs. synthetic fertilizers, natural (bugs) vs. synthetic pesticides, integrated pest management)

• Water Management • Energy Management • Waste Management • Operations & Maintenance (Equipment Use)

2.2.2 PAG Sustainability Survey Process

A key contribution to the hot spot analysis involved a survey with select PAG members. Each member was asked to rank the level of importance (i.e. high, medium or low) of 10 potential impacts across 20 garden activities. The answers from each question were averaged to determine the generally perceived level of importance for each activity.

Respondents

All respondents to the sustainability survey were members of the PAG. Initial survey questions requested basic information regarding the specifics of the gardens from which the respondents were affiliated with. The findings were as follows:

• APGA Class: 10 Public Gardens, 1 Arboretum • Location: Dispersed between USDA hardiness zones 5a and 8b • Size: most under 1000 acres

o ⅔ respondents < 100 acres o ¼ respondents between 100 to 500 acres o rest between 500 to 1000 acres

• Annual Visitors: 20,000 to > 1.2 million • Environmental / Sustainability Integration into Management Strategy:

o 55% fully integrated o 45% partially integrated

• Formal, well communicated Environmental / Sustainability Policy: 60% • Formal, well communicated Social Policy: 27% • Environmental Management System Implementation: 30% full, 30% partial

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Formulation of Survey Questions

The selection of sustainability impact categories and prioritization for the Sustainability Survey was guided by PE International’s CSRInsight™ tool12. The broad range of impact categories from which those for the sustainability survey were derived and which formed the framework for the Sustainability Index for public gardens included Environmental, Social, Governance & Conduct, and Financial. A complete list of impact categories is shown below:

Figure 4: Sustainability Categories within Survey Questions

Public Garden Activities & Environmental Impacts

A variety of public garden activities and environmental impacts were addressed within the environmental survey. The Environmental Impacts were not assessment criteria for the activities and programs listed, but rather the degree of implementation of these activities and programs. The following is a complete list of included activities and impacts:

12 PE INTERNATIONAL’s CSRInsight™ tool defines sustainability in a matrix of 400+ Sustainable Business Practices which were distilled from leading standards, guidelines & investment questionnaires including financial rating organizations, Governmental/Inter-Governmental Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations

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Garden Activities Environmental Impacts Buildings & Facilities • Air Emissions (dust, particulates, sulphur

dioxide, ozone depleting, etc.) • Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions • Non-Renewable Energy Consumption • Primary Energy Demand • Water Consumption • Water Quality • Wastewater Discharge • Solid Waste Generation / Disposal • Toxics and Hazardous Waste Generation /

Disposal

Physical Plan Garden Design & Construction Horticulture Plant Conservation Land Stewardship Composting Pest/Weed Management Fertilizer Use / Management Chemical Management Material Handling Purchasing Restaurants a Vending Stores Community Services Education & Outreach Events & Exhibitions Hospitality Performing Arts Visitor Services

Figure 5: Garden Activities & Environmental Impacts Addressed in Environmental Survey

Results of Survey Heat map

Each of the twenty Garden Activities was given a rating (i.e. high, medium or low) for each of the Environmental Impacts based on an averaging of results from the Sustainability Survey. A heat map was generated to illustrate the each of the impacts and the level of concern surrounding them. Red displays results with a high rating, yellow displays results with a medium rating and green displays results with a low rating. The following figure illustrates the results:

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Figure 6: Heat Map –Environmental Impacts (survey responses) placed on landscape page once draft is finalized

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Distillation of Top 5 Sustainability Impacts

The top five sustainability impacts determined as a result of the sustainability survey are as follows:

Figure 7: Distillation of Top 5 Sustainability Impacts

2.2.3 Professional Insight Longwood Gardens worked with PE International and Five Winds Strategic Consulting Services, under the guidance of the Peer Advisory Group to identify the significant sustainability impacts across all operations of North American public gardens.

PE INTERNATIONAL is the premier integrated sustainability solutions provider across the globe, providing consulting, software and content that delivers measureable business impacts to the corporate and product sustainability efforts of enterprises of all sizes. Their market-leading expertise is offered through a unique portfolio of products and services that includes: Five Winds Strategic Consulting, Product Sustainability Solutions, and Corporate Sustainability Solutions.

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2.3 Additional Insight from Peer Advisory Group Select PAG members were chosen to provide additional insight. This feedback was influential in determining the final attributes for use in the Sustainability Index and can be outlined as follows:

PAG Member Top Sustainability Impacts Proven Practices to Watch Other Susan Barton – University of Delaware

• Practicing IPM – really targeting active problems and not blanket whole landscapes

• Modifying plant selection for environment (and not vice-versa)

• Reducing lawn or only using lawn in a purposeful way and not as a default

• Allowing natural nutrient cycling

• Helping the public to engage – providing gathering spots and paths into “wild” nature and not just with contrived approaches

Connecting garden to residential applications • Fertilize in the Fall • Know your soil • Organic is not necessarily

better (in fertilizer) • Native plants are not

necessarily preferable. Great for supporting indigenous wildlife but not necessarily better for environment as environment has been so modified.

Ray Mims- U.S. Botanic Gardens

• Horticulture and plant propagation – type of medium used and reducing use of peat

• Restaurants: what is really more sustainable option for cutlery/dishware? Compostable sounds good but is it really better?

• Missouri Botanical Gardens: EarthWays Center, where they demonstrate sustainable practices and educate the public

• Northeast IPM Group

• Index should be complementary to SITES™ and reference both SITES™ and LEED® where appropriate

Mike Belco –Applewood Estate

• Employee and visitor diversity: Applewood is located in an urban environment where poverty and race are significant issues.

• Wise Water Garden Shed at Applewood

• Use of biodiesel (up to 70%) in large tractors

Kelly Ogrodnik, Richard Piacentini, Joel Perkovich –Phipps Conservatory

• Energy, Water, Purchasing, Waste Management and Marketing across the entire garden.

• Important to then apply these categories at the garden level: e.g. Plant Production and knowing where plants come from, how they were grown (pesticides used) and then

• Phipps has done quite a bit behind the scenes and just opened their Center for Sustainable Landscapes where sustainability is front and center. Benchmarking to know where you are and then metering to monitor improvements (and verify you are improving!)

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putting them in the right place in the garden (minimizing water and energy needs)

• Water – long list of what they are doing

• Energy – some unique approaches given historic nature of their conservatory

• Staff Orientation – sustainability is part of HR interview process, there is an orientation, a campus tour, monthly brown bag lunch to discuss how to improve, quarterly suggestion box for improvements, on-campus organic Farmers’ Market/CSA and retail shop with sustainable products where employees get discounts.

Figure 8: Additional Insights from PAG

2.4 Prioritizing Environmental Attributes for Index All environmental Impacts were prioritized based on the literature review, averaged survey priority, PE expertise, and PAG priority. Each impact was assigned either one or two points from each stakeholder which was then added together to reveal the impacts’ weighted total. If the impact was never mentioned by the stakeholder, then it would be given no value. This prioritized the attributes and highlighted which were necessary to be included within the Sustainability Index. Therefore, the impacts with the higher totals are viewed as more significant and shall be included within the Sustainability Index.

The following tables illustrate the prioritization of Environmental Attributes, Social Attributes, and Activities:

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Figure 9: Prioritized Environmental Attributes for Index

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Figure 10: Prioritized Social Attributes for Index

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Figure 11: Prioritized Activities for Index

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3.0 Recommended Attribute, Criteria and Metrics Following the hot-spot analysis and prioritizing impacts and activities, recommended attributes, criteria and metrics were developed to be included in the Sustainability Index.

Figure 12: Framework for Development of Index

The following attributes, criteria, and metrics were identified:


Criteria 1.1: The garden meets the criteria if it measures its annual consumption of water across all its activities and events, using guidance (where applicable) from any of the following: LEED EBOM-2009 WEc1Water Performance Management, LEED EBOM-2009 WEc3 Water Efficient Landscaping, the US Department of Interior (DOI) Water Measurement Manual, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Global Water Tool, or equivalent. Criteria 1.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a water management plan to reduce consumption of municipally supplied water across all its activities and events.

MetricQuantification of the criteria that

can be measured

CriteriaThe requirements for a product to

meet the standard

AttributeA characteristic of

a product or process that has a direct influence on

environmental performance

Energy/GHG emissions during activated

carbon production

Improve energy efficiency of facilities

Operates program to work with suppliers

to reduce energy consumption in their

operations

Reduce GHG emissions from

facilities

Produce inventory of Scope 3 emissions

Requirements of IndexInformed by Assured by

Conformity Assessment

Human health impacts during

activated carbon production

End-of-Life Management

Innovation

e.g. e.g. e.g.

Demonstration that specified

requirements are fulfilled

Documentation of Program

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

Report in conformance with recognized carbon

accounting protocol ,

guidance or standard (e.g.,

GHG Protocol, ISO 14067)

Hot Spot Analysis

Principles

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Criteria 1.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall water consumption and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.


Criteria 2.1: The garden meets the criteria if its water management plan seeks to improve quality of water discharged. Criteria 2.2: The garden meets the criteria if it measures the quality of water discharged from all its buildings/facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.) and horticultural activities, to ensure that it moves beyond compliance levels stipulated within local / municipal regulatory requirements, and follows water quality recommendations made by government agencies to improve regional water quality.


Criteria 3.1: The garden meets the criteria if it measures its annual discharge of wastewater from all its buildings/facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.) and horticultural activities, using the US Department of Interior (DOI) Water Measurement Manual, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Global Water Tool, or equivalent. Criteria 3.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a water management plan to reduce discharge of wastewater (including storm water) across all its activities and events. Criteria 3.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall wastewater discharge and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.


Criteria 4.1: The garden meets the criteria if it calculates Scope 1 and 2 GHG Emissions in accordance with WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol, or equivalent. Criteria 4.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a program to reduce its Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions. Criteria 4.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall GHG Scope 1 & 2 emissions and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.

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Criteria 5.1: The garden meets the criteria if it measures its annual consumption of non-renewable energy from all its facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.), activities and events. Criteria 5.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a plan to reduce its consumption of non-renewable energy from all its facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.), activities and events. Criteria 5.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall consumption of non-renewable energy and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.


Criteria 6.1: The garden meets the criteria if it measures its annual generation/disposal of solid waste from all its facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.), activities and events. Criteria 6.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a solid waste reduction plan and/or recycling program to reduce solid waste disposed from all its facilities (incl. greenhouses, exterior gardens, etc.), activities and events. Criteria 6.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce its overall disposal of solid waste and monitors progress against this target on an annual basis.

7. Conservation of plants, plant communities associated habitats and ecosystems throughout public garden programs

Criteria 7.1: The garden meets the criteria if it develops a plant collections policies or annually reviews a guide to plant conservation initiatives in public gardens endorsed by professional horticulture and conservation organizations (e.g. the North American Botanic Garden Strategy for Plant Conservation or similar guide), and sets targets for implementing each section of the strategy across garden programs.

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Criteria 7.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has a plan in place for monitoring, management, and introduction of aggressive / invasive / non-native species that do not fit into guidelines in 7.1 (above), and annually monitors progress and sets new goals. Criteria 7.3: The garden meets the criteria if it documents native flora on garden lands, and incorporates conservation of regional plant species and plant communities in its goals, education programs, and garden plan. Criteria 7.4: The garden meets the criteria if it regularly trains garden staff in effectively implementing conservation into horticulture, research, land management, education, and planning at the garden. Criteria 7.5: The garden meets the criteria if it regularly assesses and improves the implementation and efficacy of its conservation efforts throughout garden planning, operations, and programs.


Criteria 8.1: The garden meets the criteria if it annually measures toxic and hazardous waste generated from all activities (i.e. pest control, fertilizer and chemical use, cleaning products, etc.). Criteria 8.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has implemented a program to eliminate/reduce toxic and hazardous waste generated from all activities (i.e. pest control, fertilizer and chemical use, cleaning products, etc.). Criteria 8.3: The garden meets the criteria if it provides regular training to staff on the safe use/application, handling, storage and disposal of pesticides, fertilizers, cleaning products and other chemicals.


Criteria 9.1: The garden meets the criteria if has a program to provide training, development, promotion and advancement opportunities for its employees to support their continued employability (i.e. skills management training, lifelong learning programs, etc.). Criteria 9.2: The garden meets the criteria if it broadly engages its employees on all aspects of sustainability (both directly and indirectly related to their role within the garden).

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Criteria 9.3: The garden meets the criteria if it provides regular training to its employees (or retraining, as required), on the use of the Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens, the garden’s own sustainability policies, program and targets. Criteria 9.4: The garden meets the criteria if it engages employees on the use of the Public Gardens Sustainability Index Proven Practice Workbook to facilitate the implementation and advancement of sustainability in its operations activities and events. Criteria 9.5: The garden meets the criteria if it annually reports on the percentage of employees trained (incl. training specified in criteria, 9.1, 9.3 and 9.4 above).


Criteria 10.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a program to engage stakeholders on the garden’s own sustainability policies, program and targets. Criteria 10.2: The garden meets the criteria if it annually reports on its external stakeholder engagement activities on sustainability.


Criteria 11.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a program to engage and educate its local community and visitors on the garden’s own sustainability policies, program and targets. Criteria 11.2: The garden meets the criteria if it annually reports on its engagement activities with its local community and visitors on sustainability.


Criteria 12.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a program to engage, educate and empower its local community (incl. children, underserved populations, minorities, etc.) on managing its environmental/social impacts and promoting overall advancement of sustainability within the community. Criteria 12.2: The garden meets the criteria if it annually reports on its contribution to the sustainability of its local community and the success of these contributions.

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Criteria 13.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a program implemented to promote increased quality of life (i.e., cognitive, physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being) for users, guests, and employees via their overall experience/interaction with the garden as a means of connecting with nature. Criteria 13.2: The garden meets the criteria if it provides regular training to all employees on enhancing well-being for all users, in addition to traditional health and safety topics. Criteria 13.3: The garden meets the criteria if it has a health and safety program in place to meet the safety requirements of users, guests, and employees. Criteria 13.4: The garden meets the criteria if it has a target to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of incidents/accidents/other impacts that affect overall well-being of users, guests and employees while on public garden property.


Criteria 14.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a policy to integrate sustainability into its financial planning, investments (i.e., socially responsible investment options), employee saving plans (401k) and business management decisions. Criteria 14.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has developed a business plan to ensure its long term viability. Criteria 14.3: The garden meets the criteria if it regularly assesses its economic viability and overall sustainability performance against the business plan and makes required adjustments to ensure long term viability.


Criteria 15.1: The garden meets the criteria if it has a policy to integrate sustainability into its strategic / master planning and governance. Criteria 15.2: The garden meets the criteria if it has a designated manager with overall governance/ responsibility and oversight for sustainability within all public garden operations, activities and events.

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Criteria 15.3: The garden meets the criteria if its master plan includes a strategy to attract, retain, and train a competent and diverse workforce with the appropriate intellectual capital and skill to ensure its long-term viability/sustainability. Criteria 15.4: The garden meets the criteria if it actively assesses sustainability considerations and implements strategic actions to advance sustainability associated with public garden operations, activities and events. Criteria 15.5: The garden meets the criteria if it has developed and implemented an adaptation plan (e.g. to consider and manage the impacts of climate change on plants) as part of its strategic / master planning. Criteria 15.6: The garden meets the criteria if sustainability considerations are integrated into deferred maintenance decisions (e.g. managing aging infrastructure). Criteria 15.7: The garden meets the criteria if it incorporates sustainability targets within its strategic plan, and annually assesses progress on this target.

4.0 Connecting Sustainability Index with Proven Practice / Tools A Workbook containing examples of “proven practices”, tools and guidance to help gardens better integrate sustainability into their overall operations was also developed as a companion reference to be used in conjunction with this Sustainable Index. Providing gardens with examples of industry leader will encourage innovation and creativity. The following image illustrates the process of matching a Proven Practice and/or Tool with an Attribute and Criteria/Metric:

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Figure 13: Translation to Proven Practice

5.0 Conclusion Longwood Gardens developed metrics for each of the selected attributes and related criteria to evaluate the sustainability of North American public gardens. These attributes, criteria and metrics form the basis of the Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens. The Sustainability Index will be reviewed periodically and may lead to the inclusion of additional attributes (and therefore criteria and metrics) in future editions, so as to ensure continuous improvement of sustainability performance within the North American public garden sector.

sustainability index€¦ · the development of this sustainability index is grounded in...

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