Green Roofs in Boston. Solar power in Houston. Green jobs in Portland. Recycled mills in Alabama. Sustainable design in Laredo. What do these have in common? They are EPA Brownfields Sustainability Pilots.

The push for all things green and sustainable has been welcomed in the revitalization world, where reuse is increasingly becoming a vehicle for greater environmental benefit. Brownfields stakeholders are joining the search for cleanup and redevelopment approaches that will reduce and reuse materials, save energy, reduce air emissions, use natural systems, incorporate smart growth principles, and protect health. While this may seem a large train for the Brownfields engine to pull, there is a natural connection that many are eagerly embracing.

EPA is testing the possibilities of greener revitalization projects through the Brownfields Sustainability Pilots, an experiment in sustainability that is already paying dividends. The pilots receive EPA funded technical support—expert consultants assigned to each pilot project. The consultants' roles vary depending on the particular needs of a project and can include energy experts, architects, designers, and engineers. Through the pilots, EPA directly assists communities and demonstrates practices that can be used by other communities to sustainably revitalize brownfields.

To get the pilots started, EPA regional offices forwarded the names of ongoing projects that could most benefit from a green boost. The proposals were vetted by an expert panel and narrowed down to 16 projects across the country. The projects cover a variety of sustainable redevelopment approaches including materials reuse, green buildings, energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy production, and green jobs. Once selected, consultants were assigned, site visits arranged, and goals and strategies established.

The pilots fall into several groupings, with a few cross boundaries that defy categorization. The largest group of pilots focuses on green buildings and energy efficiency. These projects are looking to create structures on brownfields that are resource efficient throughout a building's lifecycle. The consultants are providing green designs and feasibility studies that incorporate energy efficient strategies for insulation, daylighting and other energy considerations.

The project types are as diverse as their locations. At Anvil Mountain in San Juan County, Colo., locals are redeveloping a smelter site into green housing. Community officials in Springfield, Mo., are working with several property owners in a brownfields neighborhood bordering their old railroad yards. The Focus: Hope project in Detroit is designing green buildings in an urban area. Sustainable design methods are being applied to housing around an old lumber mill on the Samoa Peninsula in Humboldt County, Ca. Greenville, S.C. is redeveloping an old supermarket and gas station into new green housing.

Just the start
Green buildings are just the beginning, as several of the pilots are looking at stormwater management and green infrastructure. Effective stormwater management retains topsoil, prevents runoff of contaminated materials, and in some cases, filters contaminants. Green infrastructure uses riparian buffers, plantings, wetlands and swales to reduce runoff and protect water quality. Consultants are providing feasibility studies and designs that give communities and developers the information they need to make cost effective and environmentally beneficial choices.

Sustainable design is at the core of the diverse pilot projects. The Moran Center at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vt. is redeveloping an electrical generating plant into a recreational area. The Jackson Square project in Roxbury, Mass., is evaluating green roof systems and stormwater management approaches for new housing in the Boston community. The Waterfront project in Allentown, Pa., is piloting low impact development methods for stormwater management and river protection at a former steel plant along the Lehigh River. At the Laredo Recreation Center in Laredo, Texas, consultants are providing support for an innovative stormwater management system at a brownfields site that will reduce impervious surface areas and use native vegetation to conserve water.

Sustainable reuse of brownfields properties includes reducing environmental impact by reusing and recycling materials generated during demolition and redevelopment. Typical construction and demolition materials include wood, drywall, brick, concrete, metal, and glass. Several of the Brownfields Sustainability Pilots are recovering and reusing materials, providing cost and energy savings.

At the Langdale and Riverdale Mills in Valley, Ala., consultants have worked with local officials and vendors to inventory mill contents, evaluate the reuse potential, and develop templates to assist other communities with closed mills. Similarly, materials are being inventoried and considered for reuse at the Allen-Morrison pilot in Lynchburg, Va., where the property formerly housed a farm wagon manufacturer, a metal sign making company, a chemical company, and a veneer manufacturer. Materials reuse is also the goal in Cleveland, Ohio, where consultants and local officials are documenting demolition and deconstruction planning and implementation at several brownfields including a former school and a closed steel plant.

There is a lot attention across the country to locating renewable energy facilities on brownfields and other contaminated lands. EPA is encouraging the development of renewable energy by identifying currently and formerly contaminated lands and mining sites that present opportunities for renewable energy development. Wind, solar, and biofuels are all under consideration. At the Holmes Road Landfill Sustainability Pilot in Houston, Texas, consultants are providing technical and economic analyses on a proposed solar power farm on a former landfill. The pilot will give Houston the information it needs as decides how to invest in renewable energy.

Green jobs and sustainable redevelopment go hand in hand, as demonstrated by the Tabor Commons Sustainability Pilot in Portland, Oregon. Oregon Tradeswomen, a community training nonprofit in Portland, Ore., is helping redevelop a former gas station into a community center and providing community sustainability training for participants entering into the "green collar" workforce. The property is owned by SouthEast Uplift, a community based organization that will run the community center. With the help of EPA's consultant, Oregon Tradeswomen is developing a training curriculum that will use the property as a training ground and model for other green redevelopment projects.

As the pilots move forward, EPA is sharing the results through its brownfields website and at public forums. Fact sheets on each pilot are already posted. EPA will post the consultants' reports and materials for each pilot as they emerge. The first reports are already up including information about the Houston Solar pilot and the Moran Center in Burlington. For more information, go to http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/sustain_plts/.

This article was prepared by The Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization in the EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.