The goal of this online interactive course is to introduce you to a perspective on development and design practices that help professionals support communities in managing and sustaining use of local water resources. It is often said when discussing sustainable practices that people need to think globally and act locally. This is especially true when dealing with water resources. Unlike any other resource, water cycles through the earth's environments at global and continental scales, but each step of that journey serves as a highly valued local resource.
This course will discuss a sustainable approach to water use and management in buildings, sites, and campuses. It systematically introduces key concepts that help practitioners understand the larger watershed and community water systems that local development practices impact, and the cultural, social, economic, and health benefits communities derive from earth's water systems.
This course also introduces the consequences of conflicts between current development practices and these water systems and emerging developments practices that work better with, and have a lower-impact on, watershed systems. Brief overviews of LEED-BD+C v4.0 credits that contribute to improved water quality, reduced water use, management of local stormwater and groundwater resources are included to help orient professionals to practices they may wish to learn more about. Lastly, the course provides some examples of how strategies introduced in the lesson can contribute to and express the natural, cultural, social, and aesthetic character of places.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Discuss both larger watershed and community water systems and how local sites support them.
- Explain the impact of local development practices on water systems, local water resource reserves, and water quality.
- Identify the cultural, social, economic, and health benefits communities derive from Earth's water systems.
- Predict the consequences of conflicts between current development practices and these water systems.
- Recognize emerging development practices that better align with and have a lower impact on watershed systems.
- Describe credits from Version 4.0 of the LEED-BDC rating system that support improved quality, conservation, and management of local storm and groundwater resources.
- Discuss low-impact practices that support water conservation, recycling, harvesting, and stormwater management, and how they help meet LT, SS, and WE credits in the LEED-BDC rating system.
- Recall examples of how these practices provide opportunities to express the natural, cultural, social, and aesthetic character of a place.