Land Developers and Planetary Emergencies
September 2008

Isn’t it ironic when land developers can provide practical solutions to problems that have been debated among experts for decades?
 
Recently, more than 120 scientists, engineers, analysts and economists from 30 countries hunkered down once again for the 40th annual conference on “planetary emergencies” in Erice, a pre-Medieval town built over the ages on a bluff jutting nearly a half mile above the azure Mediterranean in Sicily. The panoramic view presented of this large island west of Italy’s “toe” speaks volumes about some enduring, troublesome human habits. Sicily has been largely deforested for thousands of years, and fittingly, the issue of desertification has been one of the experts’ fifteen identified “planetary emergencies” for some time. There continues to be contentious debate among analysts about what might be done to arrest or reverse the environmental and economic impacts of desertification.

The daunting nature of the problems did not seem to blunt the experts’ determination to look for answers far and wide. “What option do I have?” said Richard Wilson, a Harvard physicist and an expert on nuclear power and environmental risk. “I could go down to Hilton Head (S.C.) and take a little club and knock a ball around the course, but I don’t find that a very attractive thought.”

That’s too bad Dr. Wilson, because I respectfully suggest that you might have learned something about the practical solutions to desertification and sustainable development if you had. In contrast to the denuded Sicilian town of Erice, where the scientists and analysts repeatedly meet and debate, the Town of Hilton Head Island is well known for its "eco-friendly" development. The town's Natural Resources Division enforces the Land Management Ordinance which minimizes the impact of development and governs the style of buildings and how they are situated amongst existing trees. As a result, Hilton Head Island enjoys an unusual amount of tree cover relative to the amount of development. After being extensively logged and farmed before the Civil War, by the 1950s, Hilton Head Island was extensively covered with second-and third-growth forest. The stage was set for what became a model for modern residential development on barrier islands.

Utilizing land his family owned, a young developer named Charles Fraser began implementing a plan to create a community on Hilton Head where homeowners could live side-by-side with nature, a major innovation for developers at the time. Charles Fraser was a committed environmentalist who changed the whole configuration of his Hilton Head Island marina just to save an ancient live oak. It came to be known as the Liberty Oak and Fraser was buried next to the tree when he died in 2002.

Five golf courses on Hilton Head Island have all achieved designation as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" by Audubon International – a SLDI member and partner. To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas including environmental planning, wildlife & habitat management, outreach and education, integrated pest management, water conservation, and water quality management.

Your participation and comments are welcome.

Terry Mock
Executive Director
Sustainable Land Development International

Promoting land development worldwide that balances the needs of people, planet & profit - for today and future generations.

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SLDI Newsletter Archives:

January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008

• Money Does Grow on Trees
  (July/August 2008) Six practical reasons illustrate how and why trees do actually bare green fruit. The old joke among environmentalists is that developers bulldoze the trees and then name the streets after them. But today’s leaders in developing planned communities are well aware of the value of green planning, sustainability and green marketing.
  Source: Sustainable Land Development Today

• Nature Bats Last - We are Part of Nature, Too…
  (May 2008) By emulating the efficiency of nature, we can sustain our species at a desirable standard of living and at long last, the often repeated cycle of natural resource exploitation, and the rise and fall of civilizations from the dawn of human time, will be broken.
  Source: Sustainable Land Development Today

• Green Cement May Set Carbon Emissions Fate in Concrete
  (Sept. 2, 2008) For every ton of ordinary cement, known as Portland cement, a ton of air-polluting carbon dioxide is released during production. A new green cement holds promise of eliminating those emissions.
  Source: San Francisco Chronicle

• It Ain't Easy Being Green -- Especially in golf
  (Sept. 1, 2008) Environmental practices have a strong effect on a sport millions of people enjoy.
  Source: Edmonton Journal

• Green Energy Companies Booming
  (Sept. 1 2008) Solar Plexus is in the business of renewable energy, and these days, it's busier than ever. “We're just swamped right now. We're behind. We've got people yelling at us,” said Mary Hamilton, an owner of the Missoula company that designs and installs solar systems.
  Source: Missoula Missoulian

• Dems Speed Green Goals
  (August 31, 2008) The Democratic National Convention has left a big, green footprint on the Denver.
  Source: Denver Post

• Humboldt County Tree Sitters, Timber Firm Call a Truce
  (August 25, 2008) For the first time in the memory of even the grayest of locals, the vast lands of Humboldt County's most storied timber firm could soon be devoid of protest.
  Source: Los Angeles Times

• Beauty Can Rise from Ash Borer Destruction
  (August 24, 2008) With almost every new discovery of the emerald ash borer comes a swift funeral: infected trees are felled, chipped, and mulched. But even as the metallic green beetle has broken tree lovers' hearts, its victims are being reused in everything from baseball bats to renewable energy.
  Source: Chicago Tribune

• Landscapers are Going Green
  (August 24, 2008) With fall just around the corner, many homeowners are eyeing their turf and looking for ways to make improvements.
  Source: Joliet Herald News

• A Sustainability that Aims to Seduce
  (August 21, 2008) As climate change and energy costs have become more of a concern, a number of designers have begun to champion an environmentally conscious approach to landscaping.
  Source: New York Times

• One Famous Man's Drive Toward Personal Sustainability
  (August 18, 2008)Actor Ed Begley Jr. is Hollywood's poster child for a more sustainable lifestyle. He's been committed to green living for decades.
  Source: Chemical & Engineering News

• Welsh Community Farm Thriving Five Years On
  (August 13, 2008) When local residents heard Moelyci farm might be sold to developers they joined ranks to buy and run it. Five years on, how is it faring?
  Source: London Guardian

• Cloning Gives Famed Family of Trees New Means to Grow
  (Aug. 30, 2008) Hippocrates tree offshoots would go to medical schools.
  Source: Associated Press

Editor's Note: SLDI News Service may feature press releases submitted directly by organizations in SLDI's network. This content is not specifically endorsed or supported by SLDI and is not subject to SLDI's editorial process.