GSA and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas Partner to Study High Performance Landscapes
Fort Worth, TX (PRWEB) June 09, 2016 -- Today, the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Regional Administrator Sylvia Hernandez and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) joined to announce their partnership to study High Performance Landscapes. Through their collaborative efforts, GSA and BRIT planted combinations of native drought tolerant plants at the Fort Worth Federal Center to monitor their water usage, effects on the ecosystem and habitats of bees and other pollinators. The study, which spans a 5 year period, includes the development of a high performance landscape tool. This tool will help GSA make landscaping decisions for federally owned properties that are water-smart, eco-friendly, cost effective and attractive to the general public.
GSA Regional Administrator Sylvia Hernandez said:
“One of GSA’s key priorities is to become a more sustainable government. Our efforts are not limited to the buildings we own and manage, but also the landscapes we design for those properties. The high performance landscape research we are doing with BRIT will help us to save money for the American taxpayer while also making decisions that are beneficial to the environment.”
BRIT President and Director Ed Schneider said:
“Native plants and water conservation are at the heart of BRIT’s twofold mission of conservation and education. We are pleased that GSA selected BRIT as a resource for this important work. Our research will not only help the GSA in selecting the optimum native plant solutions for its properties, but also will be offered to the community for their review and adoption.”
High Performance Landscapes have become a critical component in sustainable building design. They can improve a property’s environmental and social quality by providing flood protection, temperature regulation, and other ecosystem services while providing spaces that are also aesthetically pleasing. To learn more about GSA’s sustainability efforts, visit GSA’s Greening of Federal Buildings.
GSA is an independent agency of the U.S. government whose mission is to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to government and the American people. The agency’s Public Buildings Service is one of the largest and most diversified public real estate organizations in the world. Its portfolio consists of 376.9 million rentable square feet in 8,721 active assets across the United States, in all 50 states, 6 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
Chris Chilton, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, http://www.brit.org, +1 817-546-8691, [email protected]
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