Wisconsin Developers/Department of Natural Resources Agree on Superior Environmental Performance
The Wisconsin Builders Association (WBA) Development Council recently released a draft of its Green Tier Charter with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). In the charter, members of the WBA Development Council agree to superior environmental performance by exceeding regulatory minimums, for which the DNR provides recognition and incentives.

Wisconsin statutes define superior environmental performance as "environmental performance that results in measurable or discernable improvements in the quality of the air, water, land or natural resources, or in the protection of the environment, beyond that which is achieved under environmental requirements." Wisconsin Act 276, the Green Tier law, signed in April 2004, makes a cooperative collaboration to achieve outstanding environmental results possible.

The Department of Natural Resources recognized that inefficient regulations failed in some cases to produce meaningful environmental results and that many developers were already exceeding regulatory minimums. "We saw that innovative solutions proposed by some developers improved the environment much more than our prescriptive regulations, but we were unable implement those ideas because they were outside our scope," said Mark McDermid, Bureau Director, Cooperative Environmental Assistance, DNR. "Until the Green Tier law passed, our hands were often tied, preventing us from achieving sustainable environmental performance and making it harder for developers to provide needed housing in a timely fashion."

According to Leon Church, a developer from Appleton, WI, and Chair of the WBA Development Council, "People want to live in environmentally attractive places with green spaces and other natural amenities. Developers have understood this for a long time. We want the environment preserved and protected for our children and grandchildren, too."

Having discovered their common ground, developers and the DNR made use of the opportunities available to them through the Green Tier law. The two groups have worked cooperatively over the past several months to draft a Charter that would improve the environment and best meet everyone's needs - including homeowners who will benefit from the cost savings during development, keeping home sites affordable, and enhanced property values.

A primary goal of the charter is a reduction in the total amount of sediments from construction sites that could end up in the state's waterways. It also calls for developers to work with builders to increase the amount of recycling that occurs on site, plan new developments which emphasize concepts of conservation development, reuse native plants to enhance current wetlands or other environmentally-sensitive areas, improve the water flow of the site post-development and work to encourage green building and the use of energy efficient materials in construction.

To achieve these goals consistently across the state, participating developers will utilize a scaleable Environmental Management System (EMS).The EMS includes a system of audits through which developers are continually educated as potential failures are discovered and corrected before they can cause environmental impacts.

"Working in collaboration with the DNR means we can protect and improve the environment while continuing to provide market-reasonable housing for residents throughout Wisconsin," concluded Church. "This new cooperative approach and our initial Charter set the stage for environmental and economic successes for years to come."

The Green Tier Charter between the Wisconsin Builders Association Development Council and the Department of Natural Resources is available on the association's web site, www.wisbuild.org, by clicking on the Development Council logo.

For more information on Wisconsin's Green Tier Charter please contact John Kisiel, WBA Development Council Director, at 608-242-5155, x22, or Christine Schwanke, Director of Communications, at 608-242-5151, x19. [ return to top ]