Sustainability Stars

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The 5 I’s – Qualification Standards

 

 

How To Apply:

1. Read our Sustainability Stars Application Instructions Manual
2. Download and complete application below
3. Submit completed application and application fee via email to info@westhouston.org

 

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Mandolin Gardens Park

Investigation

Investment

Integration

Inspiration

At Mandolin Gardens Park, ecosystem health is a priority. Through chemical-free and organic practices emphasizing soil health, this thriving environment supports diverse flora and fauna, while enhancing flood detention capabilities that protect residents, and provide long-term economic vitality for the property owners. Earning 4 stars, Mandolin Gardens Park rejuvenates two connected detention basins by transforming them into vibrant open spaces with park amenities – such as two miles of fully accessible trails, plazas, and scenic overlooks. This project prioritizes ecosystem health and stands as a model for sustainable infrastructure.  

Grundfos’ USA Headquarters

Investigation

Investment

Integration

Innovation

Inspiration

Grundfos USA Headquarters showcases a strong commitment to sustainability through innovative features such as heat island mitigation, reduced irrigation reliance, and reuse of greywater and rainwater with onsite treatment. Less than 13% of the water used comes from the local municipality. The building utilizes solar energy, natural lighting, and energy-efficient equipment, significantly lowering its demand on the local grid. In recognition of these efforts, WHA’s Sustainable Infrastructure Committee proudly honors this project as a distinguished Sustainability Star, setting a tone for environmental responsibility.

Houston Parks Board: Bayou Greenways

Investigation

Investment

Integration

Inspiration

Houston Parks Board’s Bayou Greenways includes new and rehabilitated trail segments across the city of Houston.  This incorporated neighborhood parks, land acquisition for additional greenspace, multi-agency coordination, pedestrian bridges, habitat-sensitive landscaping, community connections, and ongoing maintenance of improvements. Bayou Greenways was recognized with four stars for sustainable investigation, investment, integration, and inspiration. Learn more about Bayou Greenways here.

Bridgeland Parkland Square

Investigation

Investment

Integration

Innovation

Inspiration

Bridgeland’s Parkland Square is located within Parkland Village, a traditional neighborhood development incorporating significant outdoor space for healthier lifestyles. The design allows a mixture of uses, encourages pedestrian mobility and connectivity, and reduces environmental impacts. It features 11 rain gardens, permeable hardscape, sustainable building materials, reclaimed water for irrigation purposes, low flow drip irrigation, adaptive landscaping, synthetic turf, fruit trees, alley system, dark sky-compliant lights, and interpretive signage for educating about these features. It was created as a regional model for best practices by incorporating sustainable features for low-impact development while maximizing benefits to ecology and residents’ well-being.

Cinco MUD 1 Waste-Water Treatment Plant Water Re-Use

Investigation

Investment

Integration

Innovation

Inspiration

The Cinco MUD 1 District aggressively pursued opportunities to reduce the amount of fresh groundwater consumed within its service area through a variety of initiatives, including conservation, education, brackish desalination, and reclaimed water reuse for irrigation. Those measures are each designed to reduce water use and thereby reduce the impacts and high costs of subsidence. By proactively engaging its program to include reclaimed water, the District has continued addressing the three major problems facing its region today: (1) drought, (2) subsidence, and (3) rising water rates due to conversion requirements.

Towne Lake Water Re-Use

Investigation

Investment

Integration

From its conception in 2006, Caldwell Companies has sought to create Towne Lake as a unique community where residents and services could be connected by water. They envisioned boat docks and marinas augmenting traditional walking trails as a means for navigating the neighborhood. By transforming required on-site detention into navigable waterways, Towne Lake has succeeded in the original vision and created an amenity out of necessity. Not stopping there, Caldwell made the decision to also use lake water for irrigation purposes. Extensive purple pipe systems are employed across the 2,400-acre community to provide irrigation for roadway medians and adjacent landscaping, parks, trails, and recreation areas. The lake system thus provides protection from flooding, exciting recreation opportunities, and environmentally responsible water reuse.

Cinco MUD 1 De-Salination Water Plant

Investigation

Investment

Integration

The District has built a state-of-the-art microfiltration reverse osmosis microfiltration plant (“Cinco Desal Plant”) that is designed to provide approximately 2.75 million gallons per day of water to the community. The Cinco Desal Plant uses a complex system of filters, pumps, membranes, pipes, and mixes the product water with existing Evangeline Aquifer water to produce high-quality, clean drinking water to homes within the service area. Whereas all other water wells in the area, including the District’s twelve existing water wells, are pumping water from the shallow Evangeline or Chicot Aquifers, the District has drilled a well into the Jasper Aquifer, a deeper source of water whose water has a higher salt content than that of the Evangeline and Chicot Aquifers. Because of the depth and the existence of a layer of rock and clay known as the Burkeville Confining Layer, it is expected that the groundwater withdrawals will be less likely to cause subsidence.

Conrad Sauer Park & Detention Basin

Investigation

Investment

Integration

Innovation

This project transformed a city-owned, concrete, pumped detention basin into a beautiful amenity while going above and beyond in serving its original purpose.  It is unique to the area, not only with the level of collaboration required but with the transformation of the concrete basin surface using the geoweb “green roof” system.  This project is already starting to inspire the planning of other projects in the Houston area. The formerly concrete basin that had a single purpose of stormwater mitigation was turned into a lushly vegetated basin that added detention, environmental quality benefits (water quality and trash filtering), a park, and additional transportation connectivity for the community.  Ecological benefits can also be observed with the new-found presence of pollinators and birds.

Read more…

Bridgeland Creek Parkway Sections 7 & 8

Investigation 

Investment

The integration of sustainable infrastructure was a major consideration when planning the Bridgeland development, an 11,400-acre master-planned community in Northwest Harris County. The developer, Howard Hughes Corp., aimed to create a community that seamlessly blended natural features with modern facilities and amenities while being environmentally conscious. BGE engineered more than 3,000 acres of lakes, trails, and parks into the design as well as an innovative and forward-thinking water reuse and purple pipe system that reduces the community’s overall demand for treated, potable (drinking) water. Bridgeland’s wastewater treatment plant was designed to treat water to Type 1 effluent standards, water that is clean enough to discharge into public lakes. Bridgeland also has rights to a certain volume of water in the adjacent Cypress Creek. These two sources of water are pumped into Bridgeland’s interconnected lake system to keep it at a steady level.   Read more…

 

Cross Creek Ranch Polishing Pond

Investigation

Investment

Integration

Innovation

The Cross Creek Ranch Polishing Pond was awarded the Investigation, Investment, Integration & Innovation stars. The polishing pond is a residential community infrastructure that is built to be step 1 of 3 in a water management system that repurposes wastewater into use for community landscaping. The use of a 45-acre wetland basin as the base for the project ensures that once the water has completed its journey through the system “any discharge should essentially be devoid of biologically impaired pollutants and high concentrations of oxygen.” This project is the first to earn the Innovation Sustainability star and is owned by Johnson Development and engineered by BGE, Inc. & SWA Group. Read more…

 

Queenston Manor Apartment Homes

Inspiration

Investigation

Investment

Integration

The Queenston Manor Apartment Homes was awarded the Inspiration, Integration, Investigation & Investment stars. This apartment complex uses multiple low-impact development (LID) techniques to reduce the requirement for detention and increase the value of the property by building more apartment homes. Though it may appear to look like any other apartment complex in the area, with cisterns below the permeable parking surfaces and stormwater raingardens built into the open green spaces, EHRA Engineering helped develop a worthwhile and environmentally friendly solution after industry detention standards wouldn’t do. Read More…

Stonebrook Estates

Investment 

Integration

Stonebrook Estates, a 51.4-acre single-family residential, low-impact development, is located near Tomball, Texas. The 135-lot development consists of approximately 70 completed homes, each with an average sales price of over $500,000. Stonebrook was developed with LID/GI amenities in mind and a hybrid stormwater management system, which uses natural drainage systems coupled with traditional storm sewers to adequately direct stormwater around and away from the homes.   Read more…

 

Jersey Meadows Stormwater Detention Basin in Jersey Village

Investigation

Investment

Integration

The project team designed the wet bottom basin with stormwater quality treatment wetlands to filter and absorb stormwater pollutants. Mitigation wetlands (separate from the treatment wetlands) were designed to replace existing non‐jurisdictional wetlands impacted by construction. A tree planting plan was developed as both a park amenity for the City of Jersey Village and to promote areas of reforestation. Read more…

 

Bridgeland Purple Pipe & Water Reuse System

Investigation

Investment

Integration

The integration of sustainable infrastructure was a major consideration when planning the Bridgeland development, an 11,400-acre master-planned community in Northwest Harris County. The developer, Howard Hughes Corp., aimed to create a community that seamlessly blended natural features with modern facilities and amenities while being environmentally conscious. Read more…

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