Local projects setting sustainable standards

From the Commercial Appeal

By Tom Charlier

The first-of-its kind playground being built at Shelby Farms Park is designed to be appealing, accessible and fun. But just as important, park officials say, is that the facility be sustainable, or friendly to the environment.

On Tuesday, the park's Woodland Discovery Playground was named among a select group of projects worldwide to be part of an effort to set standards for so-called sustainable landscaping, construction and maintenance.

Another Memphis initiative -- a development planned by the nonprofit group Habitat for Hope -- also was selected for the pilot project run by the Sustainable Sites Initiative.

The initiative is developing a rating system for outdoor work that's similar to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications for buildings.

Approximately 150 sites from as far away as Spain will be part of the two-year pilot project. They represent the "leading edge of the sustainable movement," said Jim Lapides, spokesman for the American Society of Landscape Architects, a partner in the initiative.

The Shelby Farms playground, featuring a winding arbor tunnel connecting numerous play "nests," was selected partly because of its use of recycled materials to create a permeable surface that allows rain to soak into the earth. It includes restoration of a woodland area.

The $3.5 million project, part of a $75 million slate of improvements at the park, is slated for completion in November.

"It really speaks volumes about how we do business and how we intend to build the park," Laura Adams, deputy director of the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, said of the designation.

The Habitat for Hope project involves the collective effort to design a "community" for families of seriously ill children. Planned for the Shelby Forest area, it will include cabins, a chapel, gardens and trail to provide solace for families who "are at one of the lowest points of their lives," said Tucker Davis, director of property development for Habitat for Hope.