ARCHIVES: This is legacy content from before Sustainable Cities Collective was relaunched as Smart Cities Dive in early 2017. Some information, such as publication dates or images, may not have migrated over. For the latest in smart city news, check out the new Smart Cities Dive site or sign up for our daily newsletter.

What the heck is a green road?

Author

Chris Cheatham

Image

Green roads are the next great frontier for green rating systems. Two green roads rating systems -- Greenroads and I-LAST -- are in their infancy and are worth keeping an eye on. Another system being developed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is will soon to join the fray. If you are a highway construction contractor, you would be well served to pay attention to these rating systems and become an early adopter of the eventual winner.

Greenroads

What is Greenroads? "Greenroads is a voluntary sustainability rating system, or 'performance metric,' for roadway design and construction. It is applicable to all roadway projects including new, reconstructed and rehabilitated roadways. It awards points for sustainable choices/practices and can be used to assess roadway project sustainability."

Who created Greenroads?

"Greenroads began in the University of Washington's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2007. Originally, it was Martina Soderlund's master's thesis in the construction/ transportation area of the department. In mid-2007 the UW teamed up with CH2M HILL to fully develop the Greenroads performance metric."

I-LAST

What is I-LAST(pdf)?

"Like LEED, the Illinois-Livable and Sustainable Transportation (I-LAST) Guide establishes a scoring system for planning, design and construction to "preserve natural resources and encourage low-impact forms of transportation," says Doug Knuth, project chair with the American Council of Engineering Cos. of Illinois, which developed I-LAST in association with the Illinois Dept. of Transportation and the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association."

"This guide contains a checklist of potentially sustainable practices. Following the checklist is a description of the intent of each section and the rationale and measures of effectiveness for each item. There are lists of source materials and additional background resources for each item to assist in understanding and applying the practices."

Who created I-LAST?

"I-LAST was developed in a cooperative effort between the Illinois Department of Transportation and the engineering and construction community. The effort was initiated by ACEC – IL and was joined by other organizations in the industry, which provided reviews and suggestions."

The As-Yet-To-Be-Named Rating System

What is the American Society of Civil Engineers up to?

"The programs anticipate the May 2011 launch of a national rating system developed by ASEC . . . and the American Public Works Association."

"Although the system is modeled after LEED, it provides additional flexibility by accounting for differences in project size and complexity. Like LEED, it offers independent third-party verification while providing a scoring system for environmental, economic and social impacts."

Do you know of other green roads rating systems?

Image Via TreeHugger