Moreland offers sustainable design tools

Moreland (Australia) has created two tools that provide a consistent approach to the sustainability assessment of planning applications.

The tools, Moreland STEPS and the Sustainable Design Scorecard Non-Residential, allow the development industry and residents to prepare their sustainability assessments to the minimum environmental performance expected by Moreland City Council.

The web-based STEPS tool awards scores for the five most critical elements in constructing environmentally sustainable design, including greenhouse gas emissions from operating energy, peak energy use, drinking water use, stormwater quality impacts, and building material impacts.

The Sustainable Design Scorecard Non-Residential is a universal scorecard that covers commercial, industrial and retail development. The Excel document provides a method for assessing the environmental impact of buildings in seven main categories, including a section for sustainable design innovation.

To read more and to download these tools, please visit www.moreland.vic.au/services/sustainabledesignassessment.html.

Urban form – in particular residential and employment densities – influence local energy consumption. Cities with higher population densities can take advantage of efficient ways to distribute energy and heat, and utilize transportation modes that are more energy-efficient and produce fewer carbon dioxide emissions. For more information, please visit www.iclei.org/ccp.

Moreland is one of 95 local governments in Australia that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. For more information on ICLEI and its activities in the Oceania Region, please visit www.iclei.org/oceania.

Source: Sustainable Design Assessment, City of Moreland website at www.moreland.vic.au.