Sustainable Land Development Today - January 2008 - (Page 23) Beyond Buildings Industry-wide association dedicated to sustainable land development launched at Phoenix conference. By Rob Kundert With a nod to a famous passage penned by Abraham Lincoln, Sustainable Land Development International (SLDI) is an association of the industry, by the industry and for the industry. SLDI (pronounced “sill’-dee”), the first land development industry organization focused on triple-bottom-line sustainability, announced their formation on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, at the Land Development Breakthroughs Leadership Conference at the Yavapai Nation’s Radisson Fort McDowell Resort, near Phoenix, Ariz. In contrast with the growing number of groups that have surfaced in response to the surging green movement, SLDI is a developer-centric, cooperatively-owned organization of stakeholders who will join together for a common purpose—to fulfill the needs of society and achieve a favorable return on the investment without harming the environment. “Sustainable land development encompasses what we call the three-Ps: people, planet and profit. Ultimately, you can’t have any of those without the other two,” said Tony Wernke, president of the new association, when he announced its formation to conference attendees. “There are a number of great specialized organizations and efforts today that advocate for various disciplinary perspectives and industry segments of sustainable land development,” he said. “What makes SLDI unique is that it possesses the comprehensive perspective to bring together all the various perspectives and segments to address the full breadth of problems we face today. “The predominant industry focus to date has been on making buildings more efficient and healthier to inhabit. That’s a great start, but it’s not near enough to achieve true sustainability. What’s happened thus far is that the developers and financial stakeholders have been pulled along with the green movement, but their perspectives haven’t been given their proper seat at the table so to speak, and other important stakeholder perspectives haven’t even been invited to the party as they deserve to be,” he said. Wernke maintains that as demands on the industry continue to change, SLDI empowers industry stakeholders from all disciplines and organizations – both public and private – to employ more holistic strategies and systems to achieve the triple-bottom line of sustainability. Bradley Novacek, chief development services engineer for Stanley Consultants of Phoenix, Ariz. was in the audience and liked what he heard. “I think the SLDI concept is a good one and is needed in the industry,” he said. “Looking at it from the developer’s standpoint, it is something that hasn’t really happened. There are a lot of industry organizations out there, but most of them are from the builder’s standpoint.” who is a true believer in the triple-bottom-line approach to achieve project sustainability. “The triple-bottom-line sustainability model has been put forth, peer reviewed and approved by just about every segment of society for decades now. The problem is it’s not being implemented,” he said. He pointed out that most current certification programs, while environmentally driven, are not comprehensive enough to adequately address the multitude of environmental issues they must. And beyond that, the environment is only a third of the sustainability triangle. “You have to look at the economics and you have to factor in the social equity component,” he said. “Unless you achieve a balance of all three, it is not sustainable. That is basically the message that we are coming forward with.” He said it’s a concept whose time has come, both for the industry and the world. “We want to respond to what you want and give you the tools to make land development sustainable and the world-leading industry that it deserves to be,” he said. Experienced Direction Terry Mock, a successful Floridabased land developer was introduced as the SLDI executive director. Since his earliest years in the industry, Mock has carried the banner of sustainability, straddling the goals of environmentalism and project profitability. “It’s wonderful to come out of the cold after 35 years or so of being a voice in the wilderness, to finally be on the verge of overnight success,” said Mock, What’s in it for You For those who join the new organization, there will be four primary points of focus: ■ Knowledge disseminated through print and digital publications, original book titles, as well as conferences, workshops, web-enabled courses, and other media; ■ Relationships fostered at SLDI conferences, workshops, meetings and other collaboration mechanisms; www.SLDTonline.com 23 http://www.SLDTonline.com
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