March 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 36

Photo by Mariella Ayala

Texas Park Sets Green Standard with Net Zero
By Denton Ragland

A

s one of the most sustainable parks in the nation, Evelyn's Park (https://
evelynspark.org/), located in Bellaire, Texas, and just minutes away
from downtown Houston, inspires the local community with a dynamic,
sustainable green space. Surrounded by a sprawling urban landscape, Evelyn's Park is setting the green standard for parks across the United States.
Our park has been open for nearly a year, since Earth Day, April 22,
2017, and has made a name for itself
by celebrating nature, enhancing the
quality of life in the community and
engaging families. The idea was to
create a space that allows people to
connect, not only to one another and
their neighborhood, but also to their
surroundings. To do this, park management dreamed of building a space
the community could be proud of
and that would inspire generations to
come. The goal: to exemplify the very
best in conservation by reaching " net
zero " energy status for the park's dayto-day operations.

34

Parks & Recreation

Benefits of Net Zero
Net zero design is not a new concept,
but it has been growing in momentum
as more people look toward the future
and the sustainability of our urban
environments. The idea is simple - a
building becomes net zero when it
generates the same amount of energy it
consumes. Here are some of the many
benefits to achieving net zero energy
status:
1. It's good for the environment - It's
significant because it greatly decreases
the need for fossil fuels, effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A
building's energy use is the largest single contributor to our carbon footprint

| M A R C H 2 0 1 8 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

- 40 percent by some estimates - so
there's a major opportunity to reduce
our impact. By decreasing dependence
on fossil fuels, we create a more resilient future for our children.
2. It's good for people - Not only is
net zero an ideal educational component for park programming, but it's
also proven to inspire people and enhance quality of life. Net zero results
in cleaner air and promotes healthier
living.
3. It's good for business - In addition to
saving money in energy costs and over
a building's equipment lifetime, net
zero creates values for your business by
improving property values, mitigating
market risk and offering appealing tax
incentives.
Although the concept behind net zero is
simple, implementation requires thoughtful and strategic design, construction, operation and maintenance. To accomplish



March 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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