This credit encourages environmental best practices for pest management and landscaping. Its minimal cost impacts and focus on practices that can be employed at any building site make it one of the most commonly pursued credits.

Expand and formalize your practices

It is not difficult to achieve SSc3 as long as key best practices are thoroughly incorporated in vendor contracts and the building’s standard operating procedure (SOP) language. Most project buildings already have some credit-compliant practices. Focus on expanding and formalizing these practices in a comprehensive plan. This commonly involves working with vendors to adopt compliant best practices that:

• implement an integrated pest management (IPM) plan;
• avoid the use of chemical fertilizers and non-native plantings;
• divert landscape waste from landfills;
• implement an inspection protocol  for erosion and sedimentation control and maintain erosion and sedimentation controls on an ongoing basis.

Integrated pest management (IPM) is relatively complex

Integrated pest management can be a complex undertaking, often requiring that modifications be made to current practices. Additionally, it is crucial for the project team to pay close attention to pesticides prior to application. Lack of oversight of vendor activities can easily result in the accidental loss of the credit, even when there's an IPM plan in place and the project team is on board.

The project team must establish a regular monitoring program, in which the responsible party logs all relevant activities. A universal notification program must be developed that provides all building occupants with 72 hours advance notice of toxic pesticide applications (chemicals that are not included on the San Francsico Hazard Screening List), and within 24 hours of emergency toxic pesticide applications. This level of transparency is daunting to some. Teams must establish a tracking system to verify that universal notification has been provided to all building occupants.

Erosion controls for construction and ongoing operations

The plan for erosion and sedimentation control must cover strategies for both ongoing operations as well as future construction-related activities. The plan should remedy existing erosion and sedimentation problems and establish procedures for identifying and addressing future issues.

Teams are expected to review local standards or codes and the EPA’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans for Construction Activities to determine which standards to use as guides for implementing best practices and communicating the process for planning and carrying out erosion and sedimentation control during construction activities. 

Reducing fertilizer use

A key strategy for reducing fertilizer use is to apply fertilizers based on the results of soil tests and actual plant needs rather than on a predetermined schedule. To further reduce the impacts of fertilizer applications, use organic and natural materials and slow-release formulas. Fertilizers must be applied at least 25 feet from water bodies to protect these ecosystems.

Compost landscape waste

Many project buildings already use landscape waste as compost and mulch. If that’s not yet the case on your project, identify opportunities for composting or mulching waste onsite or disposing of the waste at a local composting center. Managing landscape waste is often the least complicated component of this plan.

Complying with the credit

For pest management and erosion and sedimentation control, you need to follow the plan 100% of the time. If teams are not able to use low-impact alternatives to fertilizer all of the time or cannot divert all of their landscape waste from landfill disposal, they should be able to demonstrate that at least 20% of their activities are environmental best practices. Compliance levels for fertilizer use and landscape waste diversion can be demonstrated using maintenance logs, purchasing records, or other appropriate documentation.

Consider these questions when approaching this credit

• Is integrated pest management currently used at the project building and site?
• What erosion and sedimentation issues occur, or could occur, on the project site, and how should these issues be managed? Remember, the potential for erosion and sedimentation exists on all properties.
• How is landscape debris and waste handled? Are there opportunities for landfill diversion through practices such as composting the debris on site, using it for onsite mulching needs or bringing it to a municipal composting facility?
• How are plantings maintained? Are there opportunities to introduce more native and adapted plantings in order to reduce fertilizer and pesticide use?
• Which fertilizers are used on the site, and how are they applied?
• Do existing vendors offer environmentally friendly services? If they do not, are they willing to learn and adopt new practices?
• Does the project building have a staff member dedicated to managing pest and landscape issues?
  • Yes? Involve that person in this credit from the start of the project to ensure that all environmental best management practices are thoroughly developed, included in any related vendor contracts, and implemented on an ongoing basis.
  • No? Designate at least one point person to develop and implement the comprehensive Integrated Pest Management, Erosion Control, and Landscape Management Plan.