NYSDOT GreenLITES “ G reen L eadership I n T ransportation E nvironmental S ustainability ”

1. NYSDOT GreenLITES “Green LeadershipIn TransportationEnvironmentalSustainability” Modified from original by Mark Arner, PE, C&S Engr.

2. What is “GreenLITES? • The NYSDOT version of “LEED” • It is a transportation environmental sustainability rating program. • “Sustainability” is commonly understood to describe any human use of resources that does not exhaust those resources.

3. Goals for GreenLITES • Preserve or enhance the historic, scenic, and aesthetic project setting and characteristics. • Encourage public involvement in the transportation planning process. • Integrate smart growth and other sound land-use practices.

4. Goals for GreenLITES • Encourage new and innovative approaches to sustainable design, and how we operate and maintain our facilities. • Protect and enhance the environment. • Conserve energy and natural resources. • It is a self-certification program.

5. NYSDOT began GreenLITES certification by evaluating projects with Plans, Specifications & Estimates (PS&E) submitted after September 25, 2008.

6. GreenLITES certification categories are:1) Sustainable Sites 2) Water Quality 3) Materials and Resources 4) Energy and Atmosphere 5) Innovation/Unlisted

7. 1) Sustainable Sites (S) • This category focuses on the “setting” of projects, specifically: • Alignment Selection • Context Sensitive Solutions • Land Use/Community Planning • Protect, Enhance or restore wildlife habitat • Protect, Plant, or Mitigate for removal of trees and plant communities

8. 2) Water Quality (W) • This category seeks to protect the State’s water bodies by improving water quality and reducing stormwater runoff. Subcategories are: • Stormwater management (volume and quality). • Reduce runoff and associated pollutants by treating stormwater runoff through Best Management Practices (BMPs)

9. 3) Materials and Resources (M) • Encourage reducing waste by reusing and recycling materials in beneficial ways, such as: • Reuse of Materials • Recycled Content • Locally Provided Material • Bioengineering Techniques • Hazardous Material Minimization

10. 4) Energy and Atmosphere (E) • For understanding climate change impacts, looking at: • Improving Traffic Flow • Reduce Electrical Consumption • Reduce Petroleum Consumption • Improve Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities • Noise Abatement • Stray Light Reduction

11. 5) Innovation/Unlisted (I) Gives credit to designs that significantly build upon GreenLITES categories and objectives or incorporate significant innovations.

12. Silver: Silver certification highlights a project design that has incorporated a higher number of sustainable choices. Certified: This certification highlights a project design that has incorporated a number of sustainable choices. Gold: Gold certification highlights a project design that has incorporated a substantial number of sustainable choices. Evergreen: Evergreen certification highlights a project design that has incorporated the highest number of sustainable choices.

14. Implementation • Currently only an internal tool for the NYSDOT • Initially, all projects with plan sheets will be GreenLITES rated • NYSDOT has encouraged consultants to incorporate sustainability into design but this usually comes after scoping

15. Implementation • Initial meeting to determine project sustainable goals • Formal rating completed in between ADP and PSE submission • Scoring: Examples of points awarded - • Final determination after construction “scorecard” is completed

16. Scorecard and Design Document • https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/greenlites/project-design-cert

17. Questions?