March 13, 2007 — A renowned Yale environmental researcher says that although the territory's land development practices have caused numerous examples of environmental damage, the Virgin Islands is "not a lost cause."
Speaking Tuesday afternoon to a packed classroom at UVI's MacLean Marine Science Center, professor Gaboury Benoit offered strategies for minimizing the negative impact of development in the territory.
Benoit's lecture, entitled “Green Sprawl: Can Land Be Developed Sustainably?”, was also simulcast to UVI's St. Croix campus.
A nationally recognized expert on the biogeochemistry of heavy metals in aquatic systems, Benoit spoke at length about the opportunities and challenges that are unique to the Virgin Islands because of the territory’s geographic location and terrain.
According to Benoit, land development is one of the leading causes of non-point source water pollution, soil erosion, and habitat fragmentation and destruction. He also described the nature of uncontrolled land development and the environmental damage it causes, and presented a system he has devised to minimize that harm while allowing carefully planned growth.
This topic is of particular relevance for the territory, where development and environmental sustainability are often viewed as opposing forces.
Benoit began by defining "sprawl," which he termed as unplanned low-density land development. He followed with a discussion on the nature and extent of sprawl, its environmental consequences and solutions to minimize its impact.
The territory exhibits many of the classic indicators relating to sprawl, those being: mini-mansions, developments with poor (or nonexistent) erosion-prevention practices, outdoor storage of pollutants, dumpsters, pesticide and pet feces contamination.
These problems are not unique to the territory but can be found throughout the Caribbean and many parts of the world.
What is unique in the Virgin Islands is the topography and limited amount of land that can be used. The environmental impact of development has long been noted, in particular with erosion and the damage to the coral beds due to runoff.
These result in the erosion “plumes” that are regularly visible in Magens Bay, Hull Bay and Neltjeberg. Benoit had photos he had taken the day before of various examples of poor environmental practices throughout the island. “It seems to be pretty haphazard here, gobbling up undeveloped land. I don’t see a lot of effort here to prevent environmental damage, but it is not a lost cause,” he said.
While the territory's development practices came under criticism, Benoit had high praise for the territory’s use of rainwater as a natural resource. The territory, according to Benoit, is well ahead of most areas in the country. The average American family of four, he said, can use up to 1,000 gallons a day.
Benoit offered various solutions to improve V.I. development, including buffer zones, better silt fencing construction, use of water-porous asphalt and concrete, settling basins, wind power and compact, transit-oriented housing developments.
This month Benoit has released his latest book, Land and Natural Development (L.A.N.D.) Code: Guidelines for Sustainable Land Development, co-authored with Diana Balmori of Yale’s Architecture School.
During his lecture, Benoit noted the popular support for “green” initiatives, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, which is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. The system gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.
LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
In his book, Benoit improves upon the LEED system with the Land and Natural Development (LAND) Code, which offers a pioneering method — solidly based on peer-reviewed scientific findings — to develop sites in harmony with natural processes. While the LAND Code can be readily used in conjunction with LEED, EPA and other guidelines, it features several unique characteristics, including:
–a rating scheme that weights each development and land-use practice based on its environmental benefit and difficulty of implementation;
–straightforward, step-by-step system that is accessible to non-experts;
–a focus on land rather than buildings; and
–extensive use of photographs and diagrams to illustrate practices and procedures.
In addition to graduate students, the audience included developers, environmental lawyers and representatives from Coastal Zone Management. Also in attendance was Bob Mathis, nominated to be Commissioner of Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) and many of the DPNR staff. When Mathis asked, “What can we do to address these problems?” a smiling Benoit replied, “First, buy my book.”
Benoit’s presentation was part of the Virgin Islands Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research 2006-07 Seminar Series. The aim of this series is to exemplify how research of the environment can be of importance to the Virgin Islands and its people.
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