An environmentally friendly industrial park.
Sound unlikely?
“Green” industrial parks, also called eco-industrial parks, can take many different forms. Their attributes vary, but typically include:
- Construction with sustainable and/or recyclable materials
- Energy-efficient design and heating and cooling systems
- “Green” landscaping, which can range from the use of native species plants on the grounds to a sod rooftop
- Strict environmental guidelines for tenant companies
Green Industrial Parks
North America’s first certified green industrial park is the Irving Green Industrial Park in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. The facility, built on the former St. John Shipbuilding site, is a $100 million project made with a focus on sustainable materials, as well as attracting companies that produce such goods.
In Baltimore, Md., Fairfield Ecological Business Park was established with strict environmental guidelines for its resident companies.
The Master Plan for the Choctaw Eco-Industrial Park in Oklahoma features native plant appropriate applications.
Other green industrial parks have been established in numerous states including Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin, as well as overseas.
A Southern Example
In another example of a green industrial park, an industrial park on the north side of Huntsville, Ala. provides 250 acres that incorporates environmental protection into its design. A project of city government, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Center for Economic Development and Resource Stewardship, the North Huntsville Industrial Park Conservation Design Demonstration Project (NHIPCD) is the first of its kind in the state of Alabama and the largest such industrial park in the Southeast.
The park is serving as a demonstration project and model for industrial parks in the Southeastern United States. The Southeast Watershed Forum is also involved in the project.
In Huntsville, plans call for the “green” industrial park to have features aimed at reducing pollutants that could enter groundwater and protecting sensitive areas. The land has gently rolling pasture and a ground water recharge area containing sinkholes that allow infiltration of rainwater to an underground aquifer.
The park will have about 50 sites suitable for small industries. Recommendations include digging retention ponds, limiting the width of roads and growing gardens on the roofs of buildings to reduce storm runoff. Plans also call for walking trails and an observation deck for park employees and environmental education groups. About half of the farmland will be preserved.
TVA has developed similar projects in Mississippi and on the Georgia-North Carolina border.
Green industrial parks can be a draw for industry. Volkswagen AG recently choose a reclaimed munitions site in Chattanooga, Tenn., to build a $1 billion assembly plant. Europe’s largest automaker said the Enterprise South site, in addition to the city’s other green efforts, helped in the company’s choice.
