The city of Irvine, CA is a city constructed with sustainability in mind.  Irvine is one of the nation’s largest planned communities.  Developed by the Irvine Company in the 1960s to  surround the University of California, Irvine, the city boast several major green projects including planned mixed use developments, commercial office buildings, university housing and large planned parks.  UC Irvine has begun a green building design to outperform the California Energy Code (Title 24) and the meet LEED standards.  The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) provides independent verification that a building project meets stringent, universally understood and accepted criteria for high performance and sustainability. 

This green city has created a series of environmental programs to help its citizens become involved in helping the environment and the city on its path toward sustainability.  These programs include building green, waste management, recycling air and water pollution programs and energy conservation all of which are designed to cut down on waste and inefficiency.  The city has written into its regulations tree requirements and landscape regulations.

The city of Irvine is an example to other cities of how to incorporated green laws and codes.  These include landscaping standards that encompass lot perimeter boundaries; planting and screening parking lots; parking structures; and plant material standards.  This also includes a minimum percentage of the amount of the site that must be landscaped, permeable, irrigated and shaded.  And to top that off, the city Municipal Code directly addresses sustainability in landscaping.  This is one of the first sustainable landscape codes to exist in the United States.  Preserving and enhancing the urban forest is also a priority to Irvine. 

The  community understands that the urban forest provides many sustainable ecosystem services including energy reduction, carbon storage, and oxygen production.  Sustainability in this city is based upon the Irvine Build Green Program in which citizens of the community are encouraged to use sustainable practices for residential and commercial uses.  The city has developed a LEED type rating system to guide the city toward a more sustainable future.  This includes using recycled materials, waste  diversion and minimizing turf.  Artificial turf is an ideal alternative. 

Green or sustainable building is creating environmentally sensitive, energy conscious and healthier developments.

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