Presidential Order on Environmentally Beneficial Landscaping

Issue a directive to require the use of environmentally beneficial
landscaping at federal facilities and federally funded projects, where
appropriate. (2)

The President should issue a directive by May 1994 to:

-- require agencies to use environmentally beneficial landscaping
wherever appropriate, cost-effective, and practical;

-- stress the links between landscaping decisions, protection and
enhancement of the environment, and cost-saving opportunities; and

-- announce that the federal government will lead by example through the
implementation of environmentally beneficial landscaping principles at
the White House and the Vice President's residence at the Naval
Observatory.

Increase the use of native plant species in all federal landscaping
activities.

The directive should also:

-- encourage the use of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers
in landscaping;

-- encourage agencies to develop specifications with enough flexibility
to encourage nurseries to develop sufficient stocks of native plant
species; and

-- direct the Department of Agriculture, through its Agricultural
Research Service and/or the Soil Conservation Service, to conduct
research on the production and use of native species as landscape and
conservation plants.

Reduce the quantity of chemicals applied to federal landscapes. 
The directive should encourage agencies to:

-- reduce their use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides;
and use an IPM approach to pest control.

Use water-efficient technologies in federal landscaping projects.
 
The directive should also:

-- encourage agencies to use water-efficient technologies to the maximum
extent practicable;

-- encourage the use of water audits, where appropriate, to establish
exact needs and assist in planning irrigation systems and scheduling;
and

-- encourage agencies to participate in water utility conservation and
rebate programs.[12]

Provide educational and conservation opportunities to the public.

The directive should encourage agencies to:

-- sponsor and participate in activities that provide educational and
conservation opportunities to the public, and

-- prepare interpretive exhibits and signs explaining the plantings and
the special techniques used in landscaping to enhance the environment.

Establish a governmentwide environmentally sound landscape program.
 
The White House Office on Environmental Policy (OEP) should establish
an interagency working group by July 1994 to develop recommendations
for an Environmentally Sound Landscape Program that would:

-- provide incentives to federal facility and landscape managers to
consider the environmental implications of their landscaping plans;

-- recognize the contributions and efforts of individual managers; and

-- create an annual award to agencies that made significant strides in
implementing the directive.

The actions should be reported to the Office on Environmental Policy by
December 1994 and should include guidelines to federal facility managers
on how to increase the use of native species, reduce the use of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides, and implement water conservation techniques.
These guidelines should allow for climatic and geographic differences,
but should provide a framework for agencies to consider as they plan
their landscape requirements. The working group should also establish
criteria for agency recognition.

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