A Sarasota home was certified on Aug. 16 as "Florida Water StarSM Gold(Florida Water Star Gold)":/conservation/florida_water_star_gold by the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.
The home, built by Michael K. Walker & Associates, is located in Sarasota's Harbor Acres subdivision. It is equipped with water efficient appliances and fixtures, and no high volume irrigation system. "Florida-Friendly Landscaping™(Florida-Friendly Landscaping)":/yards principles that conserve water and protect water quality were used to create beautiful curb appeal for the property.
The irrigation system includes a soil moisture sensor and a 12,000 gallon cistern that collects rainwater from the roof. The house also has a graywater reuse system. Graywater is wastewater, collected separately from sewage, which originates from a clothes washer, bathtub, shower or sink.
Florida Water StarSM is a voluntary certification program for builders, developers and homeowners. It encourages water efficiency in appliances, plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscapes. Landscape criteria are based on the Florida-Friendly Landscaping "right plant, right place" principle. Irrigation criteria are designed to increase the overall efficiency of irrigation systems and promote correct scheduling. Indoor criteria help meet the needs of the occupants while reducing wasted water.
Residential certification uses points-based criteria and is suitable for high-, medium- and low-income housing projects. Residential certification can be awarded at the Silver tier for basic certification or the Gold tier for a higher water-conserving performance level. The District certified its first Florida Water StarSM Gold home in March 2009.
Florida Water StarSM aligns with other green certification and recognition programs, such as "ENERGY STAR©(EPA ENERGY STAR©)":http://www.energystar.gov, the "Florida Green Building Coalition's green standards(Florida Green Building Coalition)":http://floridagreenbuilding.org and the "U.S. Green Building Council's(U.S. Green Building Council)":http://www.usgbc.org "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED)":http://www.usgbc.org/leed (LEED®) program.
For more information on the Florida Water StarSM certification, contact Susan Douglas, Florida Water StarSM program coordinator, 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4752 or visit the District's web site at "WaterMatters.org/fwsg/(Florida Water Star Gold)":/conservation/florida_water_star_gold.
The home, built by Michael K. Walker & Associates, is located in Sarasota's Harbor Acres subdivision. It is equipped with water efficient appliances and fixtures, and no high volume irrigation system. "Florida-Friendly Landscaping™(Florida-Friendly Landscaping)":/yards principles that conserve water and protect water quality were used to create beautiful curb appeal for the property.
The irrigation system includes a soil moisture sensor and a 12,000 gallon cistern that collects rainwater from the roof. The house also has a graywater reuse system. Graywater is wastewater, collected separately from sewage, which originates from a clothes washer, bathtub, shower or sink.
Florida Water StarSM is a voluntary certification program for builders, developers and homeowners. It encourages water efficiency in appliances, plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscapes. Landscape criteria are based on the Florida-Friendly Landscaping "right plant, right place" principle. Irrigation criteria are designed to increase the overall efficiency of irrigation systems and promote correct scheduling. Indoor criteria help meet the needs of the occupants while reducing wasted water.
Residential certification uses points-based criteria and is suitable for high-, medium- and low-income housing projects. Residential certification can be awarded at the Silver tier for basic certification or the Gold tier for a higher water-conserving performance level. The District certified its first Florida Water StarSM Gold home in March 2009.
Florida Water StarSM aligns with other green certification and recognition programs, such as "ENERGY STAR©(EPA ENERGY STAR©)":http://www.energystar.gov, the "Florida Green Building Coalition's green standards(Florida Green Building Coalition)":http://floridagreenbuilding.org and the "U.S. Green Building Council's(U.S. Green Building Council)":http://www.usgbc.org "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED)":http://www.usgbc.org/leed (LEED®) program.
For more information on the Florida Water StarSM certification, contact Susan Douglas, Florida Water StarSM program coordinator, 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4752 or visit the District's web site at "WaterMatters.org/fwsg/(Florida Water Star Gold)":/conservation/florida_water_star_gold.