Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Web App for Enhancing Residential Green Infrastructure and Community-Based Environmental Management

EPA Grant Number: SU835328
Title: Web App for Enhancing Residential Green Infrastructure and Community-Based Environmental Management
Investigators: Lambrinos, John , Conte, Thomas J , Gerritsen, Bryce , Yeung, Godfrey , Lenney, Jesse , Irvine-McElroy, Kelsey , Warnock, Kimber , Martinson, Richard , Gibson, Yvette
Institution: Oregon State University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2012 through August 14, 2013
Project Amount: $14,476
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2012) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

Residential and commercial landscaping can be a significant consumer of resources and contribute to environmental problems such as water pollution. Improved landscape management can turn these important components of the urban environment from conspicuous consumers of resources into valuable providers of ecosystem services. However, individuals often don’t realize the environmental impacts of their landscape management decisions nor do they know enough to make informed improvements to their management. While there are quite a few relevant resources and tools available to help individuals carry out better landscape management these are often not easily found or accessed by people at the moment they are making management decisions. Also, many resources do not provide information that is individualized and specific enough to empower individuals to take action. Our project attempts to overcome these roadblocks by using Web 2.0 technologies to create an easy to use platform that allows people to evaluate the sustainability and environmental impacts of their landscaping practices and to implement management improvements that are tailored to their specific property and goals. The project has three broad objectives: 1) Increase eco-literacy to foster sustainable decision-making; 2) create a forum for collaboration and communication among community members, policymakers, horticultural professionals, and scientists; 3) Reduce pollution and resource use and increase the ecosystem services associated with urban landscaping.

In phase I of this project we evaluated the potential and feasibility of this idea by conducting market research to gauge interest in the web app and to identify design elements that would most engage potential users. Based on this research we developed design criteria for the app and developed a proof of concept prototype.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

An online survey of more than 1,800 Master Gardeners found strong interest and a willingness to purchase a sustainable landscaping app among this enthusiastic and knowledgeable demographic. Interviews conducted with a more diverse range of potential users also found strong interest in a sustainable landscaping app. However, in these cases people were often more interested in a tool that could provide them with tangible direct benefits such as reduced maintenance costs rather than more public oriented benefits such as improved environmental conditions. Both groups said that the app would be most useful if it could provide specific site specific information and recommendations. Both groups also identified help with plant election as a top priority for the app. Plant purchases were the largest component of the landscaping budgets of our survey participants.

Based on these results we developed general design criteria for our app. These criteria include:

1. the app needs to accommodate multiple user perspectives and motivations from sustainably savvy and motivated, to sustainability indifferent but looking for solutions to management problems;
2. the app not only needs to provide management recommendations that can improve environmental conditions but also provide specific estimates of how management changes can directly benefit users;
3. the app needs to provide site and user specific information, particularly about plant selection.

Using these design criteria we developed a prototype app module focused on landscape water use. The app builds on the existing EPA WaterSense Water Budget Tool that provides individualized landscape water use estimates. Our prototype extends the EPA tool by providing individualized recommendations to users on ways to reduce their landscape water use along with specific estimates of how much water savings can be achieved if the recommendations are adopted.

Conclusions:

Our results demonstrated that a market exists for an online tool that can help users solve specific landscape problems, help them save money on their landscape budget, and also improve environmental conditions and overall sustainability. We also demonstrated that it is possible to achieve these requirements by using Web 2.0 technologies to automate the delivery of detailed site specific management recommendations.

Supplemental Keywords:

cost benefit assessment, environmental education, urban ecology, sustainable landscaping

Relevant Websites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SustainableLandscapesInMotion Exit

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SLIMAppProject Exit