Perhaps nowhere in the country is there a better example than The Irvine Ranch of environmental stewardship.

As land-use decisions come under increasing community scrutiny and political dissection throughout the nation, The Irvine Ranch shines in Southern California as a model of thoughtful self-sustaining community planning. Here, the ambitious dream of meeting human needs is undertaken with an equally passionate commitment to nurturing and protecting the community's physical environment. The merging of these efforts has produced exceptional and widely praised results.

On The Irvine Ranch, first-of-their-kind water-quality programs prevent urban runoff from reaching sensitive ocean waters…surface transportation flows freely because of sophisticated planning…a major landowner collaborates with a local city to create a highly successful traffic-reduction program at a regional job center…wastewater is highly treated and reused to irrigate community landscaping, agricultural fields and golf courses and to flush toilets in office buildings…homes are build with conservation in mind, from energy efficient air conditioning and heating units to low-flow shower heads and dual-paned windows..and more than 50,000 permanently protected acres form on the largest parks and open spaces areas within easy reach of millions of urban residents.

Recognizing that building and communities have a profound impact on the environment, the City of Irvine recently created the "Green Building Program." Created in collaboration with The Irvine Company, the program is considered one of the most comprehensive city "green building" plans in the nation.

For more information, visit http://www.cityofirvine.us/green_build.html