Audubon International, the not-for-profit environmental organization, has entered into a first-of-its-kind agreement with a major Florida developer that it hopes will lead to a new breed of environmentally-friendly, sustainable residential communities throughout the country.

Under the agreement, WCI Communities will apply Audubon's principles for resource management in the design, planning and construction of ten properties the company will build in Collier, Lee, Martin, Palm Beach and Sarasota counties. Together they comprise about 6,000 acres.

The pact will guide planning and development decisions relating to natural resource conservation and protection, water quality and conservation, habitat protection and energy conservation. The master plan for each community will have to pass an environmental audit before being certified as a "sustainable development" by Audubon International.

Audubon believes that "focusing on sustainable development at the regional ecology level is the only way to provide for economic growth and environmental protection," said its president and chief executive officer, Donald Dodson. And WCI President Jerry Starkey concurred.

"The future of the building and development industry rests on our ability to treat the environment with respect and create communities that exist in harmony with their natural setting," Starkey said.

AI's principles of resource management call on developers to conserve and protect unique features of their sites and protect food, water shelter and ecologically sensitive areas for wildlife. Among other things, the environmental group says corridors and green space should be provided to allow for the movement of both plants and animals.

Builders also are asked to adopt a water conservation program that collects, recaptures and re-uses water resources, and to use plant materials and resources native to the particular area so as to reduce the need for special watering and ground preparation. Using native fauna also protects against changing the site's basic ecology.

In addition, Audubon's guidelines call on builders and developers to avoid generating unnecessary solid waste, handle and dispose of non-recyclable and hazardous waste in a sensitive manner and compost organic waster. The also ask builders to explore the use of alternative sources of energy; incorporate energy efficient design in their houses, and encourage the use of public and low-impact transportation.

WCI's agreement with AI isn't its first with the environmental group. The Bonita Springs-based firm also has committed to certify and operate all the golf courses it manages in accordance with Audubon's guidelines. Golf is the centerpiece of most WCI communities, as it is of many master planned projects throughout the country.

Only about 2,500 of the nation's 17,000 courses are enrolled in AI's cooperative sanctuary program for environmental stewardship. But those that are report a 40-50 percent annual reduction in chemical use, up to an 85 percent reduction in electric use and a 35-85 percent reduction in water volume.

An environmentally sensitive course applies pesticides to less than 3 percent of its total acreage, mostly on the tees and greens; neutralizes acid rainfall, and supports a healthy community of more than 100 non-pest invertebrates.

Golf courses use just 1.9 percent of the nation's water resources, including recycled wastewater (vs. 43 percent for industry and 47 percent for agriculture. And of the total rainwater and irrigation water landing on a well-designed golf course, 40 percent returns to the atmosphere through plant transpiration and evaporation and the other 60 percent filters through a cleansing filter or natural soil microbes before flowing to underground reservoirs and surface waters.

Published: July 3, 2002

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When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated. He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year. Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972. The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country. He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others. Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.