Earth Advantage Community

A Planning Tool for Liveable Neighborhoods

Earth Advantage^® Community certification is an innovative community planning tool for residential developers and planners seeking to provide sustainable, healthy and more liveable neighborhoods. The certification provides a framework to showcase entire developments, as well as the homes within. To achieve certification, a residential project must meet conditions in the following four categories.

Enhancing Natural Systems 

Earth Advantage Community certification is designed to list, protect, and enhance the natural systems on and surrounding the project site. Some of the performance measures include low impact storm water management, creating an appropriate development envelope and transportation circulation system, submitting a grading and erosion plan, and an providing an integrated pest management plan.

Built systems 

The certification program also calls for respecting environmental and community needs in the project’s structures. Performance measures include the certification of all residential buildings using the Earth Advantage^® New Homes or the LEED^® for Homes standards.

Connecting & Transportation Systems 

The Earth Advantage Community program promotes connectivity through street, pedestrian path, and bicycle path planning. It enhances pedestrian safety through “slow” streets, and provides shared roadway amenities for bikes and motor vehicles.

Community Systems 

Certified communities are designed to foster ongoing community interaction and stewardship. Projects of 20 or more units will establish a homeowner’s association or equivalent group, which will maintain the sustainable characteristics of the community.