The Feds, along with many state governments, now allow for the creation of individual environmental “banks,” which are established by converting unproductive property into new wetlands, endangered species reserves, water storage reservoirs, and a host of other types of environmentally protected land. Credits are then issued to the landowners—credits that can be sold to developers seeking to build on previously protected properties. As building continues in one place, new environmentally sound acreage is created in another. Now you can perform an environmentally responsible service and make a highly profitable investment at the same time.
Judith A. Ward, ASLA,
received her bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Arizona. An award-winning landscape architect with over twenty-five years of experience, Ms. Ward is now president and cofounder of Critical Habitats, Inc.Kevin F. Noon, PhD,
received his doctorate from Texas A&M University, specializing in wetland science. For twenty-five years, he has been involved in land improvement and environmental policy development. Currently, he is chairman and cofounder of Critical Habitats, Inc., and of Sustainable Environments LLC—land development and consulting companies that specialize in environmental banking.