What Does It Mean to Be Green?

Birmingham this time of year is indescribably beautiful. Abundant dogwoods and daffodils delight while breathtaking cherry blossoms burst forth, signaling that spring has indeed arrived. April 22 also marks Earth Day, bringing environmental conservation to the forefront. But in Mt Laurel, being sustainable is a way of life, something its planners and developers practice on a daily basis. While the residents of Mt Laurel no doubt appreciate the unique character of the land their homes are built on, some may not be aware of how deeply engrained this philosophy is.

Town founder Elton Stephens understood that a respect for nature would set Mt Laurel apart from other Traditional Neighborhood Developments when he first came up with the concept. Frequenting the area since childhood, he had longstanding love affair with the land Mt Laurel is now built on—and a strong desire to protect it. While Mt Laurel’s aesthetic is most certainly natural, it was achieved through very deliberate thought. Unlike other town developments that typically flatten the land into submission, the community was master-planned to highlight nature; everything in it was chosen to complement the land rather than conquer it—a principled yet practical way of doing things that continues to this day.

For Rip Weaver, landscape architect on the Mt Laurel Design Review Board, this legacy figures into everything he does. “I look at the fit of individual houses or projects against what the original intent of Mt Laurel was, and that was to build with the land and make sure that the structure of the houses achieves that. We also review colors, architectural styles, of course the landscape, and how the house is sited on the lot.” Weaver’s dedication to the town’s founding principles is evident. “I think [a connection to nature is] incredibly important. A lot of people have ridden around here and fallen in love with the place but didn’t understand why they fell in love with it.” But Weaver knows. “There’s nothing else like Mt Laurel. People come here because it is different, and they gravitate towards it.”

What makes Mt Laurel so different? Broad pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, a walkable Town Center populated with specialty retailers, and front porches on every house harken to a simpler time and a lifestyle that encourages residents to get to know each other. “Every house is linked by a sidewalk, and the sidewalks are [over a foot] wider than normal sidewalks,” says Weaver. “They all connect at what’s called an event—which is a park, a store, or something like that—within a 10-minute walk. So you can go anywhere and get to any kind of event within 10 minutes by walking.” More walking means less driving and a smaller carbon footprint.

Trees, of course, are a very important part of Weaver’s job as well as the town’s landscape. Not only are they beautiful and majestic, but they also provide shelter from the wind, reduce cooling costs during the warmer months, and help combat the climate change caused by global warming. While every effort is made to leave them where they stand and build around them, sometimes other measures are called for. “[Using] a tree spade, we were able to take trees that were on the lot and move them to other lots. And if we had to buy trees, we would try to find trees that were part of the genus that was on site,” he explains. “We’ve also used plants that would be native there but were not actually found on the property. But we’ve tried very, very, very hard to stick to a native plant palette.” A minor exception: “[A couple of nonnative species] were allowed for biological reasons like bug control.”

How else has Mt Laurel demonstrated its respect for nature? “First of all, the philosophy behind Mt Laurel’s architecture is to change the architecture to fit the land instead of changing the land to fit the architecture. That’s a very, very sustainable thing.” Weaver also believes in going with the flow: Whenever possible, “we work with natural drainage systems—natural valleys and watersheds where water normally flows—and use those as opposed to manufactured drainage patterns that make [water] flow where you want it to flow.” This has the benefit of supporting local wildlife populations, including turkey, deer, squirrels, rabbits, and beavers: “They’re used to getting water or finding food in a particular area because that’s where the drainage goes, and so that doesn’t change.”

But not all change is bad: “I can tell you that there are more songbirds than when we started the project. The hawks and owls that live on the mountains out there minimized the number of songbirds we had because they were so aggressive,” recalls Weaver. The creation of Mt Laurel resulted in many of those predatory birds moving to other locations, bringing songbirds and other small animals back to Mt Laurel.

Mt Laurel remains committed to the future. “Storm water is put back into the natural systems, and we use a chipper to cut up any trees that are being removed and use the chips as mulch. A sawmill used to come out and cut the bigger trees into boards, and we used the boards in parks and other things around the project.” Furthermore, a staggering 200 acres of Mt Laurel is completely undeveloped and will stay that way.

In closing, Weaver says, “Just because we have the technology and the ability to move mountains doesn’t mean we necessarily should. If you look at most development as it occurs today, we knock down the high points and fill the valleys, and we’re creating a flat world. I like to listen to what the land is telling you to do and then find the right sorts of architecture or development to fit the land the way it exists. [Elton] always felt this way too.”

To learn more about the latest happenings in Mt Laurel and why it’s such a great place to live, view the events calendar and sign up for the Mt Laurel Newsletter.