Citywide Sustainability Improvements
The rain garden across from the TRICO building (pictured above) has recently been completed making it one of the region's largest bio-retention areas in one of the city's most expansive parking lots. In its opening two weeks it filtered over 380,000 gallons of water back into the Earth instead of adding to the city's combined storm-water and sewage drainage system and assuring less discharge. Central to the design is the Jellyfish Filter which cleanses most of the water before entering the garden reducing metals, trash, nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended solids from 50% - 100%.
On the Southern edge of the city the Tifft Nature Preserve Visitor Center is fulfilling its low environmental impact mission by adding water efficient toilets and electric hand dryers for visitors while using geothermal and solar power to minimize temperature and energy expenses. All of these projects only add to Buffalo's growing image of embracing sustainable culture complete with multiple rain gardens, urban farms, cleaner rivers, and pollution reduction.
Photograph by Robert Thuerck