This is the New York State edition of the GIC's guide to evaluating and conserving green infrastructure (GI) across the landscape. It provides an historical background to GI, as well as practical steps for creating GI maps and plans for a community. It discusses issues around evaluating green assets, public involvement in the mapping process, and the practical steps in bringing together GIS information into a useful format. It draws from twelve field tests GIC has conducted over the past six years in a diversity of ecological and political conditions, at multiple scales, and in varied development patterns – from wildlands and rural areas to suburbs, cities and towns. This guide is intended to help people make land management decisions which recognize the interdependence of healthy people, strong economies and a vibrant, intact and biologically diverse landscape. Green infrastructure consists of our environmental assets – which GIC also calls ‘natural assets’ – and they should be included in planning processes. Planning to conserve or restore green infrastructure ensures that communities can be vibrant, healthful and resilient. Having clean air and water, as well as nature-based recreation, attractive views and abundant local food, depends upon considering our environmental assets as part of everyday planning. Available from GIC at www.gicinc.org.

Ecohouse is an exciting and timely text that tells you how to design low energy, environmentally friendly buildings today. It also provides the foundations for building design in a warming world, and stepping stones towards the zero-carbon emission buildings of tomorrow. Sue Roaf is famed for her approach to design and her awareness of energy efficiency. Here she reveals the concepts, structures and techniques that lie behind the realization of her ideals. By using her own house as a case-study Roaf guides the reader through the ideas for energy efficient design or 'eco design'. This guide to the ecohouse also explores 21 case-studies from around the world, from Norway and Sweden to India and Japan, Argentina and Mexico. Chapters by Christopher Day, Katerine Bohn and Andre Viljoen on ecological building materials and methods and a contribution by Robert and Brenda Vale - all experts in this field Ecohouse has a regularly updated companion web site providing further information on all issues relating to Ecohouse and eco design. Log on to www.bh.com/companions/ecohouse for a direct link.