Design Teams Create Sustainable Living Plans for Los Angeles T.R.E.E.S.-- Transagency Resources for Environmental and Economic Sustainablility-- has called upon Landscape Architects, building architects, engineers and other experts from across the nation to participate in an environmental project to redesign the city of Los Angeles, CA, to create sustainable landscapes and reduce the use of water. Sponsors include the US Forest Service, the City of Los Angeles, the City of Santa Monica, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, and the Metropolitan Water District. Adaptable designs of five sites (a single-family home, a multi-family complex, a commercial/retail center, an industrial site, and a public high school) will be published in a Planbook which will be distributed to government agencies, Landscape Architects and environmental organizations. Landscape Architect Owen Dell, a member of the design team, worked on the commercial site-- a Jiffy Lube and strip mall located in Santa Monica, CA. Dell, tremendously excited about the project and it's future, comments, "I think that if we actively made these changes in our communities, the environment would be so much better." Dell hopes the concepts will turn into a reality not just in the sites, but in other parts of the country as well. "We designed a prototype that can be applied everywhere and basic principles that can be written into public policy." Look for coverage on the other four sites in future issues of LASN. As a result of the Charrette, the team created sustainable plans which successfully contained rainwater on the site, reducing the need for irrigation about 80 to 100 percent. The design team created large concrete pipes 5 ft. in diameter and 6 ft. high, made from recyclable materials, which traps roof runoff from rain and distributes water back into the landscape. The pipes are located in the parking lot and would be decorated or made into a sculpture to be aesthetically pleasing. Rendering provided courtesy of PS Enterprises.