Source:Actions to Further the Pocantico Principles on Sustainability and Historic Preservation

A Call to Action
The Pocantico Proclamation on Sustainability and Historic Preservation lays forth the imperative for sustainability and offers guiding principles for the use of historic preservation as a model and a partner for a sustainable society.

The future success of the Proclamation necessitates tremendous effort and work on the part of historic preservation practitioners. The Actions to further the Pocantico Principles on Sustainability and Historic Preservation represent a vast, diverse, evolving, and flexible inventory of actions aligned with the ideals of the Proclamation. We call upon preservation practitioners to assist in carrying out these and other actions to help in transitioning to a sustainable society.

Education
Integrate sustainability into preservation education


 * AE1) Incorporate sustainability into preservation curricula at all levels of education.
 * AE2) Promote service learning opportunities focused on preservation and sustainability.
 * AE3) Develop educational tool kits custom tailored for various needs (e.g. policy makers, historic building owners and managers, and students in primary, secondary, and higher education).
 * AE4) Challenge historic preservation research programs to expand the understanding of sustainable historic preservation.

Local Organizations and Commissions
Engage local preservation organizations and commissions


 * AE5) Utilize the more than 3,000 local preservation organizations and innumerable local commissions to promote preservation as a sustainable solution, and to become sustainability advocates within their communities.
 * AE6) Provide local community-based preservation organizations and local commissions with technical, policy, and practical tools for promoting preservation as a key to sustainability.
 * AE7) Focus resources at the local level as this is where numerous policy decisions are made.

Energy Management
Actively manage climate control systems


 * AE8) Encourage property management organizations to adopt flexible indoor environmental standards that improve operating energy performance.
 * AE9) Promote the “behavioral wedge” – the concept that we can reduce one “wedge” (a gigaton) of greenhouse gases by altering our behavior (i.e. turning off lights, using shades, opening windows, etc.)

Green Building Rating Systems
Integrate preservation into sustainability standards, codes, and rating systems


 * PP1) Work with developers of green building rating systems to ensure the value of building reuse is recognized.
 * PP2) Promote the adoption of mandates for the improved energy performance of historic properties following recognized national models and timetables.
 * PP3) Develop performance based energy codes, so that historic properties can find non-standard methods for improved energy performance.

Historic Preservation Policies
Update historic preservation policies to include sustainability principles and practices


 * PP4) Identify critical conflicts between sustainable design practices and preservation and develop solutions.
 * PP5) Integrate green design practices into preservation guidelines as part of a fresh look at the Secretary’s Standards (i.e. The Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings) by emphasizing ways to enhance building performance while preserving historic character.
 * PP6) Create new Interpreting the Standards Bulletins on common issues related to sustainable design practices and historic projects.
 * PP7) Support research programs that explore new technologies for retrofitting historic structures and quantify the sustainability of preservation.

City and Regional Planning
Integrate preservation with planning, community development, and transportation


 * PP8) Illustrate America’s automobile dependence and the drastic divergence from America’s strong transit history.
 * PP9) Encourage all levels of government to fund mass-transit infrastructure instead of personal automobiles in urban settings.
 * PP10) Explore the use of urban growth boundaries and promote sustainable planning as seen in historic districts (e.g. walkable, transit-oriented, and livable communities)

Funding
Develop reliable and professional funding sources


 * PP11) Promote new sources of funding through environmental, housing, transit, and energy programs promoting sustainable solutions.
 * PP12) Integrate preservation into an economic stimulus plan based on the inherent sustainability of historic preservation.

Economic Investment
Develop economic programs to reinvest in existing buildings


 * PP13) Encourage government to offer incentives for reuse over demolition
 * PP14) Encourage public and private grants for reinvestment in historic buildings and communities.
 * PP15) Work with the National Park Service and other review agencies to encourage expedited tax credit approval and streamlined reviews for sustainable projects.

Rehabilitations
Achieve Net Zero historic rehabilitations


 * T1) Utilize best practices and technologies to ensure long-term viability of historic resources through renewable energy.
 * T2) Aspire to “net zero” historic rehabilitations for all types and scales of historic places.

Energy
Promote and develop technologies and products that support sustainable practices compatible with historic properties


 * T3) Work with industry to develop energy conservation and alternative energy products and techniques that respect the characteristics of historic properties.
 * T4) Encourage planning for alternative energy development and distribution that properly considers the impacts on cultural and natural resources.

Demonstration Project
Launch a sustainable preservation demonstration project


 * T5) Design and implement demonstration projects showcasing the best sustainable design approaches and technologies while utilizing representative historic properties across America.

Conclusion
Preservation practitioners must rise to the sustainability challenges we face to inspire and inform society at large. Building upon the Pocantico Proclamation on Sustainability and Historic Preservation, the action items provide guidance in transitioning historic preservation to the forefront of the sustainability movement. The objectives of the actions are twofold. Firstly, illustrate that historic preservation offers a model for sustainability. Secondly, challenge preservation to more fully incorporate sustainable building practices. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, partnership between government and the private sector, and diligent work on behalf of preservationists, we can transform historic preservation into a leading, relevant, and timely exemplar for a sustainable twenty-first century.