Ahead of the future

NL Greenlabel provides an ecolabel for the living environment. Initiated by two well known green pioneers, the Dutch organization has developed into a platform which today is supported by more than 160 partners. All the partners contribute to a network containing a range of disciplines, from architects, NGO’s and scientists to green professionals, start-ups and so on. The mission is to bring man and nature together into a state of balance. Concerned with global challenges like biodiversity, climate adaptation, loss of landscape and human wellbeing, our methodology draws on measurements like nature-based solutions and green innovations to create healthy and thriving environments. With all the challenges ahead, like environmental issues, ever-growing cities and the loss of biodiversity, it is clearer than ever that a different way is needed for the way we live and the way we organize and manage our own habitat.

It took ten years of research, development and experimenting to become a front leader in the assessment of a sustainable living environment. Unique tools and services help to assess sustainability with so-called passports for plants, products and materials. Moreover, we assess the living environment. Distinguishing different scales and sizes, it can be used to asses area's like suburbs and industrial parks, middle sized projects like sport parks and school yards, and thirdly, private gardens. The unique selling point is the way this system works. It is simple and practical for all the stakeholders involved and it allows to assess sustainability to formulate and guarantee ambitions. A board of renowned scientists validates the concept on a regular base and provides valuable input.

Terrainlabel self-assessment for more sustainable green spaces

Together with HUGSI we make the Terrainlabel accessible for self assessments. In this tool you can review the development of your terrain or the current status to gain insight into the integral sustainability of your project. It also gives the potential to enhance the sustainability. The self assessment tool guides you through different sustainability aspects and asks questions of which not everyone might think. By being aware of the choices that can be made, it is easier to make the green and sustainable ones! Take the Terrainlabel self-assessment

Green passports

When we review an area, it gets a sustainability passport/label. This is a way of communicating the contribution to sustainability and the quality which you realised. Sustainability passports go further than just the greenness of an area, by looking at the materialisation, water balance, social cohesion, maintenance and so on. For now, only official passports have been issued our home country, The Netherlands, but in the future we want to go international. The self assessments which have been filled out on HUGSI area also indicated on the map.

Scalability

The world is changing in a rapid way. Like Husqvarna, NL Greenlabel pioneers to anticipate future developments. In the last years, we have been focussing on creating a strong network of partners and making people aware of the solutions we offer. Today we are working to make our products more digital-based and scalable. The goal is to share the method and knowledge through training programs in order to provide others with the knowledge and tools they need to make living environments greener and more sustainable. A nice example of today’s approach is the implementation of our new terrain label, which is applicable to medium-sized projects like solar and sport parks. We are now providing these tools in an accessible way for everyone to do a quick scan themselves as an self-assessment.

Services

Combining available data about health, climate and biodiversity with the data collected by processing the Terrain label results in better substantiated choices and a more integrated approach while doing it in a practical way. This way, the users of an area can become more relevant in the process of city development and can contribute to more liveable area. In the future, data from satellites and local sensors on machines, plants or in the soil can provide relevant information. Nowadays we can already help to make ambitions for sustainability real by facilitating the process of sustainable city planning with our methodology. In the future, we believe we can enrich this process by feeding in real-time data and cooperate with partners to create a world in which men and nature are truly in balance. Area management according to our vision on a sustainable living environment can contribute directly, and measurable, to climate, health and the quality of the cities as a whole. Besides sharing the tools NL Greenlabel will feed the HUGSI platform with knowledge and relevant content which contributes building and managing green and sustainable cities.

See www.nlgreenlabel.nl for more information about the terrain or area label and advice on integral sustainability.