Commercial properties can reduce water use, maintenance and costs while also improving stormwater management by xeriscaping — a low-water-use landscaping method that uses native plants — according to Buildings magazine.
Xeriscaping selects plants that are drought tolerant and hardy against climate change. This can help buildings conserve water and it requires fewer resources to grow.
According to the EPA, landscape water use for commercial properties can be as high as 22 percent for office buildings and up to 28 percent for schools, Buildings reports.
Bank of America expects to save 5 million gallons of water by transitioning from traditional landscaping to xeriscaping at six of its banking centers in Southern California.
San Diego Gas & Electric expects its new water-wise landscaping project at Century Park, its Kearny Mesa headquarters, to save the utility more than 4 million gallons of water a year, a 40 percent campus reduction.
