Laurel Grove: Holos’ Second Living Lung
Did you know that most affordable housing developments landscape with succulents and other drought tolerant plants in an attempt to conserve water, but these do little to reduce global warming? Trees are our planet’s lungs, and mature trees have the capacity to sequester 1.365 tons of carbon dioxide per year. In one year, a tree can produce enough oxygen to sustain ten people. All the trees and gardens that are part of Holos’ living lungs were chosen to sequester the most contaminants possible, while being watered with recycled (grey) water from the building to ensure we aren’t contributing to worsening droughts. In addition to pulling CO2 out of the air, mature trees provide crucial shade that keeps streets and cities cool during heat events. Many studies have shown tree canopy follows similar patterns created by redlining American cities by race and class, further exacerbating the impacts of climate change in lower income neighborhoods.
In the case of the living lung at Laurel Grove, a 97-unit hotel conversion next to the 605 freeway in Whittier, Holos is changing that pattern. A small grove of fruit trees and gardens are irrigated with a greywater system which uses recycled wastewater from the building’s laundry rooms and has the capacity to redirect over half a million gallons of water a year, the rough equivalent of recycling 25 households worth of water (source). Joining the living lung, Laurel Grove will also include a pocket park for tenants and community members, which will feature a bioswale. This landscaping feature is designed to collect, filter, and direct stormwater runoff for additional water savings. Laurel Grove demonstrates that each housing development has the ability to provide shelter and services, but also to clean the air and water, feed our neighbors, and provide open space for the whole community.
To better explain these benefits to the communities we serve, Holos has created infographics like the below with bilingual data points to express the benefits Holos ties into our developments.
