That’s one of the questions that the NVAR Public Policy Committee considered at a recent presentation from the Fairfax County Restoration Project (FCRP). 

At the May Public Policy Committee meeting, representatives from the FCRP introduced several “green” initiatives that the project members and their partners have been working on. FCRP pitched the idea of a regional convention focusing on several of these. 

Committee members discussed various FCRP efforts including: 
• Reforestation and landscaping along the 495 Express Lanes Project 
• Restoring the urban tree canopy in Fairfax County  
• Promoting “green landscaping” through the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES®).

The committee focused on SITES®, considering the benefits and obstacles to sustainable landscaping using primarily native plants. Studies have shown that replacing turf lawns with native landscaping uses less water and fertilizer, with the added benefit of filtering storm water and reducing erosion and run-off. But will homebuyers be sold on properties that do not have expansive, manicured lawns? Time will tell.

A future NVAR Public Policy Forum will explore sustainable landscaping, as well as ways to collaborate with the FCRP and other regional initiatives. Please watch nvar.com, engage on social media and read your NVAR e-newsletters for more on the topic. 

Josh Veverka is the NVAR government affairs director.