Fort Lauderdale Net Zero Plan 2025

80  ROADMAP TO NET ZERO

URBAN FORESTS AND PARKS City parcels, rights-of-way, and parks provide open space to enhance the urban forest and are integral to Fort Lauderdale’s environmental sustainability and climate resilience efforts. By planting more trees, maintaining existing ones, and identifying City-owned or other viable public lands that may be densely planted with trees, Fort Lauderdale can improve air quality, sequester carbon, and provide cooling effects to combat urban heat islands. Water and energy conservation strategies implemented in green spaces enhance the sustainability of green spaces by reducing their resource demands, increasing their resilience to climate impacts, and minimizing their overall contribution to Fort Lauderdale's GHG emissions. GHG emissions data from for urban forests and parks are not quantified in any inventory, so GHG emissions reductions associated with these strategies are not quantified separately. Strategy: Water and Energy Conservation Urban forests and parks play a vital role in Fort Lauderdale’s sustainability efforts. Implementing water and energy conservation measures within these green spaces can contribute to the City’s net zero goal. These measures help reduce water and energy consumption, lower operational costs, and enhance the resilience of urban green spaces. Additionally, minimizing reliance on potable water for irrigation through efficient landscaping, smart irrigation, and rainwater harvesting further reduces the energy required for water treatment and distribution and enhances overall conservation efforts. Specific actions for achieving energy and water conservation in parks and urban forests are described below.

FORT LAUDERDALE NET ZERO PLAN