Daybreak's Environmental History

Daybreak, one of the most distinct planned communities in all of Utah, has dedicated itself to being an enduring community in the Salt Lake Valley.  Kennecott is doing this by building Daybreak in a way that will ensure future generations have the opportunity to enjoy a great neighborhood, beautiful land, abundant water, and clean air.

Growing Conditions at Daybreak

Daybreak integrates sustainable landscape practices into the community in a number of ways. They are committed to planting over 100,000 trees along all of the streets and in parks, which will diminish the urban heat island effect. Storm water runoff is collected in a variety of ways and filters down to recharge the aquifer beneath Daybreak. Residents are encouraged to plant a water wise landscape, limit turf areas that require a lot of supplemental water, and improve soil to better absorb water and encourage deeper roots.

Air Quality

Due to its unique topography and quickly growing population, Utah experiences a number of challenges in maintaining healthy air quality for its citizens, particularly in the more densely populate areas along the Wasatch Front. Kennecott is aware of these issues and has planned Daybreak to reduce carbon monoxide emissions from buildings and vehicles in a number of ways including:

• Because Daybreak is designed as a "traditional neighborhood development," there is a reduction of vehicle miles traveled for daily needs because of a network of connected sidewalks, trails and streets.
• Kennecott played a pivotal role in the development of the Utah Transit Authority's TRAX red line, which connects Daybreak to the University of Utah.
• Every home in Daybreak is energy star rated and comes with a Home Energy Rating Score (HERS), which provides an index rating of each home’s energy efficiency.

Environmental Commitment for Today and the Future

Daybreak has been carefully planned to incorporate key social and environmental features in its design. These important choices demonstrate Rio Tinto’s commitment to sustainable development and environmental quality.

• Daybreak homes are Energy Star-certified, making it the largest single Energy Star community in Utah and one of the largest in the country.
• Daybreak has planned more than 1,000 acres as open space.  This open space will be irrigated with secondary water and landscaped with a combination of sod and water—wise native plants.
• Daybreak’s storm water management system has been designed to retain 100% of storm water onsite from a 100 year rain event, in an effort to preserve precious groundwater resources.
• Kennecott is a Rocky Mountain Blue Sky Visionary Partner, purchasing 100% of the electricity consumption needed for the development of Daybreak, from clean renewable energy sources.

Combined, these efforts will ensure our natural resources will be available to future generations, and Utah will remain a healthy and desirable place to live.

http://www.kennecott.com/sites/kennecott.com/files/environment2/environment_landmanagement_historyofdaybreak.pdf