Sustainability
Buildings and Energy
Water
Food Services
Landscapes and Horticulture
Transportation
Research
Waste
Engagement
Buildings and Energy
Food Services
Transport
Waste
Water
Landscapes
Research
Engagement
Buildings and Energy
The Fallingwater site consists of the historic Main House and Guest House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright along with approximately 20 ancillary buildings, including the Visitor Center, The Barn at Fallingwater, and High Meadow. The built environment is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere, generating roughly 42% of our annual global CO2 emissions. Of those total emissions, building operations are responsible for 27%, while building and infrastructure materials and construction (i.e. embodied carbon) are responsible for an additional 15%. It is imperative to reduce our collective carbon emissions by reducing onsite fossil-fuel combustion; striving to utilize electric-only building systems and equipment; and working toward the goal of powering our operations with 100% clean renewable energy.
Sustainable practices and goals:
- Installed a solar array in an existing open field near Fallingwater on the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Bear Run Nature Reserve in 2022. The array consists of 540 individual panels that will annually produce 254,880 kilowatt hours of energy, offseting 25% of the overall site or campus’s electricity use. The goal is to expand this array to offset 100% of electricity use by 2026.
- Updated heating, cooling, and lighting controls across the site.
- Installed a geo-coupled heating system at The Barn at Fallingwater; system commissioning on cyclical basis.
- Install high-efficiency closed cell insulation in building renovations.
- Replace existing HVAC systems with energy efficient units.
- Increase the use of propane or heat pumps rather than oil.
- Installed power factor correction units at kitchen and sewage plant.
- Change to LED lights where possible across the site.
- Install blinds in the Museum Store to reduce cooling costs.
- Use eco-friendly PPG paints products with zero VOC, very low odor and Green Seal Class A Certification.
Water
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy conserves the watershed of Bear Run, the stream that runs underneath Fallingwater, and because of its water quality and level of protection, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has designated Bear Run as an Exceptional Value stream. To protect Bear Run and its watershed, Fallingwater implements sustainable practices that help to reduce water consumption, pollution of waterways, and stresses on municipal sanitary and water infrastructures.
Sustainable practices and goals:
- Maintain a zero-discharge, on-site sewage treatment plant.
- Install low-flow fixtures during building renovations.
- Conserve the 5,100-acre Bear Run Nature Reserve to protect the watershed of Bear Run.
Food Services
Inspired by the culinary history, seasonal produce and regional flavors of Appalachia, the Fallingwater Café is the perfect place to experience the natural beauty of our surroundings with locally sourced coffee, fresh house-made sweets and delicious tasty snacks to go. The Fallingwater Café is certified by the Green Restaurant Association and maintains a Gold designation as a Sustainable PGH Restaurant.
Sustainable practice and goals:
- Source local produce and food from suppliers less than 100 miles away.
- Eliminated the use of polystyrene foam or non-compostible “to go” containers.
- Sell reusable drink containers in the Museum Store and Café.
- Use washable silverware and tableware.
- Use only chemicals deemed environmentally friendly by Green Restaurant Association, from floor detergent to dish machines and hand soap.
- Meet all requirements of Green Restaurant Association.
- Explore on-site growing of vegetables and herbs.
Landscapes and Horticulture
Sustainable landscapes can greatly impact and reduce climate change. The natural beauty surrounding Fallingwater is intimately connected to the understanding and appreciation of the house itself. Fallingwater strives to conserve and manage the landscape to the highest standards of sustainable practice.
Sustainable practice and goals:
- Redesigned parking areas that use less paving, strategically located plantings and bioswales to control storm water run-off.
- Reduced mowed areas across the site.
- Plant only native species in new installations.
- Manage invasive species.
- Treat hemlocks for woolly adelgid on an annual basis.
Transportation
In the United States, the largest category of carbon emissions is from transportation, which accounts for about 29% of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. Petroleum based products account for 91% of the transportation sector energy use. Gardens and museums like Fallingwater have an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions by transitioning from petroleum to electric powered vehicles and incentivizing more sustainable travel.
Sustainable practice and goals:
- Use of mini-utility trucks and EV utility vehicles.
- Use of EV shuttles to transport visitors around the site.
- Provide bike racks at the Visitor Center.
- Installed four electric car charging stations for staff; completing a feasibility study to install charging stations at the Visitor Center.
Research
Fallingwater continues to investigate ways to address climate change through ongoing research and feasibility studies. We stay up-to-date on current findings and use the data to identify potential solutions and help us make decisions about the future. In addition, we seek out intra-organizational initiatives and partnerships with local partners, using our organizations as living laboratories for research to discover new technologies, practices, and policies that can address climate change.
Sustainable practice and goals:
- Completed an organization-wide greenhouse gas emissions study.
- Explore ways to offset carbon footprint of operations.
- Install UV glass in selected areas of the Visitor Center; address bird collisions.
- Investigate an energy efficient heating system in the sewage treatment plant.
- Conduct energy audits on all ancillary buildings.
- Install car chargers for visitors; feasibility study currently underway.
- Install additional ground array solar panels; feasibility study currently underway.
- Purchase additional electric vehicles for Fallingwater’s vehicle fleet.
Waste
Waste can release a significant amount of toxins and can be extremely dangerous to the surrounding environment by polluting the air, soil and waterways. Fallingwater works to reduce personal, packaging and product waste through a range of practices.
Sustainable practice and goals:
- Maintain a sitewide recycling program.
- Enforce a trash-in-trash-out policy.
- Use reclaimed materials (cardboard, wood, bulk paper, recycled paper, textile/building material samples) for education programs.
- Purchase art supplies from Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (PCCR).
- Utilize sustainable wood products for the Museum Store and catering.
- Source products from local suppliers and artisans for the Museum Store.
- Eliminated plastic bags in the Museum Store.
- Consolidated purchase of thermal paper for POS system to reduce shipping and transportation costs to the store, café.
- Explore a sitewide composting program to reduce food and landscaping waste.
- Reduced the amount of packaging materials purchased by the Museum Store by assessing incoming packaging including boxes, bubble wrap, paper and peanuts for reuse.
- Utilize vendor scan codes (bar codes) on merchandise to reduce the number of paper tags used on products in the Museum Store.
Engagement
Fallingwater has the opportunity to extend the reach of its impact against climate change by educating its visitors, employees and volunteers about what they can do to help the planet. By successfully engaging these individuals, Fallingwater can motivate people to integrate sustainable practices as a priority in their professional and personal lives. Fallingwater relies on volunteers in countless ways. We invite you to use your skills in a rewarding setting with others who share a commitment to sustainability. Volunteer with us
Sustainable practice and goals:
- Maintain a robust volunteer program for sitewide invasive species management.
- Maintain an internal sustainability committee with employee membership across all areas of the operation.
- Participate in The Southern Laurel Highlands Plant and Pest Management Partnership.
- Employee a Senior Director for Operations and Sustainability.
- Educate visitors about sustainable practices.