Good News for Sustainable Landscapes

Sustainable landscaping program SITES, developed by United States Botanic Garden (USBG) and partners, was launched today by Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI). SITES is the most comprehensive program and toolkit for developing sustainable landscapes. Its rating system can be applied to development projects located on sites with or without buildings—ranging from national parks to corporate campuses, streetscapes and homes, and much more.

SITES was developed through a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort of the American Society of Landscape Architects, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the USBG.

"SITES is a powerful tool for enhancing built landscapes precisely because it puts ecosystem services, the benefits humans derive from functional ecosystems, front and center," said Ari Novy, Executive Director of the USBG. "This approach will help maximize our collective ability to create sustainable and healthy communities. Making SITES available through GBCI will be a great boon for the quality and resilience of our built landscapes."

Read the full press release at usbg.gov.