[PCA] WEB: Sustainable Sites Initiative
Olivia Kwong
plant at plantconservation.org
Fri Nov 16 10:51:44 CST 2007
http://www.sustainablesites.org/report.html
----- Forwarded Message -----
Dear Olivia Kwong:
As you know, the growing green building movement sets standards for
sustainable buildings and their mechanical systems. Just as important, but
getting less attention, are the critical contributions to biodiversity,
water quality and conservation, air quality, and climate made by
sustainable landscapes. To fill that gap, the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and
the United States Botanic Garden (USBG), in conjunction with a diverse
group of stakeholder organizations (below), have joined together in the
Sustainable Sites Initiative.
The Sustainable Sites Initiative will provide standards and guidelines for
measuring the sustainability of designed landscapes, including commercial
and public sites, residential landscapes, parks and recreation centers,
campuses, roadsides, and utility corridors. Products will include resource
publications and the components of a rating system that may stand alone or
become part of long-established systems that recognize sustainable site
design. The U.S. Green Building Council is participating in the project
and anticipates incorporating the final Sustainable Sites standards and
guidelines into the next iteration of LEED. Sustainable Sites has the
potential to transform all industries involved with land design,
construction, and maintenance, and we hope that you will contribute to
this effort.
The first report from the Sustainable Sites technical subcommittees on
hydrology, soils, vegetation, and materials will be released in early
November. At that time, we will invite you and your members to return
feedback to inform subsequent revisions. Your participation will be
critical to the successful development of best practices, regional
performance standards, and methods for verifying landscape sustainability.
For more information, please contact info at sustainablesites.org.
We look forward to working with you on the Sustainable Sites Initiative.
Sincerely,
Nancy Somerville
Executive Vice President and CEO
American Society of Landscape Architects
Susan Rieff
Executive Director
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Holly Shimizu
Executive Director
U.S. Botanic Garden
Participating Stakeholder Organizations
American Society of Landscape Architects
Lady Bird Johnson Wild Flower Center
United States Botanic Garden
American Society of Civil Engineers - Environment and Water Resources
Institute
Center for Sustainable Development, University of Texas at Austin
United States Green Building Council
National Association of County and CIty Health Officials
Environmental Protection Agency - GreenScapes Program
National Recreation and Parks Association
The Nature Conservancy - Global Invasive Species
Funding Sources
American Society of Landscape Architects
Lady Bird Johnson Wild Flower Center
United States Botanic Garden
United States Forest Service
Environmental Protection Agency
The Meadows Foundation
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