[PCA] WEB: GBCI launches SITES, a rating system for sustainable landscapes

[Kwong, Olivia]

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June 10, 2015

Contact: Devin Dotson, U.S. Botanic Garden –ddotson at aoc.gov <rmims at aoc.gov>,
(202) 306-743

*Green Business Certification Inc. Launches SITES, its Newly Acquired
Rating System for Sustainable Landscapes*
*SITES addresses global concerns such as climate change, loss of
biodiversity and resource depletion through sustainable landscape design
and management*

*Washington, DC* – Today, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) launched
its newly acquired SITES rating system, the most comprehensive program and
toolkit for developing sustainable landscapes.

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 United
States Botanic Garden. The 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.

Landscapes knit together the fabric of our communities, said Rick Fedrizzi,
CEO, GBCI. “And sustainable landscapes are critical in their ability to
reduce water demand, filter and reduce storm water runoff, provide wildlife
habitat, reduce energy consumption, improve air quality, improve human
health, and increase outdoor recreation opportunities. SITES is an
important addition to our toolkit, and GBCI appreciates this opportunity to
support this additional contribution to healthy, thriving communities and
neighborhoods.”

“It is exciting to see years of work to develop and field test SITES
culminate in the availability of this rating system,” said Fritz Steiner,
FASLA, dean of the School of Architecture at The University of Texas at
Austin. “The depth and breadth of approaches implemented by pilot projects
demonstrates how valuable SITES can become for revolutionizing our
relationships with built landscapes.”

“Landscape architects and members of all the related design and planning
fields know that the issues addressed in SITES are increasingly important
to creating livable and resilient communities,” said Nancy C. Somerville,
executive vice president and CEO of the American Society of Landscape
Architects (ASLA). “GBCI will take SITES to the next level and ensure its
future growth and influence, and ASLA is pleased to provide continued
education and communications support.”

“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
United States Botanic Garden. “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.”

The SITES rating system uses progressive industry standards for landscape
design and incorporates additional recommendations from technical experts
in the fields of soil science, botany and horticulture, hydrology,
materials, and human health and well-being. Some of the credits for
sustainable landscape performance have been developed in alignment with
similar credits in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, the world’s most widely
used green building program.

SITES, originally modeled after LEED, includes best practices in landscape
architecture, ecological restoration and related fields, and knowledge
gained through peer-reviewed literature, case-study precedents and projects
registered in the SITES pilot program.

“Adding SITES to GBCI’s rapidly growing list of certification systems and
credentials it supports not only expands GBCI’s capabilities, but it also
helps us to further our mission to enact global sustainable change,” said
Mahesh Ramanujam, President, GBCI.

SITES draws on the experience gained from a two-year pilot program
involving more than 100 projects. Forty-six of these pilot projects have
achieved certification, including landscape projects at corporate
headquarters, national and city parks, academic campuses and private homes.

Interested project teams can visit www.sustainablesites.org for more
information and to register their projects and access the SITES v2: Rating
System For Sustainable Land Design and Development: a guide that provides
best practices, performance benchmarks and tools for creating ecologically
resilient landscapes, and rewards successful projects through certification.

The Wildflower Center and ASLA will help GBCI create and implement SITES
credentialing and certification offerings such as training project
reviewers, and will provide educational opportunities for pursuing SITES
certification.

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*About the U.S. Botanic Garden*

United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is one of the oldest botanic gardens in
North America. The Garden informs visitors about the importance and
fundamental value and diversity of plants, as well as their aesthetic,
cultural, economic, therapeutic and ecological significance. With over a
million visitors annually, the USBG strives to demonstrate and promote
sustainable practices. The U.S. Botanic Garden is a living plant museum and
accredited by the American Association of Museums. The U.S. Botanic Garden
Conservatory is open to the public, free of charge, every day of the year
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. www.USBG.gov
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