NEW SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE RATING SYSTEM AND GUIDELINES, 2009

NEW SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE RATING SYSTEM AND GUIDELINES, 2009
Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks

The American Society of Landscape Architect (ASLA) has notified their membership (including MCLLC) that the Sustainable Sites Initiative™ “has released the first voluntary, scientifically researched rating system and guidelines for design, construction, and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, with or without buildings.

The rating system works on a 250-point scale, with levels of achievement for obtaining 40, 50, 60, or 80 percent of available points, recognized with one through four stars, respectively. If prerequisites are met, points are awarded through the 51 credits covering areas such as the use of greenfields, brownfields, or greyfields; materials; soils and vegetation; construction and maintenance. These credits can apply to projects ranging from corporate campuses, transportation corridors, public parks, and single-family residences. The rating system is part of two new reports issued from the Initiative, The Case for Sustainable Landscapes and Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009, both available for download at www.sustainablesites.org/report. “

The Initiative will oversee pilot projects during a two-year system assessment process. www.sustainablesites.org/pilot. The Sustainable Sites Initiative is a partnership of the ASLA, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the U.S. Botanic Garden. The rating system “represents four years of work by dozens of the country's leading sustainability experts, scientists and design professionals, as well as public input from hundreds of individuals and dozens of organizations to create this essential missing link in green design.”