Bioswales filter water from surrounding impervious surfaces.
The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) invites public comment on proposed revisions to the Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009, the most comprehensive set of voluntary, national guidelines yet developed for sustainable landscapes.
The proposed revisions are based on experience gained through the two-year pilot program, which involved 150 projects, 11 of which have been certified so far.
The proposed 2013 credits will serve as the basis for transitioning SITES to open enrollment in mid-2013. This update is available for comment and download at www.sustainablesites.org, with a public comment period open until Nov. 5, 2012.
The Sustainable Sites Initiative is a partnership between the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to create a system to evaluate sustainable landscape design, construction and maintenance. The U.S. Green Building Council is a stakeholder in the Initiative and anticipates incorporating SITES metrics into future versions of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.
