History

This effort began as separate projects of the Sustainable Design and Development Professional Practice Network of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. In 2005 the two groups joined forces and held a Sustainable Sites Summit in Austin, TX.

In 2006, the United States Botanical Garden joined as a major partner in the initiative. A Product Development Committee representing 11 stakeholder groups was selected to guide the initiative. In addition, there now are more than 30 experts serving on subcommittees developing sustainable practices for soils, hydrology, vegetation, human well-being and materials. These subcommittees are developing the technical foundation for the standards and guidelines.

The US Green Building Council (USGBC), a stakeholder in the initiative, anticipates incorporating these guidelines and standards into future iterations of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. 

The first interim report on the Standards & Guidelines was released in November 2007.