During the first SITES Quarterly Call of 2018, our panel of experts from GBCI and Design Workshop dissected the various stages of the SITES certification process.

Administered by GBCI, SITES is a rating system used by landscape professionals to align land development and management with sustainable design. After several years of beta testing, SITES v2 was released in 2015. By 2018, a wide variety of projects in the U.S. and abroad have become certified—more than 40 million square feet to date.

Learn about SITES at the Gulf Coast Green 2018 Symposium and Expo in Houston, Texas, on June 1 at the session "Promoting Resilient Communities with the SITES Rating System." Participants will discover the importance of land design and development through the exploration of the SITES v2 Rating System and relevant case studies.

A key part of the SITES framework is enhancing physical, mental and social well-being as a result of human interaction with nature. SITES projects also provide education that promotes the understanding of natural systems and offers opportunities for community involvement and advocacy.

In honor of Earth Month, we’re celebrating three SITES projects that bring us back to nature:

SITES is a comprehensive rating system designed to distinguish sustainable landscapes, measure their performance and elevate their value.

SITES-certified projects across the country are strengthening communities by educating them on sustainable site practices and the benefits of being in nature. Always evolving through continued research and experience, SITES projects transform the way people interact with the built environment.

Learn about SITES during a two-part course series at the 2018 Boston Landscape Architecture Conference + Xpo on March 26. This event brings together leaders from landscape architecture practice and academia, architecture and planning, horticulture and engineering and municipal agencies for a full day of workshops and panel discussions.

GBCI staff invite you to join the first SITES Quarterly Call of 2018, on Thurs., March 22. During this call, GBCI and SITES users will discuss how to efficiently navigate the various stages of the SITES certification process, including fee setting and documentation.

SITES helps foster the development of green infrastructure, which is defined as any practice that uses or replicates natural systems to achieve a desired outcome. Green infrastructure practices (e.g., green roofs, rain gardens, bioswales, pervious pavement) are now being used by cities around the world. By looking to nature for guidance, SITES helps project teams in creating environments that improve water quality, control erosion, mitigate flooding and provide wildlife habitat.

Green infrastructure is increasingly used to address climate impact issues, such as stormwater runoff, and to provide myriad benefits to a community. The SITES Rating System facilitates green infrastructure planning to create beautiful outdoor spaces that are functional and resilient.