Have you heard about SITES, the new sustainable landscape certification, and want to learn more? Are you a developer or government agency who wants to get recognition for your commitment to sustainable site design and construction? Maybe you’re a green building or landscape architecture professional who hopes to offer consulting services for SITES, but isn’t familiar with the certification process. You could be working on a project with sustainable landscaping elements and wondering if the project is eligible for SITES.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES^_®) is the most comprehensive program for developing sustainable landscapes, based on the understanding that land is a crucial component of the built environment and can be planned, designed, developed and maintained to protect and enhance the benefits we derive from healthy functioning landscapes. SITES is currently used by landscape architects, designers, engineers, architects, developers, policymakers and others.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES^®) is the most comprehensive program and toolkit for developing sustainable landscapes. The SITES program is based on the understanding that land is a crucial component of the built environment and can be planned, designed, developed and maintained to protect and enhance the benefits that people enjoy from healthy natural systems.

Early bird registration for the Sustainable SITES Initiative workshop has been extended. Monday, September 21 is the last day to take advantage of early bird registration discounts. Save by registering today!

Participate in a half-day workshop on the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) on Monday, November 16 from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in Washington, D.C.

GBCI recently launched the newly acquired SITES rating system, which is the most comprehensive program and toolkit for developing sustainable landscapes.

SITES addresses global concerns such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and resource depletion through sustainable landscape design and management

June 10, 2015 (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) launched its newly acquired SITES rating system, the most comprehensive program and toolkit for developing sustainable landscapes.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) program has certified sustainable landscapes at a dozen new locations across the country for meeting rigorous standards for environmental design and performance. These 12 landscapes include a historic Maryland house, a pocket park in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, and a public children's garden in Austin, Texas.

Image: SITES-certified pilot project, Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park
Image credit: Vijai Kalathur, Third Rock Studios

2014 has been a very important year for the SITES® program and we can't believe how fast it has gone by! From the release of the new SITES v2 Rating System and Reference Guide, to the first ever SITES v2 professional education, this has been a year of milestones.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) program has certified four new landscapes, including a pocket park in Washington state, a mixed-use development in northern California, a historic Civil-War era preserve in New York, and the headquarters of an architecture firm in Georgia.

The four projects join 30 others certified by the SITES program, which is the nation’s most comprehensive rating system for sustainable land design and development.