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.

The SITES rating system is a way to mitigate the effects of climate change that are impacting our world and way of life. The natural systems on which we depend are tied into climate, and any sustained change affects food production, availability and use of water, fresh air and much more.

Education @USGBC is your one-stop shop for growing your knowledge about green building and sustainability, and that includes SITES. From guidance on earning your SITES AP credential to continuing education that helps you maintain it, you will find resources there to support your learning.

Feature image: Dell Medical District at University of Texas at Austin.

Learn about the SITES rating system at an interactive, full-day workshop on February 22, 2018, in St. Louis, Missouri. Complementing LEED and administered by GBCI, SITES defines with a sustainable site is and elevates the value of landscapes in the built environment.

LEED is a global movement, with about 92,000 registered and certified projects across 167 countries and territories, with 2.2 million square feet certifying every day.

On December 15, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island, signed a law “showing that [Rhode Island] is serious about being green.”

This article was originally published as "LEED+: Projects implementing LEED are poised to leverage the shared advantages of complementary rating systems" in the November/December issue of USGBC+. Read the original version.

HP’s Boise project is the first to earn a SITES certification in the state of Idaho