Take part in the SITES® “Battle of the States” competition! Register your SITES project by Dec. 31, 2016, and help recognize the states leading sustainable landscape design and development across the country. The states with the most registered SITES projects will be announced in 2017.

GBCI® recently announced that the SITES Accredited Professional (SITES AP) credential launches on Oct. 1, 2016. The SITES AP credential establishes a common framework to define the profession of sustainable landscape design and development, and also provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise and commitment to the profession.

(Washington, D.C.)—Sept. 26, 2016—Green Business Certification Inc.™ (GBCI) announces a new credential for landscape architects and sustainability professionals launching Oct. 1, 2016. The SITES Accredited Professional (SITES AP) establishes a common framework to define the profession of sustainable landscape design and development and provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise and commitment to the profession.

Happy birthday, ranger! Recently, fans of the country’s most awesome public lands celebrated the National Park Service centennial. Since 1916, the National Park Service has been hard at work preserving natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment, education and inspiration they give us all. 

Campus transformation project earned SITES Silver for achievement in landscape sustainability

Heading to Greenbuild this year? To help you plan your days, we’ve listed some of the offerings focused on SITES®, a rating system for developing sustainable landscapes. SITES is being used by landscape architects, engineers, architects, developers and policy makers to align land development with innovative sustainable design.

The central message of SITES® is that any project holds the potential to protect, improve and regenerate the benefits and services provided by healthy ecosystems. The SITES program provides guidelines for projects to meet their sustainability goals, regardless of the initial condition of the site.

GBCI®, USGBC Illinois and ASLA Illinois will host a one-day regional workshop on Sept. 8 on the concepts and goals of sustainable and regenerative land design.

Energy infrastructure can have a significant environmental and social footprint and lead to landscape-level impacts, even while serving as a necessary development pathway. Voluntary standards and rating systems are recognized as some of the most effective tools to drive innovation in sustainable development. The proliferation of quality programs provides an opportunity for systems to work together, democratizing access and streamlining implementation and verification for even greater impact.

“Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, makes complex sugars and foods, changes colors with the seasons, and self-replicates.” —William McDonough, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things