The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) is a project that aims to provide guidelines and prerequisites for the creation and certification of sustainable landscapes.  SITES developed as a complement to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a similar rating and certification system created by the U.S. Green Building Council to promote sustainable and environmentally-responsible building practices.

SITES released their first Guidelines (PDF) in 2009 as an experimental pilot project.  Three years later, much more information, research, and results from trials based on the earlier guidelines have been obtained and reviewed.  SITES has created proposed new guidelines for the 2013 release, which will become the new standards for designing, building, and maintaining sustainable landscapes.  These proposed guidelines are currently available for public comment – information received in these comments will be considered for revision of the final version to be released next year.

We here at OEG feel that it is very important to be part of the larger conversation regarding ecological landscape design/build, and we have participated in this opportunity to contribute to future national standards (after all, one of the proposed credits regards providing food production in the landscape).  If you are an individual and/or a company with an interest or stake in ecological and sustainable landscaping, please consider adding your voice to the conversation.  To participate in the public comments, please visit the SITES page, create an account, and then comment on the guidelines.  You can make a difference!