It is easy to assume that because a landscape looks “green,” it
is good for the environment. Unfortunately, this is not always
the case. Planned landscapes across the country often use too
much water, contribute to water pollution and accelerate the
spread of invasive species. By extending green building
standards to landscapes, we can create attractive, useful
landscapes tackling such important issues as stormwater control,
greenhouse gases, the urban heat island effect and loss of
wildlife habitat. The Sustainable Sites Initiative website can
be found at, www.sustainablesites.org. The The Sustainable Sites
Initiative: Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009 is now
available. In 2005, in a pioneering effort to develop
sustainability standards for landscapes nationwide, the Lady
Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the American Society of
Landscape Architects partnered to create the Sustainable Sites
Initiative, and in 2006 were joined by the United States Botanic
Garden. The green building standards that no