Sustainable Sites Initiative
Sustainable Sites Initiative Needs Your Input
Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks Draft 2008
Now available for public comment
The Sustainable Sites Initiative invites public comment on its new report titled Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks Draft 2008 which is available for download at www.sustainablesites.org/report. Over 50 proposed prerequisites and credit options are included from initial site selection and design to construction and maintenance. The report represents thousand of hours with input from 37 technical advisors in hydrology, vegetation, soils, materials and human health and well being. These credits were tailored to apply to any landscape, with or without buildings.
The public comment period for the Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks Draft 2008 began November 10, 2008 and continues for 45 business days, ending on January 20, 2009. Public review and comment is essential to the successful development of these guidelines and performance-based benchmarks. This valuable feedback will help guide the development of the final report - Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009 - which is expected to be released in summer 2009. To participate in the review process, visit www.sustainablesites.org/review.
Sustainable Sites Initiative - www.sustainablesites.org
The Sustainable Sites Initiative is an interdisciplinary partnership led by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the United States Botanic Garden and a diverse group of stakeholder organizations working together to foster a transformation in land development and management practices. Through the creation and implementation of clear and rigorous design, construction, operations, and maintenance criteria, the Initiative aims to supplement existing green building and landscape guidelines as well as to become a stand-alone tool for site sustainability. The U.S. Green Building Council, a major stakeholder in the Initiative, anticipates incorporating the benchmarks into future versions of the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating SystemTM.
