Partners
Executive Committee
Coordinating Committee
Technical Core Committee
Technical Advisors
Participating Organizations
The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES™) is a partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States Botanic Garden in conjunction with a diverse group of stakeholder organizations.
Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing more than 17,000 members in 48 professional chapters and 68 student chapters. Landscape architecture is a comprehensive discipline of land analysis, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation. ASLA promotes the landscape architecture profession and advances the practice through advocacy, education, communication and fellowship. Members of the Society use their "ASLA" suffix after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin is dedicated to increasing the sustainable use and conservation of native plants and landscapes. Founded in 1982 by Lady Bird Johnson, the former first lady, the Wildflower Center maintains an extensive native plant botanic garden and offers professional and adult education. The Wildflower Center also conducts research on landscape restoration and plant conservation at its 279-acre site, promoting the role of native plants in addressing ecological problems. Recent research initiatives focus on native turf grasses, green roof technology in a sub-tropical climate, prairie restoration methods including prescribed fire, the control of invasive species and ways in which native plants can aid in combating climate change in urban landscapes.
Dating from 1820, the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is one of the oldest botanic gardens in North America. The Garden informs visitors about the importance and fundamental value of plants to the well-being of humans, all nations, and our planet, and highlights the diversity of plants worldwide, as well as their aesthetic, cultural, economic, therapeutic and ecological significance. Formally placed under the jurisdiction of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress in 1856, the U.S. Botanic Garden has been administered through the Office of the Architect of the Capitol in the Legislative Branch since 1934. With nearly a million visitors annually and located on the National Mall, the USBG strives to demonstrate and promote sustainable practices for individuals, organizations and institutions.
American Society of Landscape Architects
Nancy C. Somerville, Hon. ASLA
Executive Vice President/CEO
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
at The University of Texas at Austin
Susan Rieff
Executive Director
Center for Sustainable Development
at The University of Texas at Austin
Fritz Steiner, Ph.D., FASLA
Dean, School of Architecture
United States Botanic Garden
Holly Shimizu
Executive Director
This coalition of stakeholder groups will provide input on the direction and promotion of the SITES products.
American Society of Civil Engineer's Environment and Water Resources Institute
Karen C. Kabbes, P.E., D.WRE
President, Kabbes Engineering, Inc.
American Society of Landscape Architects
Nancy C. Somerville, Hon. ASLA
Executive Vice President/CEO
American Nursery and Landscape Association
Robert J. Dolibois, CAE
Executive Vice President
City of Chicago
Scott Mehaffey, RLA, FASLA
Landscape Coordinator
Department of the Environment
Natural Resources & Water Quality Division
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Susan Rieff
Executive Director
National Association of County & City Health Officials
Karen R. Nikolai, M.P.H., M.C.P.
Community Design Liaison, Hennepin County
National Recreation and Park Association
Barbara Tulipane
Chief Executve Officer
Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, Council on Environmental Quality
William S. Garvey
Deputy Associate Director
Professional Landcare Network (PLANET)
Sabeena Hickman, CAE, CMP
Chief Executive Officer
The University of Texas at Austin
Center for Sustainable Development
Fritz Steiner, Ph.D., FASLA
Dean, School of Architecture
United States Air Force
Theodore Shierk, ASLA
Landscape Architect Subject Matter Specialist
United States Botanic Garden
Holly Shimizu
Executive Director
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Clark Wilson
Senior Urban Designer
Office of Smart Growth
United States General Services Administration
Les Shepherd, AIA
Supervisory Architect
U.S. Green Building Council
TBA
United States National Park Service
Jan Burton, ASLA, RLA
Transportation Division, Denver Service Center
An active group of professionals from diverse locations and backgrounds who provide technical expertise in
specific areas of focus.
Eliot Allen, AICP, LEED AP-ND
Principal
Criterion Planners
José Almiñana, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP
Principal
Andropogon Associates, Ltd.
Nina Bassuk, Ph.D.
Professor and Program Leader
Urban Horticulture Institute
Cornell University
Jacob Blue, RLA, ASLA
Landscape Architect/Ecological Planner
Applied Ecological Services
Meg Calkins, ASLA, LEED AP
Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Ball State University
Michael Clar, , P.E., D.WRE, CFM
Assistant County Engineer, Department of Land Use
New Castle County, DE
Kimberly Cochran, Ph.D.
Environmental Engineer
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Susan D. Day, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Urban Forestry
Department of Forestry & Environmental Conservation and Department of Horticulture
Virginia Tech
Deon Glaser, ASLA, LEED AP
Deputy to the Senior Vice President, LEED
U.S. Green Building Council
Nora Goldstein
Executive Editor
BioCycle Magazine
Robert Goo
Environmental Protection Specialist
Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds
Office of Water
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Deb Guenther, ASLA
Principal
Mithun
Liz Guthrie, ASLA
Manager, Professional Practice Programs
American Society of Landscape Architects
Frances (Ming) Kuo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director
Landscape and Human Health Laboratory
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences Department of Psychology
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
David McDonald
Resource Conservation Planner
Seattle Public Utilities
Ray Mims
Conservation Horticulture & Sustainability
United States Botanic Garden
Mark Simmons, Ph.D.
Ecologist,
Landscape Restoration Program
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Jerry Smith, ASLA, LEED AP
Principal\Owner
Smith\GreenHealth Consulting, LLC
Steve Windhager, Ph.D.
Director,
Landscape Restoration Program
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
David J. Yocca, ASLA, RLA, AICP, LEED AP
Principal Landscape Architect/Planner
Conservation Design Forum
A group of professionals from diverse locations and backgrounds who informed the development of the Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009. During the Pilot Program, this group will provide technical expertise on a case-by-case basis.
Michael Barrett, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE
Research Associate Professor
Center for Research in Water Resources
The University of Texas at Austin
J. Amy Belaire
LEAP Doctoral Fellow
Department of Biology
University of Illinois at Chicago
Richard J.Dolesh
Chief of Public Policy
National Recreation and Park Association
Deon Glaser, ASLA, LEED AP
Deputy to the Senior Vice President
U.S. Green Building Council
Alison Kinn Bennett
Co-Chair, Green Building Workgroup
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Nick Kuhn
ISA Certified Arborist/Municipal Specialist
City Forester, City of Albuquerque, NM
Len Hopper, FASLA
Senior Associate
Mark K. Morrison Associates LTD
Tom Liptan, RLA, ASLA
Landscape Architect/Environmental Specialist
Sustainable Stormwater Division
Bureau of Environmental Services
City of Portland, OR
Edward MacMullan
Senior Economist
ECONorthwest
Chris Martin, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Applied Sciences and Mathematics
Arizona State University
Karen R. Nikolai
Community Design Liaison, Hennepin County
National Association of County & City Health Officials
James Patchett, ASLA, RLA, LEED AP
Founder and President
Conservation Design Forum
Robert Ryan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Jean Schwab
GreenScapes Program Manager
Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Melanie Sifton
Director of Humber Arboretum
Humber College,
Toronto, Canada
Laura Solano
Principal
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
Landscape Architects
Eric Strecker, P.E.
Principal
Geosyntec Consultants
Rodney Swink, FASLA
Landscape Architect
Janice Thies, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Soil Biology
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Cornell University
John Peter Thompson
Horticulture & Invasive Species Consultant
National Agricultural Research Alliance (NARA-B)
James Urban, FASLA
Consultant, Lecturer
Owner, Urban Trees + Soil
Heather Venhaus, ASLA
Environmental Designer/Consultant
Lynne Westphal, Ph.D.
Project Leader & Research Social Scientist
People and Their Environments
Northern Research Station
USDA Forest Service
Julie A. Wilbert, M.S.
Senior Health Promotion Specialist
Hennepin County Human Services and
Public Health Department
Kathleen L. Wolf, Ph.D.
Research Social Scientist
College of Forest Resources
University of Washington
Professional, scientific, trade, academic, conservation and public agencies whose interests include the built and natural environment, as well as commercial entities engaged in landscape design, construction and maintenance, are invited to join the Sustainable Sites Initiative as Participating Organizations. These organizations recognize the importance of creating, building, and managing landscapes that support environmental, economic, and human needs.
Participating Organizations agree to:
· Publicly support and promote the Initiative to their colleagues, members, constituents and clients.
· Review and provide comments on the Initiative's draft performance benchmarks and guidelines
· Inform their interested colleagues, members, constituents and clients about opportunities for them to review and provide comments on Initiative proposals.
· Provide information, research data, and other materials to the Initiative that can help inform future reports and expand the base of knowledge regarding sustainable sites.
· Work with the Initiative to shift conventional landscape design, construction, and maintenance practices toward greater sustainability.
For more information, please contact participate@sustainablesites.org
Participating Organizations include the following:
American Horticultural Society
American Institute of Architects
American Nursery & Landscape Association
American Planning Association
American Public Gardens Association
Association of Professional Landscape Designers
Audubon International
Canadian Nursery Landscape Association
Canadian Society of Landscape Architects
Center for Urban Watershed Renewal
Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture
Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Board
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute
International Erosion Control Association
Landscape Architecture Foundation
National Building Museum
Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS)
Rails to Trails Conservancy
Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition
Tree Care Industry Association, Inc.
Urban Land Institute
US Composting Council