The concept of intentional, regionally appropriate and resource-efficient landscape design and management has been essential to LEED since its inception. As an increasing number of practitioners have sought to demonstrate leadership in this space, the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES) was developed as a freestanding rating system to complement its presence within LEED. As GBCI began to expand its portfolio of like-minded rating systems, SITES was an obvious addition to the family that allows USGBC’s community of sustainability leaders to demonstrate their commitment to a more resilient world.
Interested in learning more about SITES? Take one of our free courses, now available on Education @USGBC:
- Introduction to the SITES Program: This course describes the benefits that ecosystems services provide, explains the process for regenerative design, lists the goals of SITES and identifies the process for registering a SITES project
- Understanding the Core Concepts of SITES v2 Rating System: This course describes the benefits of sustainable landscapes, identifies the structure of the SITES rating system, recognizes prerequisite and credit intents and identifies strategies to achieve the goals of SITES.
- Get Started with the Sustainable SITES Initiative Program: Learn how to execute a SITES project by determining if your project is appropriate for the SITES program, identifying the technical content required for certification, describing the documentation process and recognizing the synergies between SITES and LEED.
SITES is the most comprehensive program for developing sustainable landscapes and is used by landscape architects, engineers, architects, developers and policy makers to align land development and management with innovative sustainable design. It offers a rating system designed to define what a sustainable site is and, ultimately, elevate the value of landscapes in the built environment. The rating system can be applied to development projects located on sites with or without buildings—ranging from national parks to corporate campuses, from streetscapes to gardens.