Published on
22 Dec 2016
2016 was exciting for the Sustainable SITES Initiative—this year was all about GBCI launching SITES v2 and educating users on the SITES rating system and its associated products and offerings. As we look back and reflect on the many successes and milestones SITES experienced this year, we want to thank you for your commitment to sustainable landscape design, development and maintenance.
This year, SITES
- Registered projects across the country and around the world, making SITES a truly global brand. The United States saw projects register in 21 states and the District of Columbia in 2016. In addition, registrations came in from Canada, India, China and Japan.
- Certified our first projects under v2 of the rating system. The University of Texas at El Paso’s Campus Transformation Project earned SITES Silver, and was the first project to certify under SITES v2. The reimagined Navy Pier also achieved SITES Gold certification for Phase 1 of its centennial year redesign.
- Launched the SITES Accredited Professional (SITES AP) exam. Testing for the SITES AP exam is available at any Prometric location. The SITES AP establishes a common framework to define the profession of sustainable landscape design and development. It provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise and commitment to the profession. Register for the exam to reserve your seat today.
- Released the synergies between SITES and LEED, and announced that GBCI staff would be available to do a custom walk-through, review your project’s credits and outline which of your LEED credits could also pertain to SITES. This synergies document includes a list of credit substitutions so that similar credits between the two rating systems need only be earned in one rating system—not both!
- Announced that the U.S. General Services Administration has adopted SITES for its capital construction program. GSA’s public buildings service is one of the largest and most diversified public real estate organizations in the world, with a portfolio of 376.9 million rentable square feet in 8,721 active assets, and more than 144,000 acres of land, including ports of entry and historical properties. The GSA determined that incorporating SITES into the program ensures a highly effective and efficient way to ensure environmental performance to meet federal goals on various capital project types.
- Held educational events and workshops on SITES all over the country. Stay connected and learn more about SITES at one of our upcoming events by visiting our website.
Just as LEED undeniably transformed the built environment, SITES has the ability to transform land development and use. 2017 is sure to be a year of growth for SITES—stay tuned for more!