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New Report Brings Sustainable Landscapes
Mainstream
Washington, DC, November 1, 2007 —
A report released today will help usher sustainable landscape
design into mainstream use. Featuring over 200 recommendations
for designing and building sustainable landscapes, the report
is part of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, a partnership
between the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA),
the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University
of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to
create voluntary guidelines and a rating system for sustainable
landscape design. The report is available at www.sustainablesites.org.
"We want to identify the gold standards in sustainable
landscape design and marry them to a practical, real-world
approach so that designers, planners, builders and developers
can utilize them," said Nancy Somerville, Executive Vice
President and CEO of ASLA. "This report is an important
step to bring sustainable landscape practices into widespread
use."
The Preliminary Report on Standards and Guidelines represents
thousands of hours of work in the past year by 32 experts
in fields ranging from design and construction to soils, hydrology,
and public health. The findings examine the positive environmental
impact sustainable landscapes offer. For example, appropriate
vegetation can help control erosion, filter out pollutants,
provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators and supply oxygen
for the air we breathe. The preliminary report also details
practices that degrade landscapes and should be avoided, as
well as techniques for designing landscapes that benefit the
environment.
“The truly exciting thing about sustainable landscapes
is that they actually help us confront some of the most serious
environmental problems the world is facing now, including
climate change,” said Susan Rieff, Executive Director
of the Wildflower Center. “Plants absorb carbon dioxide
—a greenhouse gas and a major cause of global warming—from
the air and soils can capture it and hold it. Native grasses
may be even more effective in sequestering carbon than trees.
This can help mitigate climate change.”
“People want to do the right thing, “said Holly
Shimizu, Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden,
“but they need guidelines. The standards developed under
Sustainable Sites will integrate landscape into the overall
green movement. Without the landscape component, a truly sustainable
lifestyle isn’t possible.”
The preliminary report is the first of three for the Sustainable
Sites Initiative. A primary purpose of releasing this preliminary
work is to solicit feedback, comments and additional information
from professionals and other stakeholders who can contribute
to knowledge about ways to achieve sustainable landscapes.
Interested persons can join this review process at www.sustainablesites.org.
The review period lasts 45 days and comments are due by January
11, 2008.
Eventually, Sustainable Sites will create a rating system
that will apply to large and small sites, and can be used
independently or incorporated into other green rating systems.
The U.S. Green Building Council is lending its support to
this project and plans to adopt the Sustainable Sites metrics
into future versions of LEED® (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental design) Green Building Rating System.
After feedback is gathered from the review process, a comprehensive
report will be published in October 2008 with the release
of final Standards and Guidelines for Sustainable Sites planned
for May 2009. The Sustainable Sites Initiative plans to produce
a rating system by May 2011 and test the guidelines with pilot
projects in 2010 and 2011.
Additional program partners include the U.S. Green Building
Council, the Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenScapes
Program, the National Recreation and Parks Association, the
American Society of Civil Engineers’ Environment and
Water Resources Institute, the National Association of County
and City Health Officials, the Nature Conservancy’s
Global Invasive Species Initiative, and The Center for Sustainable
Development at the University of Texas at Austin. For more
information, visit www.sustainablesites.org.
About ASLA
Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association
for landscape architects, representing more than 18,200 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. Learn
more about landscape architecture online at www.asla.org.
About the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
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. Learn more at www.wildflower.org
About the United States Botanic Garden
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 and our planet.
It also highlights the diversity of plants worldwide, particularly
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 is 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.
Learn more online at www.usbg.gov
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