Professional Practice
The Sustainable SITES Initiative® (SITES®)
About the Sustainable SITES Initiative and the SITES Rating System
The Sustainable SITES Initiative is a set of comprehensive, voluntary guidelines together with a rating system that assesses the sustainable design, construction, and maintenance of landscapes. It is used by landscape architects, designers, engineers, architects, developers, policy-makers, and others to guide land design and development. The SITES v2 Rating System can apply to projects a various scales, with or without buildings. Project types include: open spaces, streetscapes, commercial and educational / institutional campuses, residential neighborhoods and yards, military, and more.
The SITES Rating System is produced by the Green Business Certification Inc., which owns exclusive rights to the SITES Rating System, its publications and trademarks. The material on which the SITES Rating System is based was developed through a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Fund, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden.
ASLA and the University of Texas at Austin transferred ownership of the SITES Rating System to Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the certification body for the LEED green building program from U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
GBCI is now accepting applications for project certification under the SITES v2 Rating System and has open registration for the SITES AP exam.
We are confident that GBCI’s leadership of SITES will take the program to the next level and ensure its future growth and influence. ASLA will continue to contribute to the development of SITES as a member of the SITES advisory council and will support the Initiative through ongoing education and promotional activities. ASLA members will continue to be involved on the technical committees that support the Rating System. The role of ASLA, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden in the development of SITES will be recognized in SITES materials and communications. ASLA members are entitled to discounts for SITES materials, certification, and for the SITES AP exam.
SITES ASLA Online Learning
Browse all SITES webinar recordings >
The following courses can count toward the six SITES-specific continuing education hours you need to maintain your SITES AP credential every two years. Course participants must self-report their activities by logging in to My Credentials.
The “Not so Inconvenient” Truth of Carbon and Landscape Architecture
1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW) / 1.0 SITES-specific GBCI CE
GBCI course ID: 0920023418
Reconnecting Landscapes: Resilient Planting Design in Ecologically Deficient Zones
1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW) / 1.0 SITES-specific GBCI CE
GBCI course ID: 0920023419
Make a Splash: Dynamic Water as a Design Opportunity
1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW) / 1.0 SITES-specific GBCI CE
GBCI course ID: 0920023417
SITES News
LAND—Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) News
THE FIELD—SITES category
THE DIRT—SITES category
Landscape Architecture Magazine—SITES posts
In January 2021, ASLA released a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for the new Biden-Harris administration titled “Landscape Architects Design Vibrant, Resilient, and Just Communities for All - Recommendations for the Biden-Harris Administration.” ASLA urges the Biden-Harris administration to adopt the Sustainable Sites Initiative® (SITES®) for all federal projects, including the sites of federal buildings and courthouses, and for certain federally funded projects like public housing, Community Development Block Grant projects, federal aid transportation projects, and others. Developed by ASLA, the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden, SITES is a comprehensive rating system that assesses the sustainable planning, design, construction and maintenance of designed landscapes. The SITES program promotes practices that conserve, restore, and improve the carbon storage capacity of landscapes and encourages project teams to minimize energy consumption and use low-carbon and renewable energy sources. The General Services Administration (GSA) has already adopted SITES for its capital construction program. As an early adopter of SITES, GSA is encouraged to publish case studies, and document any climate and resilience analysis of the program.
The state of Rhode Island has lead by example in establishing sustainable energy and green building policy. In December 2017, the Rhode Island legislature passed a bill to expand the state’s eight-year legacy of green public buildings policy to include public lands. The Senate passed S-0952A/H-5427A amending its Green Building Act to include public lands and specifying Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES) and LEED for Neighborhood Development as applicable rating systems for certification. Governor Gina M. Raimondo signed the bill into law on December 15, 2017. This move makes Rhode Island the first state in the nation to reference the SITES rating system in public policy.
SITES Resources from GBCI
Additional SITES Resources from ASLA
Become a SITES AP
ASLA members are eligible to receive a discount on SITES exam fees. Enter your ASLA member ID on the SITES AP exam registration page for the discount. Register for the exam.
Need More Information?
Please direct inquiries to sites@asla.org or GBCI at sites@gbci.org.