Sewing the seeds Credit: Photo courtesy Frank Wolfe

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin has embarked on a national rating system for sustainable landscapes. The Sustainable Sites Initiative (which includes many other partners) released its first report Nov. 1, with more than 200 recommendations for designing and building (see www.sustainablesites.org). The standards and guidelines finally adopted will lead to a uniform national standard, which does not currently exist; Sustainable Sites will produce a rating system by 2011. The U.S. Green Building Council supports the project and plans to adopt the Sustainable Sites metrics into future versions of its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.

This article appears in November 9 • 2007.

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