Learn More About SITES
The Sustainable SITES initiative is a sustainable rating system used by landscape architects, engineers, developers and other similar professions to align land development and management with innovative sustainable practices that are based on resiliency and regenerative design.
SITES believes that land can be designed to protect and restore ecosystem services, filter air and water, and regulate climate. SITES certifies the ecological performance and human health benefits of landscape design, construction and operations within a particular site. SITES offers a systematic, comprehensive set of guidelines and a rating system, known as the SITES v2 Reference Guide, to define sustainable sites and measure their performance. SITES is administered by the Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI). It is modeled after and aligned with LEED and the USGBC.
The four major goals of SITES are:
- Create regenerative systems and foster resiliency, such as protect and restore natural resources and encourage biodiversity.
- Ensure future resource supply and mitigate climate change by minimizing energy consumption and encourage use of low carbon and renewable energy.
- Transform the market through design, development and maintenance practices.
- Enhance human health and well-being and strengthen community.
A SITES Scorecard is required for registration. It provides a tally of projected prerequisite achievement and credit points to determine potential certification levels. The SITES v2 Rating System and the SITES Scorecard are available here.
There are ten sections in the SITES v2 Rating System:
SITES rewards projects on degraded sites. Site context requires careful protection of existing functioning natural systems.
- Prerequisite 1.1: Limit Development on farmland
- Prerequisite 1.2: Protect floodplain functions
- Prerequisite 1.3: Conserve Aquatic Ecosystems
- Prerequisite 1.4: Conserve habitats for threatened and endangered species
- Credit 1.5: Redevelop degraded sites
- Credit 1.6: Locate projects within existing developed areas
- Credit 1.7: Connect to multi-modal transit networks
Form an integrated design team to analyze the site.
- Prerequisite 2.1: Use an integrative design approach
- Prerequisite 2.2: Conduct a pre-design site assessment
- Prerequisite 2.3: Designate and communicate vegetation and soil protection zones
- Credit 2.4: Engage users and stakeholders
Incorporate strategies that mimic natural hydrologic systems.
- Prerequisite 3.1: Manage precipitation on site
- Prerequisite 3.2: Reduce water use for landscape irrigation
- Credit 3.3: Manage precipitation beyond the baseline
- Credit 3.4: Reduce outdoor water use
- Credit 3.5: Design functional storm water features as amenities
- Credit 3.6: Restore aquatic ecosystems
Stress proper soil management to conserve and restore healthy soils and vegetation.
- Prerequisite 4.1: Create and communicate a soil management plan
- Prerequisite 4.2: Control and manage invasive plants
- Prerequisite 4.3: Use appropriate plants
- Prerequisite 4.4: Conserve healthy soils and appropriate vegetation
- Credit 4.5: Conserve special status vegetation
- Credit 4.6: Conserve and use native plants
- Credit 4.7: Conserve and restore native plant communities
- Credit 4.8: Optimize biomass
- Credit 4.9: Reduce urban heat island effects
- Credit 4.10: Use vegetation to minimize building energy use
- Credit 4.11: Reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire
Support materials uses and management that provide sustainable outcomes.
- Prerequisite 5.1: Eliminate the use of wood from threatened tree species
- Credit 5.2: Maintain on-site structures and paving
- Credit 5.3: Design for adaptability and disassembly
- Credit 5.4: Reuse salvaged materials and plants
- Credit 5.5: Use recycled content materials
- Credit 5.6: Use regional materials
- Credit 5.7: Support responsible extraction of raw materials
- Credit 5.8: Support transparency and safer chemistry
- Credit 5.9: Support sustainability in materials manufacturing
- Credit 5.10: Support sustainability in plant production
Promote healthy communities through connections to nature, physical fitness, mental restoration and social justice.
- Credit 6.1: Protect and maintain cultural and historic places
- Credit 6.2: Provide optimum site accessibility, safety, and wayfinding
- Credit 6.3: Promote equitable site use
- Credit 6.4: Support mental restoration
- Credit 6.5: Support physical activity
- Credit 6.6: Support social connection
- Credit 6.7: Provide on-site food production
- Credit 6.8: Reduce light pollution
- Credit 6.9: Encourage fuel efficient and multi-modal transportation
- Credit 6.10: Minimize exposure to environmental tobacco smoke
- Credit 6.11: Support local economy
Support sustainable construction practices to preserve and restore healthy soils and vegetation and strive for zero waste site.
- Prerequisite 7.1: Communicate and verify sustainable construction practices
- Prerequisite 7.2: Control and retain construction pollutants
- Prequisites 7.3 & 7.4: Restore soils disturbed during construction and previous development
- Credit 7.5: Divert construction and demolition materials from disposal
- Credit 7.6: Divert reusable vegetation, rocks, and soil from disposal
- Credit 7.7: Protect air quality during construction
Promote strategies to conserve resources and reduce pollution and waste throughout the life of the project.
- Prerequisite 8.1: Plan for sustainable site maintenance
- Prerequisite 8.2: Provide for storage and collection of recyclables
- Prerequisite 8.3: Recycle organic matter
- Credit 8.4: Minimize pesticide and fertilizer use
- Credit 8.5: Reduce outdoor energy consumption
- Credit 8.6: Use renewable sources for landscape electricity needs
- Credit 8.7: Protect air quality during landscape maintenance
Support efforts to engage and inform the public about sustainable practices used on the site.
- Credit 9.1: Promote sustainability awareness and education
- Credit 9.2: Develop and communicate a case study
- Credit 9.3: Plan to monitor and report site performance
Encourage creativity and innovation in fulfilling prerequisites and credit requirements.
- Credit 10.1: Innovation or exemplary performance
