ASLA Launches Sustainable Rating System

ASLA CEO Nancy Somerville (right) moderated the press conference announcing the work underway on the Sustainable Sites Initiative, a program to develop a sustainable landscape design (SLD) rating system. Frederick Steiner, FASLA (left), dean of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, is on the soil committee, one of four SLD ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the University of Texas at Austin?EUR??,,????'?????<

ASLA announced the initiative at an Oct. 6 press conference held at San Francisco?EUR??,,????'?????<

The new system is in response to the U.S. Green Building Council?EUR??,,????'?????<

Sustainable landscape, ASLA predicts, can save billions and reduce maintenance. The ASLA says the new initiative will measure the ?EUR??,,????'?????<

SSI actually began in 2005. Today, 10 organizations and a subcommittee of 30 experts in a broad range of fields are identifying best practices and working on the standards. Three reports will be developed between 2007 and 2009, with time for feedback from interested groups. It will take years to fully realize these standards. LASN, which attended the news conference, asked how long the process might take. ASLA CEO Nancy Somerville projected a date of 2012, however, individual standards could be adopted by the USGBC into the LEED system long before then.

For more information, visit sustainablesites.org