Architects, landscapers, and planners now have another tool in sustainable project design. The Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks, a report detailing the increasing need to plan and build communities using green infrastructure and environmental conservation principles. The report, released in draft form this week, is available for public review and comment from the Sustainable Sites Initiative. The project is "working to foster a transformation in land development and management practices."

The initiative utilizes environmentally focused design, construction and implementation methods to create and ensure sustainable landscapes by using plants to manage water and capture CO2.

The report offers tools for achieving healthy ecosystems, a cost-benefit analysis, and probably the most beneficial component -- a detailed look at the process of identifying and transforming land into a functioning ecosystem. The report includes six case studies and has the contributions of over thirty-six hydrologists, botanists, geologists, and human health specialists.

Executive Director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Susan Reiff, referred to the report as “a guidebook for all those who design, construct or maintain our outdoor landscapes.”"

The final report, which will consider information and comments brought in during the public review period, will be released next summer.

Sustainable Sites Initiative is an effort between the American Society of Landscape Architects, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden. The evaluation system is expected to be folded into the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Having a standardized system will help to provide parameters for architects and builders, as well as ensure the landscape design of their green building meets LEED qualifications.