On Friday, July 9th, the Central Texas American Planning Association (APA) learned by the Sustainable Sites Initiative from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's own Dr. Steve Windhager. The goal of Sustainable Sites Initiative is to do for landscape design what LEED certification has done for building design. Under the Sustainable Sites Initiative, sites qualify for certification (1 star, 2 star, 3 star, and 4 star) based on a 250 point scale. As of June 2010, 174 pilot projects were started under the Sustainable Site Initiative. This quick summary doesn't do Dr. Windhager's presentation justice, so check out his presentation complete with interesting facts about the ROI of urban forests and how New York street trees provide climate moderating benefits to the tune of $27.8 million. Get more information about sustainable sites here: www.sustainablesites.org

2. SUCCESS of GREEN BUILDING
The construction market accounts for
13.4% of the U.S. GDP.
Source: Department of Commerce (2008). Annual Value of Construction Put in Place.
The value of green building construction
is projected to increase to $60 billion by
2010 and over $100 billion by 2013.
Source: McGraw-Hill Construction (2008). Key Trends in the European and U.S. Construction
Marketplace: SmartMarket Report.
Since 2000, USGBC’s membership
has more than quadrupled.
Source: U.S. Green Building Council, 2009

3. Jefferson Green
Oregon Health & Science Center
Genzyme Center

4. 6 CO2 + 6 H2O → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

5. GREEN DOES NOT EQUAL SUSTAINABLE

6. LINKING LANDSCAPES TO SUSTAINABILITY…
25 to 50% of electricity used
by US cities is consumed by
municipal water and
wastewater treatment.
Waterand Energy Technology Team at Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory (2007)
Water shortages & drought
increasing across US.
NASA Earth Observatory (2008)
© 2009 Sustainable Sites Initiative

7. LINKING LANDSCAPES TO SUSTAINABILITY…
30% to 65% of water used daily
by a family of four is for landscape
irrigation.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “ Outdoor Water Use in the
United States”, 2007
Combine sewer overflows result in
sewage and large volumes of
storm water containing pathogens,
solids, debris and toxic pollutants
being discharged into surface
water.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “ Report to Congress on
Impacts and Control of Combines Sewer Overflows and Sanitary
Sewer Overflows”, 2004

8. LINKING LANDSCAPES TO SUSTAINABILITY…
78 million households in the U.S. use
home and garden pesticides.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2004.
Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage: 2000 and 2001 Market
Estimates. EPA-733-R-04-001
Soils that are compacted during site
preparation and construction lose the
ability to absorb storm water and supply
plant roots with air and water
Breland and Hansen, 1996
Source: James Urban

9. LINKING LANDSCAPES TO SUSTAINABILITY…
Disposing of organic materials in Texas
landfills costs more than $150 million a
year and consumes more than 15
million cubic yards of space.
TCEQ Yardwise - Green Guide to Yard Care
Yard and landscape trimmings
contribute approximately 32 million
tons to the municipal waste stream,
representing over 13 percent of total
municipal waste in the U.S.
U.S. EPA, "Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling,
and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for
2005

10. LINKING LANDSCAPES TO SUSTAINABILITY…
Scientists estimate that strategically
planting vegetation reduces cooling
energy consumption by up to 25%.
U.S. EPA – Heat Island Effect
A study of street trees in New York
City found that the climate moderating
benefits provided by trees resulted in
annual energy savings of $27.8
million, or $47.63 per tree.
Peper, P.J., McPherson, E.G., Simpson, J.R. et al., "New York City, New
York: Municipal Forest Resource Analysis," Technical Report, USDA Forest
Service Center for Urban Forest Research, Pacific Southwest Research
Station (2007).

11. LINKING LANDSCAPES TO SUSTAINABILITY…
Minneapolis showed savings of $6.8
million in energy costs and $9.1
million in stormwater treatment and
increased property values by $7.1
million as a result of street trees.
McPherson 2006
Return On Investment from urban
forests:
•New York, NY: $5.60/$1 spent
•Fort Collins, CO: $2.18/$1 spent
•Glendale, AZ: $2.41/$1 spent
•Charlotte, NC: $3.25/$1 spent
Peper et al 2007

12. LINKING LANDSCAPES TO SUSTAINABILITY…
Low Impact Development (LID)
approaches to stormwater results
in improved water quality as well
as capital cost reduction between
15 and 80 percent.
Environmental Protection Agency, “Reducing Stormwater Costs through
Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices,” EPA 841-F-
07-006 (2007), http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/

13. LINKING LANDSCAPES TO SUSTAINABILITY…
Beyond cost reductions, these
communities also experienced
“real and significant” benefits,
including aesthetic amenities,
improved quality of life, improved
habitat, and enhanced property
values.
Environmental Protection Agency, “Reducing Stormwater Costs through
Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices,” EPA 841-F-
07-006 (2007), http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/

14. WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?
Healthy
individuals
participating in
stable institutions
Maintaining and Profitable,
enhancing competitive
ecosystem and enduring
services businesses
Sustainable development meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, 1987

15. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Benefits natural systems
provide that support our
lives and are often
considered “free” and not a
part of conventional
accounting methods.
$16 - $54 trillion per/yr.
Twice the Global GNP
Costanza et al. 1997

16. http://www.visitingdc.com/new-york/central-park-picture.asp

17. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/ind
ex.html

18. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
• Regulate global and local climate
• Detoxify and cleanse air, soil and water
• Regulate water supply
• Control erosion and retain sediment
• Provide refuge and nursery habitat/ pollination services
• Decompose, treat, and re-use waste
• Provide human health and well-being benefits
• Provide food and non-food products
• Provide cultural, educational and aesthetic values
• Mitigate potential hazards

19. SUSTAINABILITY?
Increasing Population
Expanding “Greenfield”
Development
Need for
regenerative
landscapes

20. VISION
All site related design
construction, operations and
maintenance practices link
natural and built systems to
achieve balanced environmental,
social and economic outcomes to
improve the quality of life and
long term health of communities
and the environment

21. POTENTIAL PROJECTS TYPES
• parks, trails, campgrounds • botanical gardens
• industrial and office parks • university campuses
• govt. & medical complexes • residential sites
• conservation easements • streetscapes & plazas

22. Free download at
www.sustainablesites.org/report

23. Guidelines & Performance
Rating System Benchmarks 2009
• 250 point scale
• 4 levels of certification
• 40% - One Star
• 50% - Two Stars
• 60% - Three Stars
• 80% - Four Stars
Multiple point levels for
many credits

24. Guidelines & Performance
CREDIT CATEGORIES Benchmarks 2009
• Site Selection
• Pre-Design Assessment
• Site Design – Water
• Site Design – Soil & Vegetation
• Site Design – Materials
• Site Design – Human Health &
Well Being
• Construction
• Operations and Maintenance
• Monitoring and Innovation

26. PARADIGM CHANGE
Water Energy Habitat Materials
1. Conserve 1. Reduce 1. Preserve 1. Reduce
2. Reuse 2. Renew 2. Protect 2. Reuse
3. Balance 3. Offset 3. Restore 3. Recycle
= Regenerate = Produce = Regenerate = Upcycle
from CONSERVATION to REGENERATION
through PERFORMATIVE LANDSCAPES

27. CURRENT STATUS
• Preliminary Draft Standards and
Guidelines released November 2007
(at www.sustainablesites.org)
• Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines
and Performance Benchmarks Draft
2008 released November 2008
• Final Guidelines and Performance
Benchmarks 2009 released
November 5, 2009
• 174 Pilot Projects begun in June 2010

29. PILOT PROGRAM PROJECT TYPES
25% Open space - Park
20% Institutional/Educational
15% Commercial
13% Residential
9% Transportation /Streetscape
8% Open space – Public Garden
6% Government Complex
3% Mixed-use
1% Industrial
EXISTING LAND USE
65% Greyfield
PROJECT SIZE 20% Greenfield
25% Less than one acre 15% Brownfield
26% 1-5 acres
PROJECT LOCATIONS
40% 6-100 acres
Projects in 34 U.S. States
8% 101-500 acres
3% of projects outside U.S. in
1% Greater than 500 acres
Canada, Iceland and Spain

30. PROJECT TIMELINE
Open
Enrolment
Pilot Projects
Guidelines & Reference
Benchmarks Guide
Form Partnerships & Collaborations

31. FOR MORE INFORMATION or TO GET INVOLVED:
www.sustainablesites.org
info@sustainablesites.org