New Rating System for Sustainable Landscapes Expected to Influence Future Park Design and Development

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“The Sustainable Sites Initiative rating system is very consistent with environmental stewardship efforts that NRPA is encouraging to our members.

Ashburn, VA (Vocus) November 10, 2009

On Nov. 5, 2009, the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SSI) announced the release of the first rating system for the creation and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, a system that will likely have significant impact on the design and development of the nation’s public parks and recreation areas. A guiding principle of the SSI is that sustainable sites should not only conserve but also contribute to regenerating resources in developed landscapes.

Outlined in a new report, “Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009” along with a companion report entitled “The Case for Sustainable Landscapes,” the new national performance rating system provides metrics for how sustainable developed landscapes are to be rated. The Sustainable Sites rating system is composed of prerequisites and credits. If prerequisites are met, up to 250 points will be awarded in 51 separate credits covering areas such as site selection, soils, vegetation, restoration of disturbed sites, recycling of materials and sustainable construction methods.

In addition to a credit system, the SSI also requires a continuous cycle of assessment and evaluation, whereby land managers can regularly update their management practices based on results.

Rich Dolesh, chief public policy officer of NRPA, has served as a member of the Steering Committee of the Sustainable Sites Initiative since its inception in 2006. Dolesh notes that the committee has assumed from the start that public lands owners—especially parks and recreation agencies—will be prime candidates to use the rating system.

“The new system has potential to make a large impact on local and regional parks throughout the country,” says Dolesh. “Many park planners, landscape architects and park administrators have told us that they’ve always felt there is a lack of an equivalent system for landscapes to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, the international standard for green building, and thus there was no way to receive credit for exemplary practices.”

Dolesh continues, “The simple realities of shrinking budgets and general economic conditions dictate that we have to reduce the cost of energy consumption and live more sustainably within our resources. But the Sustainable Sites Initiative, however, lays out a way to do more. And it is not merely the principle of doing no harm, but rather the desire to look at how we can turn the effects of every human change that we make to the landscape into net benefits to the environment.”

In addition to the opportunity that the rating system provides for public parks to gain certification and credit for developing sustainable landscapes and outdoor spaces, the rating system also contains prerequisites and credits that encourage community awareness and education about sustainable practices.

“There’s very much a human factor to the rating system,” says Dolesh. “A section of prerequisites and credits encourages public enjoyment and education. It promotes providing opportunities for public use and enjoyment that people want and need, while at the same time demonstrating and promoting the ways in which the natural spaces are sustainable and environmentally responsible.”

“The Sustainable Sites Initiative rating system is very consistent with environmental stewardship efforts that NRPA is encouraging to our members,” says Barbara Tulipane, chief executive officer for NRPA. “This Initiative directly supports our forward looking ideas regarding stewardship in efforts to connect children with nature, to increased development of community gardens in parks, and our efforts to gain funding and federal resources for parks to serve as catalysts in promoting livable communities. The Sustainable Sites Initiative will contribute meaningfully to livable communities by a positive transformation in the way in which parks and natural areas are created and maintained.”

In conjunction with the release of the report, the Sustainable Sites Initiative has issued an open call for pilot projects to test the new rating system. “Public park and recreation agencies with park projects underway or under consideration that would demonstrate the Sustainable Site principles are uniquely positioned to submit pilot projects,” Dolesh says. “And they will receive national recognition if their projects are included in the pilot demonstrations.” Any type of designed landscape that is at least 2,000 square feet is eligible. There is a small grant program to support the pilot projects that are selected. The call for projects is open until Feb.15, 2010. The Initiative anticipates working with 75 to 150 projects during the two-year process. For more information and a FAQ, visit http://www.sustainablesites.org/pilot/.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative is an interdisciplinary partnership led by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden, to transform land development and management practices with the nation's first voluntary rating system for sustainable landscapes, with our without buildings. For more information, visit http://www.sustainablesites.org.

The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people. Through its network of some 21,000 recreation and park professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles, recreation initiatives, and conservation of natural and cultural resources.

Headquartered in Ashburn, Va., NRPA works closely with local, state, and national recreation and park agencies, citizen groups and corporations to carry out its objectives. Priorities include advocating favorable legislation and public policy; continuing education for park and recreation professionals and citizens; providing professional certification, university accreditation, research and technical assistance; and, increasing public awareness of the importance of parks and recreation. For more information, visit http://www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit http://www.parksandrec-magazine.org.

Media Contact:
Amy Kapp
National Recreation and Park Association
703-858-2151
akapp (at) nrpa.org

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