Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) launched a new credential for landscape architects and sustainability professionals on Oct. 1.
The SITES Accredited Professional (SITES AP) establishes a common framework to define sustainable landscape design and development, and provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise, and commitment to the profession, the organization says. The accreditation emphasizes a metrics-based approach to important concepts like ecosystem services and green infrastructure so that developers and owners can make informed land use decisions.
SITES was developed by a collaboration of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden. The rating system can be applied to development projects on sites with or without buildings, and draws on the experience gained from a two-year pilot program involving more than 100 projects. Today, 47 projects have achieved SITES certification under the pilot.
The first sponsored testing opportunity for the SITES AP exam was held on Oct. 3, 2016, during the annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. An additional testing opportunity will be held on Oct. 25, 2016, during the 2016 ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo in New Orleans. To register for the SITES AP exam, visit sitesonline.usgbc.org.
Related Stories
| Nov 29, 2012
Government policies help accelerate adoption of green building
Green procurement policies or green building mandates can help accelerate the adoption of green building practices, according to research by Timothy Simcoe and Michael Toffel.
| Nov 26, 2012
Minnesota law to spur development, job creation produced few jobs
Legislation that allowed local governments to direct excess property tax dollars from tax-increment financing districts into other private developments was supposed to kick-start construction hiring in Minnesota.
| Nov 26, 2012
How to boost resilient systems that are sustainable
Cities of the future can be both more resilient and more sustainable by promoting strategies that include solar power and green roofs, programs that minimize demand for energy, rain gardens, and permeable pavement.
| Nov 26, 2012
Developer of nation’s first LEED platinum skyscraper focuses on carbon reduction
The Durst Organization, the developer of the first LEED platinum certified skyscraper in the country, says it will not seek LEED certification for its residential pyramid planned for New York’s West 57th Street.
| Nov 26, 2012
Questions linger over ability of Miami's newer high-rises to withstand hurricanes
Some towers in Miami, rebuilt after a hurricane in 2005, were allowed to be constructed under older building codes instead of newer ones created after Hurricane Wilma.
| Nov 26, 2012
Changes in development and building standards needed for health of Potomac River
The Potomac River’s health stands to suffer if the region does not change its development and building standards, according to the Potomac Conservancy.
| Nov 16, 2012
South Dakota prefers LEED over building code on state projects
“(LEED is) much better than a mandatory building code because you get a little wiggle room in these projects,” said Mike Mueller, a spokesman for the South Dakota Bureau of Administration.
