The first rating system for the design, construction and maintenance of sustainable landscapes has been released in the US.
The rating system is a partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the US Botanic Garden.
"While carbon-neutral performance remains the holy grail for green buildings, sustainable landscapes move beyond a do-no-harm approach," says Nancy Somerville, executive vice president and CEO of ASLA.
"We are facing unprecedented environmental challenges such as water scarcity and climate change that require fundamental changes in the way that we interact with the land," says Susan Rieff, executive director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
"This voluntary rating system and guidelines covers all aspects of working with outdoor spaces of all sizes, and provides information for designing landscapes that go beyond beauty to actually improving ecosystem health and the health of communities for generations to come."
The rating system works on a 250-point scale, with levels of achievement for obtaining a percentage of available points, recognised with one through four stars, respectively.
Points are awarded through the 51 credits covering areas such as the use of greenfields, brownfields or greyfields; materials; soils and vegetation; construction and maintenance.
The rating system is applicable for corporate campuses, transportation corridors, public parks and single-family residences.
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