Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/93509
Get the Points A love of nature and concern for the envi- ronment are traits most every landscap- ing professional possesses. But applying sustainable practices to your business model may not come so naturally. For example, yard waste represents 13 percent of total municipal waste nationwide, according to the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), profi led in our cover feature, pg. 31. What if there were more incentives to re- cycle, re-purpose or compost such waste? Many landscaping professionals would gladly embrace solutions if they are made worth their while. The SITES program aims to create voluntary national guidelines and benchmarks for sustainable landscaping. That's where SITES comes in. The program, which began in 2005, aims to create voluntary national guidelines and benchmarks for sustain- able landscaping. As you'll learn in the article, the program will go public in coming months. And it may infl uence landscaping as its kindred program, LEED, has for architecture, but only if the guide- lines are workable and make sense. Some landscape architects, like Jim Davis, general manager of Landtech Design, an irrigation design and consulting fi rm in St. Louis, supports sustainability, but expresses concerns about the SITES irrigation guidelines. "The LEED program and the fl edgling SITES program give praise to projects that do not use irrigation," he noted in an e-mail response to ques- tions from TLC. "We are not convinced that 'no irrigation' necessarily creates a 'green' site. "To help a site fl ourish and to create a rich, lush, green environment, we think those groups should encourage responsible irrigation that uses the most state-of-the-art products, in an effort to water just the right amount, when it is needed," he contin- ues. "Many irrigation professionals would be more interested in becoming LEED/SITES certifi ed if that mindset is adopted." This fall, the public will be invited to provide feedback that will be factored into the fi nal version of SITES guidelines due mid-2013. Our advice: learn more about SITES and how it might benefi t your business in our article; then, make your voice heard. Billy R. Sims, Editor billysims@randallreilly.com Landscape sustainability certifi cation is just around the corner, and it may pay to stay ahead of the curve. October 2012 / TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE 9 Bioswale from a SITES certifi ed project