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Publisher's Notice: We assume no responsibility for the validity of advertising claims in connection with items appearing in Landscape and Irrigation. Commercial product names are used for the convenience of the reader. Mention of a com- mercial product does not imply endorsement by Landscape and Irrigation or Specialty Information Media, or preference over similar products not mentioned. account REPRESEntatIvES: EaSt Chris Pelikan Senior Account Manager Phone: (954) 964-8676 cpelikan@epgmediallc.com mIdWESt Peggy Tupper Senior Account Manager Phone: (763) 383-4429 ptupper@epgmediallc.com WESt Leslie Palmer Senior Account Manager Phone: (248) 731-7596 lpalmer@specialtyim.com Viewpoint T his special edition of Landscape and Irrigation focuses entirely on landscape design, landscape archi- tecture and landscape construc- tion. In the coming pages you will see some nationally recognized hardscape projects, insights into landscape architecture, recom- mendations for plant selection, and overall landscape design trends. As we brought all of these components together and spent the month focusing on landscape design/build, it is apparent that sustainability is a common theme for many of today's landscapes. The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) defines sustainability as "liv- ing today without degrading tomorrow." According to APLD, design has the power to shape the future and sustainability is some- thing to strive for. In line with that effort, APLD has developed a series of guides on vari- ous aspects of sustainability: * APLD Guide to Sustainable Soils: This document outlines the main things landscape professionals should know about soils, from the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil and their interactions to the role of soils in sustainability. * Guidelines for Creating Environmentally Responsible Landscapes: This publication represents the landscape design community's desire to better assist in making more prudent and informed environmental decisions in resi- dential landscapes. * Water in the Landscape — APLD Guidelines for Designing Landscapes that Respect Water Resources: This is a summary of water management from a sustainability perspective. * Native Plants in the Landscape — APLD's Commitment: This piece defines native plants and presents an overview of their importance in the landscape. * Lawns: The goal of this guide is to present options and alternatives for the lawn, and help redefine the lawn into a friendly element of our everyday landscape. All of these guides are available for down- load at www.apld.org. SEt youR SItES Another industry resource on the topic of sustainability is the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), which is an interdisciplinary effort 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. The goal of SITES is to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. The SITES program provides tools for those who influence land development and management practices; and the Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks can apply to all landscapes including commercial and public sites, parks, campuses, roadsides, residential landscapes, recreation centers and utility corridors. The Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009, which includes the Rating System, can be used by anyone in the design, construction and maintenance fields, as well as homeowners, governments and those who maintain existing green building standards. There are already 30 landscape projects that have met the requirements for SITES pilot certification. Based on the experiences of many of the pilot projects, a refined set of guidelines and rating system, SITES v2, will incorporate additional recommendations from techni- cal experts. This updated version of the 2009 SITES rating system will be published and available for distribution and use by the general public this year. For more information about SITES, visit www.sustainablesites.org. Sustained Success John Kmitta www.landscapeirrigation.com May 2014 Landscape and Irrigation 5