Landscaping Gets Its Own "LEED" Certification Standard

As reported in USA Today, landscaping will now be eligible for it's own certification of environmental friendliness:

"Green" seals of approval are slapped on dishwashers, heat pumps, light bulbs and entire buildings. So why not the outdoors?

As of Thursday, even open-air spaces — from parks and parking lots to corporate and college campuses — will have their own environmental rating system.

"The recognition of the need to address climate change and sustainability is going up and up," says Nancy Somerville, CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects, who worked with the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas-Austin to create the first national rating system for sustainable landscapes.

The guidelines for achieving certification are available online, and of course include the use of smart irrigation controllers. This is just one more reason for landscape architects, developers and corporations to seriously consider WeatherTRAK as the cornerstone of their smart water management plans.