The Sustainable Sites Initiative gives green roofs the seal of approval.

Aiming to standardize sustainable landscape design, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is developing an industrywide rating system similar to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Washington, D.C.–based ASLA, which has more than 18,000 members in 42 countries, is partnering with Austin, Texas–based Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States Botanic Garden to develop the standard. The consortium, dubbed the Sustainable Sites Initiative, would award points for practices such as stormwater management, the use of native plants, acquiring plants from local growers, selecting durable materials and supporting social interaction through landscape design.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative says it plans to pilot its rating system with 200 projects throughout the United States, starting in 2010. It will take feedback into account before revising and releasing a final version in 2012, according to ASLA spokesperson Jim Lapides. It could then be adopted by green building certifiers such as the U.S. Green Building Council, or it could be used as a stand-alone certification.

Earlier this year, USGBC agreed to incorporate lessons learned from the Sustainable Sites Initiative into future versions of the LEED rating system.