AUSTIN, Texas— The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) earned the 2011 Gold Medal Award from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) for "outstanding, long-term contributions to the green industry." The awards ceremony took place at the PGMS annual meeting in Louisville, Ky.

The SITES partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center of The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden formed in 2005 to create a voluntary rating system and performance benchmarks for sustainable landscapes of all types, with or without buildings.

Susan Rieff, executive director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, accepted the award on behalf of the SITES partners at the PGMS Awards Dinner Oct. 28.

“It is a tremendous honor for this initiative to be recognized by professionals who understand the value of using sustainable approaches to land management,” Rieff said. “Whether by recycling trimmings from vegetation on site, adopting organic approaches to pest management or re-using gray water, how a landscape is maintained can have a significant impact on human health and the environment.”

“PGMS membership represents grounds and landscape professionals who recognize the value of sustainable landscapes," said Holly H. Shimizu, executive director of the United States Botanic Garden. "They realize that it is critical for a sustainably designed and constructed landscape to remain sustainable over the long term through sustainable maintenance practices. It will take all of us in the green industry to bring about the changes necessary to realize our vision for healthy landscapes and ecosystems.”

For more information, visit www.sustainablesites.org.