In the last couple of years, landscape plans with a focus on sustainability has been an increasingly high demand area of interest in the green industry. 

This year, a team of designers came together on a special project for Habitat for Humanity St. Louis with the intent of achieving a Gold Level LEED Certification on all 27 of its new builds for 2008.  This team includes engineers, architects, and specialists of all areas of development, including Jennifer Schamber of Greenscape Gardens as the team member for the Landscape Design of the project. 

The new landscape designs include a diverse variety of drought-tolerant plants, the majority of which are native to Missouri and suitable for an urban landscape.  These homes were built to be energy-efficient, and the landscape will use less water than a typical landscape.  Plans are already in the works for the 2009 builds with the possibility of installing cisterns, significantly decreasing conventional turfgrass areas and installing compost bins. 

This project will help set the standard for the future of homebuilding and will help raise awareness to the public about sustainable building practices for homes and gardens.