CARY, NC — John Deere announced that it will be participating in a new program testing the nation's first rating system for sustainable landscape design, construction and maintenance, according to a press release.

Deere will join more than 150 other projects from 34 states as well as from Canada, Iceland and Spain as part of an international pilot project program to evaluate the new Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) rating system for sustainable landscapes, with and without buildings, the release stated.

"Sustainability is an important concept that has value for turf and landscape design, construction and management," said Dr. Mark Schmidt, project coordinator for John Deere.

"Smart and sustainable solutions can be utilized in the full lifecycle of a landscape to help optimize the economic, social and environmental benefits of the landscape," Schmidt added.

According to the release, SITES, a partnership of 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, selected the John Deere project based on its extensive environmentally friendly elements.

SITES will use feedback from this and the other selected projects during the pilot phase, which runs through June 2012, to revise the final rating system and reference guide by early 2013, the release noted.