Those of you that have visited the National Mall in Washington, DC in recent years have probably noticed it needs some work. Five plans are currently under consideration by the National Park Service (NPS) to upgrade the Mall. NPS is soliciting public feedback on the various proposals. There’s still time to make yourself heard as public commenting is open until March 9, 2010. You can leave your comments at www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan.

With the built environment focusing more and more on green design and sustainability initiatives, it’s not surprising that one of the options to upgrade the National Mall relies on LEED standards and the “nation’s first sustainable landscaping rating system—the Sustainable Sites Initiative.” This option, known as Alternative C, is explained in detail by GreenSource, a magazine and website written by staff from Architectural Record, Mc-Graw Hill Construction, and BuildingGreen, LLC.