Bay-Friendly Rated Landscapes

Big impacts. Big savings. Verified results.

Bay-Friendly Rated Landscapes is a rating system that recognizes excellence in sustainable landscape design, construction and maintenance practices in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This voluntary, third-party verified rating system applies to new construction or major renovations of civic, commercial, institutional and multifamily property landscapes. It provides property owners and landscape professionals with a flexible, systematic framework for creating healthy, environmentally sound landscapes.

The rating system is based on the seven principles and practices of Bay-Friendly Landscape Guidelines and uses the Bay-Friendly Landscape Scorecard, a well-established tool that helps project teams plan, track and verify the practices they implement to improve their landscapes.

Incorporating Bay-Friendly practices in the design, construction and management of landscapes can provide many benefits, including:

• 50% water savings
• 30–70% maintenance labor savings
• 85–95% weed suppression without toxic chemicals
• 70–80% reduced runoff
• 53 tons/acre greenhouse gas reduction

Bay-Friendly Rated was initially developed and piloted by StopWaste.Org in Alameda County. The Bay-Friendly Landscaping & Gardening Coalition, a regional nonprofit organization, now offers the rating system throughout the Bay Area.

Learn more about Bay-Friendly Rated:

Why get Bay-Friendly Rated?
How the rating process works
FAQs for property owners and project teams
Grants for public agencies in Alameda County
Information about Bay-Friendly Raters
Resources
Gallery of Bay-Friendly Rated Landscapes