Practical Application

1. Contact the teams or people responsible for site operations and engage them in the site audit.
2. Identify and focus efforts on the site audit elements that are most relevant to the facility.
3. Evaluate site landscaping and hardscaping.
   
   • Quantify landscaped spaces by area and percentage of total site.
   • Identify the types of plants installed and note whether each species is native, drought-tolerant, habitat-providing, or a food crop.
   • Document maintenance and irrigation practices, irrigation system conditions, equipment used, and products applied, such as mowers, mulches, and pest control treatments (see Water: Irrigation)
4. Evaluate heat island and stormwater runoff impacts (see Site: Runoff, Erosion, and Sediment Control and Heat Island Mitigation )
   
   • Quantify hardscaped spaces by area and percentage
   • Identify the color and type of each hardscaped area, maintenance practices, and products used for cleaning and snow removal.
   • Identify stormwater management systems or structures in use on-site, as well as their maintenance requirements.
   • Note whether storms typically result in significant runoff from the site and, if so, locations where runoff causes erosion or flooding.
5. Assess the type and application of products used for building exterior and landscape maintenance, including pest management (see Site: Exterior Maintenance and Integrated Pest Management).
   
   • Collect maintenance records for exterior building and landscape maintenance, including pest management treatments.
   • Identify products used, such as paints, sealants, cleaners, pesticides, de-icing agents, fertilizers, and fungicides.
   • Assemble relevant material safety data sheets (MSDS) for each product used.
6. Review applicable strategies and identify measure to increase efficiency and sustainability of site management, based on the audit results. Categorize opportunities as no- or low-cost, short-term, or mid- or longer-term initiatives.
   
   • Consider no- or low-cost improvement such as product substitutions, repair of malfunctioning parts, schedule changes, or lamp replacement.
   • Propose a schedule for mid- or longer-term strategies, such as replacing light fixtures, expanding permeable site surface area, or improving irrigation systems.
7. Document existing and proposed site management measures in a report.

Landscape design enhances natural areas with indigenous plants

Image Source: U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh