The USBG forms project-specific partnerships to increase awareness of native plants, plant conservation, and sustainable practices including but limited to:

The Sustainable Sites Initiative™, a partnership of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas, the American Society of Landscape Architects and the USBG that developed a set of national standards for the sustainable design, construction, and maintenance of landscapes. The Case for Sustainable Landscapes, Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks can be downloaded here. A homeowner version will be available in late 2010.

The USBG works with numerous organizations to protect endangered plants and uses those in our collection to raise awareness:

• Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) US
  * BGCI US,Greenbelt Native Plant Center and USBG are working together on Seeds of Success, or SOS, the national native seed-collection program. We collect seeds of native Mid-Atlantic species for long term storage, research, and production. These activities keep native plants from becoming threatened.
  * BGCI US, the Arnold Arboretum and USBG are working together to assess the status of endangered plants in North America. This work will be published in late 2010, used as a baseline, and reported as the official North American response to Target 8 of the Convention on Biodiversity. Learn more.
• USBG is a repository for plants seized at borders under the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora, or CITES. For example, we have worked with growers on the legal production of Paphiopedilum vietnamense in efforts to support conservation.
• Floral Report Card - The USBG has funded and supports the Floral Report Card project of the Chicago Botanic Garden, which establishes experimental gardens around the country to monitor the effects of climate change.
• Fighting Invasive Plants! The Mid-Atlantic region is overrun with non-native, invasive plants. The USBG worked with The Nature Conservancy and National Park Service on an educational program and brochure aimed at engaging citizens to help save our native habitats. You can download the brochure and wallet card here. You’ll find information about the exhibit focusing on efforts to save the  Potomac Gorge here. 
• The Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water is working with the USBG on low impact development techniques, also known as Green Infrastructure. The EPA and USBG are also collaborating on reducing or eliminating storm water run off at the USBG. See our Rain Garden for the first step of this work.