The word "Green" is used here, for both buildings and landscape-sites, not to refer to the color, but to signify an environmentally beneficial or at least minimally harmful approach for things. So, Green buildings are those that minimize negative impact to the ecology while providing a healthful environment for occupants. A Green landscape/site may be defined similarly in that it should not negatively alter the surrounding environment, while neither should it unnecessarily or excessively consume important ecological resources. In this sense, a Green landscape
may often be other colors, such as those of earth, stone and rugged plantings with brilliant flowers. An example of a non-Green landscape is a non-self-sustaining grass lawn requiring extensive outside supplies of fertilizer, water, pesticides, tools and effort simply to maintain.

Site assessment includes gathering important data, looking over a site, cataloging its various attributes and resources, and coming to a conclusion as to the pros and cons of using that site for certain desired ends, e.g. building a house. Site assessment may include other services, such as groundwater determination, soil evaluation and perc testing. Surveying is also a key element in assessing a site, and it is simply the locating and measurement of relevant features on the site, such as property boundaries, large trees, bedrock outcroppings, existing
structures, bodies of water and topographical elevations where needed. Successful land use planning is based on a complete site assessment and survey of the land in question.

At times it may not be clear which material or product has less of an overall environmental impact, from its manufacture to its transport, use and finally end-use / "disposal"*. When this is a concern, careful analysis of the options, based on well-founded knowledge and experience can yield crucial information as to which material or product best fits the constraints of the project and the ecology. An informed choice always pays back dividends which are absent from decisions made without thorough understanding of the relevant issues.
* It would be more accurate to refer to "disposal" as long-term storage instead.

Rainwater may be collected, stored, filtered and used to supplement a well or a municipal supply. The point here is to develop robust, maximally self-sufficient water supply systems that are truly secure, even if one source is unavailable or unacceptable. By fully considering and properly interfacing various possible water supply sources, a truly ecological and steady water supply may be realized that minimizes or even improves environmental impact.

There are numerous approaches to treat wastewater. However, most ecological systems do away with the notion that disposal is an option or actually possible at all. Instead, the new paradigm favors right transformation of the wastewater into localized, harmless or even beneficial new forms and substances. For example, with a residence, a fitting design may employ complete composting of toilet waste, via a certified compost reactor system, yielding a soil conditioner at the end of the process, and a special graywater system which literally
transforms the pollutants into plant biomass, carbon dioxide, water vapor and heat.