Stone that can be locally sourced is abundant in the U.S.A.  Locally sourced stone, related to guidelines set out by US Green Building for LEED accreditation, is stone that is quarried or harvested within 500 miles of the build site. There are numerous natural stone quarries offering consumers a wide variety of locally sourced stone types and colors. Stone quarries with resources such as granite, limestone, sandstone, blue stone and many others can be found throughout the country.

Using locally sourced stone in your landscape design has multiple benefits. Reducing the amount of transportation is environmentally responsible and it offers the incentive of being less expensive in many cases due to the reduction in transportation costs. If you are interested in having your home or landscape rated and qualified as being “Green” check out the US Green Building Council site for more information. An architect, landscape architect or the National Association of Home Builders, can assist you with more information on the benefits of using locally sourced stone for your home or landscape project.

In Southern California one can find a gorgeous stone locally harvested from the Santa Barbara region, known as Santa Barbara Sandstone. This is an excellent architectural building stone and landscape stone.  It is not ‘quarried’ but rather, harvested as boulders in the geological areas of Santa Barbara and Montecito. The stone is popular with masons, because it responds well to either hand or machine fabrication. The colors and textures are predominantly a unique buff with golden variation in hues from tans to gold. Click here for more information on this gorgeous stone and how Monarch Stone International can provide you with locally sourced (for residents of CA/AZ) stone veneer, flooring, paving, pool coping or any architectural requirement.