Washington, D.C. March 19, 2013 – In honor of National Landscape Architecture Month in April, landscape architects across the country will host a variety of activities to celebrate the profession and show how the profession promotes public health. This year’s theme will be “Healthy Living Through Design.”

According to Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, executive vice president and CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects, landscape architects have long been creating environments that encourage daily exercise, provide clean air and water, and even supply nutritious food. This helps combat growing epidemics of depression, obesity, diabetes, asthma and heart disease.

“Landscape architecture, more than any other design profession, epitomizes green design, and public health has always been an integral concern for landscape architects,” said Somerville. “National Landscape Architecture Month provides a great opportunity to highlight what landscape architects do to help everyone get outside and get healthy.”

To mark the month, the entire April issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine will be made available online for free.

National Landscape Architecture Month also encompasses Earth Day on April 22 along with the April 26 birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903), the father of American landscape architecture and the designer of New York City’s Central Park and other iconic landscapes.

Since Olmsted’s time the field of landscape architecture has taken a lead in solving environmental problems and promoting civic planning for healthy living. Recent innovations include green roofs, sustainability certification, green infrastructure, and active transportation measures including complete streets.

Some of the events throughout National Landscape Architecture Month include:

• Showing a documentary film about women landscape architects, "Women in the Dirt," to audiences throughout the state of New York
• Sharing information about landscape architecture with the Vermont state legislature
• Working in partnership with the National Park Service to unveil a new design for the Shasta Rail Trail in Northern California
• Organizing joint advocacy events in Kansas and Missouri
• Connecting with hundreds of students at a local design high school in Kentucky to discover future landscape architects.

Learn more at the National Landscape Architecture Month website.

About the American Society of Landscape Architects
Founded in 1899, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing more than 15,000 members in 49 professional chapters and 76 student chapters. The Society's mission is to lead, to educate, and to participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environments. Members of the Society use the “ASLA” suffix after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession. Learn more at www.asla.org.