ASLA Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant
Society will use $22,000 to educate public about green roofs.

The ASLA Library and Education Advocacy Fund (ASLA Fund) will receive a $22,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for outreach and education programming surrounding the Society’s new green roof demonstration project, completed last April.

Photo by Sam Brown, Sam Brown Studios.

The grant will fund an exhibit at ASLA headquarters, a student workbook, and a discovery program to help raise awareness of how green roofs improve air and water quality, reduce the urban heat-island effect, manage stormwater runoff, replace biohabitat, and provide aesthetic amenities to tenants and neighbors and economic benefits to developers and building owners.

“One of the main reasons ASLA decided to build a green roof on our headquarters was to show people what a green roof looks like and demonstrate the many environmental and economic benefits,” said Nancy C. Somerville, executive vice president/CEO of ASLA, who also serves as president of the ASLA Fund. "Not only will this grant enhance the experience for our green roof visitors, it will enable us to reach audiences of all ages across the country and around the world who may not be able to visit our project in person.”

The ASLA Library and Education Advocacy Fund seeks to expand the body of knowledge of the landscape architecture profession, to promote the value of landscape architecture, and to increase public understanding of environmental and land use issues and principles. The ASLA Fund supports ASLA research, library, archives, awards, and professional education programs. The ASLA Fund is a 501 (c) 3 organization and contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.