ASLA Prepares for Successful 2008 Lobby Day

ASLA members from across the country will come together on May 8 in our nation’s capital for ASLA’s annual Lobby Day. ASLA leadership, students, and members will meet with hundreds of Representatives, Senators, and their staffs to help educate Congress about public policy issues that are important to landscape architects including the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS), global climate change legislation, and the Green Energy Education Act. ASLA members will lobby their members of Congress to support:

• Full funding for HALS to provide the National Park Service with funding necessary to effectively implement the program and support local efforts to document nationally significant landscapes
• S. 2191, America’s Climate Security Act of 2007, and H.R. 1590, The Safe Climate Act of 2007, comprehensive legislation to address the threat of global climate change.ASLA members will also discuss the techniques used by landscape architects to help mitigate climate change, including site planning projects, innovative stormwater management practices, the planning and development of smart growth communities, green roof projects, and comprehensive transportation planning
• H.R. 1716, the Green Energy Education Act, legislation that would create a partnership between the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support undergraduate and graduate programs that offer curricula focusing on the design and construction of high performance buildings, including programs in landscape architecture and other design professions

This year’s Lobby Day activities will kick off with an advocacy training workshop featuring advocacy expert Robert L. Guyer. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 7, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at the Hyatt Regency Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, May 8, Lobby Day will begin with a Lobby Day breakfast and issues briefing at 7:00 AM. Shortly thereafter, ASLA members will begin meetings with members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to discuss legislative issues important to landscape architecture. The day’s activities will culminate with a Lobby Day “debriefing” and reception, where ASLA members share their advocacy experiences.

Prior to the event, ASLA is offering webinars for Lobby Day participants on April 23 to provide tips on lobbying their legislators and on April 29 to offer important background information on ASLA’s 2008 Lobby Day issues. For more details on the issues and background materials, visit the 2008 Lobby Day website. ASLA looks forward to the participation of our members in a successful advocacy effort on behalf of the profession. If you have questions about ASLA Lobby Day, please contact Federal Government Affairs Manager Roxanne Blackwell.