About

ASLA Is Committed to Climate Action

Explore ASLA resources on climate change, organized by type:  

Reports | Case Studies | Awards | Resource Guides | News | Advocacy | Education
 
Since its founding in 1899, ASLA has promoted sustainable land use planning and design, the conservation of critical land and water resources, and the protection of biodiversity, which supports all life on Earth. In the past few decades, ASLA and its members have become more active proponents of planning and designing nature-based solutions to both mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and help communities adapt to a changing climate. ASLA seeks to create solutions that work for all communities. See ASLA public policies.

The Kresge Foundation analyzed more than 30 professional societies and found ASLA to be one of just nine organizations that have “adopted a holistic approach” to educating their members and the public about climate change “that includes adaptation, mitigation, and the explicit consideration of social justice.” Read the report.

ASLA is one of 63 cultural institutions that have signed the We Are Still In Declaration. Some 3,800 leaders representing 70 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and 65 percent of the population have signed the declaration, committing to the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement and America’s contribution to it.

ASLA’s 14,000 members agree to a code of environmental ethics, which states that members will make “every effort within our sphere of influence to enhance, respect, and restore the life-sustaining integrity of the landscape for all living things.”  

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Reports

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Case Studies

Easy to understand case studies outline the many benefits of sustainable and resilient landscape planning and design. The case studies were made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

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Awards

ASLA professional awards honor the best of the landscape architecture profession. The ASLA Student Awards honor the best creative work of emerging leaders in the profession. Explore hundreds of award winners from 2019 to 2005 that offer smart, inventive solutions to climate change.

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Resource Guides

ASLA's popular resources guides offer smart planning and design guidelines and include links to hundreds of vetted projects, case studies, and reports. The guides are rooted in ASLA's public policies, and many have been shaped by advisory groups of leading experts.

Climate Change Mitigation

Resilient Design

Green Infrastructure

Transportation

Sustainable Residential Design

Sustainable Urban Development

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News

ASLA's publications have covered climate change and related issues for more than a decade. Explore hundreds of articles and interviews.

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Advocacy

ASLA's Government Affairs team has been a strong advocate on Capitol Hill for legislation that makes communities more resilient to climate change. ASLA also advocates for climate-smart policies and regulations to a range of Federal agencies. Current legislative priorities include: the Living Shorelines Act, Safeguarding America's Future and Environment (SAFE) Act, and the Environmental Justice Act.

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Education

ASLA educates the public, K-12 students and teachers, and its members on the ecological, social, and economic impacts of the climate crisis. Educational resources created by members focus on how to plan and design real-world solutions.

Sketchup Animations and Companion Educational Guides

ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture

ASLA Online Learning