The Dirt

This letter from ASLA National Student Representative Paul Fusco appears in the latest issue of LAND Online. Please let your voice be heard by using the comment system below.

The 2007 Annual Meeting in San Francisco had a record-breaking attendance and an amazing selection of lectures, exhibitors, and tours. A full and eclectic weekend offered information beneficial for both professionals and students. From a student’s perspective, the “Inside the LA Studio” seminars were particularly advantageous, because they can help students gain a better understanding of the professional studio atmosphere and the excitement that employees enjoy in different office settings.

I know some of my fellow students and I share a goal of someday starting our own firms. With the help of these lectures and the “Small Firm” roundtable, we were given better insight into the entrepreneur route within this expansive industry. There were also numerous lectures on stormwater management, plants, soils, and much more. As a student, I was initially overwhelmed trying to process this information and its relativity to the working community. However, after attending these lectures I have been able to use the information as stepping-stones toward my professional future and presently connect them to my designs in school.

This year’s EXPO was extremely successful with more than 1,000 exhibitors, filled with wonderful new technology and products. There were numerous new construction materials, lights, water features, and site accessories, plus the added bonus of lots of free shirts, CDs, information, and other goodies—always a benefit for the student community. The Expo also showcased ASLA’s JobLink booth, which offered information and opportunities to talk to firms about jobs and internships.

Outside the convention center, San Francisco is a magnificent city. There were so many fabulous sites to see, such as Levi’s Plaza Park designed by ASLA Fellow Lawrence Halprin, Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square, Lombard Street, and numerous parks and memorials. It is such a beautiful city that you never want to leave. After being at the conference and seeing it all, I must say that it was an amazing experience. There are so many people to meet and lectures to learn from. I recommend that students and professionals do whatever they can to make it to ASLA’s next conference in Philadelphia in 2008.

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At the ASLA Annual Meeting in San Francisco ASLA announced the Sustainable Sites Initiative, the development of a new rating system for sustainable landscape design. ASLA made this announcement along with the University of Texas at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden.

Just as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system measures a building’s environmental impact, the Sites Initiative will measure the sustainability of designed landscapes of all types, including public, commercial, and residential projects. The U.S. Green Building Council is lending its support to this project and plans to adopt the Sustainable Sites metrics into its LEED system once they are finished.

“This will provide the missing link for green building standards,” said Nancy Somerville, Executive Vice President and CEO of ASLA. “Developers, designers, owners, and public officials will now have the tools at hand to significantly increase sustainability in the built environment, from interiors to landscapes.”

Additional partners in the Sites Initiative include the U.S. Green Building Council, the Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenScapes Program, the National Recreation and Parks Association, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Environment and Water Resources Institute, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the Nature Conservancy’s Global Invasive Species Initiative, and The Center for Sustainable Development at the University of Texas at Austin. For more information, visit www.sustainablesites.org.

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Hello from sunny San Francisco and the beginning of the ASLA Annual Meeting. The Dirt will be live-blogging the major events, speakers, announcements, and more for the next 5 days. If you are attending the Meeting, please leave your thoughts in the comments and us all know about what you’re most excited about at this year’s meeting, the largest in ASLA’s history. See you on the EXPO floor!

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With the Annual Meeting kicking into high gear today, local San Francisco media outlets are highlighting the good work of the Society and our members. Both the San Francisco Chronicle and the SF Examiner have covered the meeting (and local ASLA Award Winners) this week in print and online.

The Chronicle’s piece “Bay Area landscape architects take the lion’s share of ASLA awards” focuses on both the Meeting and the Bay Area award winners. The Examiner’s (hold your nose on the first word) “Landscapers go green” discusses USGBC’s LEED and the Sustainable Sites Initiative. Both are worth the read, and look for more coverage as the Meeting progresses.

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