ASLA Joins We Are Still In Coalition

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has joined We Are Still In, a national coalition of 3,500 states, cities, companies, and organizations that remain committed to achieving U.S. greenhouse gas reduction targets outlined by the Obama administration as part of the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Nancy C. Somerville, Hon. ASLA, SITES AP, ASLA executive vice president and CEO, will attend the We Are Still In Forum in San Francisco, on Sept. 12, as part of the Global Climate Action Summit, a climate summit designed exclusively for leaders from the private sector and local government to highlight solutions to climate change and raise the bar for action.

ASLA leadership has identified climate change as a focus in recognition of the threat it poses to people and the planet. Landscape architects play a role in addressing climate and resilience issues, both through their work and through national and local advocacy. They plan and design smart growth communities; create low-carbon, safe, and active transportation systems; use green infrastructure to improve water quality and reduce flooding; and increase community health and resilience by designing and planning sites, communities, and regional strategies in concert with natural systems.

“By joining together, we strengthen our ability to take action,” says Somerville. “ASLA’s participation in We Are Still In enables us to reinforce the urgent need to build healthy, thriving communities through evidence-based design and planning and to help protect them from the impacts of climate change.”

ASLA is one of 34 signatories in the We Are Still In cultural organization category. Others in this category include the American Public Gardens Association; California Academy of Sciences, host of the event; The Field Museum in Chicago; and the Phipps Conservatory, which has the first pilot project to have received the maximum four stars from Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) for its Center for Sustainable Landscapes.