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Climate Action at ASLA 2023

Make More Sustainable Choices  |  Offset Your Carbon Emissions  |  Use the ASLA Conversation Guide with EXPO Exhibitors  |  Attend Practice Basecamp Sessions  | Learn about ASLA's Commitments and Partnerships  

Attendees won’t need to go out of their way to be sustainable at ASLA. Learn about the easy ways you can make an individual impact on the event’s sustainability efforts. 

Make More Sustainable Choices

• Choose more sustainable travel options to and from the Conference: Take the train to the Conference. Or carpool with other colleagues. If flying, fly economy and find a direct flight.
• Reuse and Reduce: Bring your favorite reusable water bottle or coffee mug to reduce your waste and resources footprint.
• Recycling made simple: Front of house recycling stations recycle cardboard, paper, organics, cans and bottles, pallets, cooking oil, tablecloths, sheet plastic, shrink wrap, carpet, wood, aggregate and landscape debris.
• Moderate consumption and eat mostly plant-based foods: Take only what you need at food functions and choose to eat vegetarian at least one meal per day. This will help reduce carbon emissions associated with food production.
• Be energy and water smart at your hotel: Remember to turn off lights when leaving your hotel room and participate in your hotel’s linen reuse program, which will also conserve water.
• Use public transportation: Minneapolis has Nice Ride bike sharing system, and bike racks are available near most building entrances. Metro Transit provides a free shuttle to link the Minneapolis Convention Center to downtown hospitality and the light rail. Light Rail Transit connects Minneapolis with the airport and 43 other stations. 

Offset Your Carbon Emissions

Offset your carbon emissions through ASLA partner Green Minneapolis. 100% of your contributions will go to planting and maintaining trees.

Green Minneapolis collaborated with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to complete the first urban tree carbon offset project in Minnesota. These top-tier, ICROA-accredited offsets are part of the Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative.

Green Minneapolis' offsets are generated from local projects that not only sequester carbon, but also mitigate heat islands, reduce energy consumption, reduce air pollution, and stormwater discharge -- directly improving the environmental equity of people living in the Twin Cities.

The lead sponsor of the ASLA 2023 Conference Carbon Offset Program is Bartlett Tree Experts.

Learn how ASLA plans to cut its emissions by 20% by 2024. 

    

Use the ASLA Conversation Guide with EXPO Exhibitors

Deeper collaboration between landscape architects and industry partners is key to achieving ASLA Climate Action Plan and biodiversity goals.

To support that collaboration, the ASLA Corporate Member Committee and Climate Action Committees have produced this guide for landscape architects. It is meant to inform conversations with industry partners and offers a range of questions to ask.

In the ASLA EXPO, you can use this guide to talk to industry partners about ways to advance collective climate and biodiversity goals.

Attend Practice Basecamp

Join members from the national ASLA Climate Action Committee to hear progress updates and next steps on implementing the ASLA Climate Action Plan, helping practitioners draw down carbon, restore ecosystems, and increase biodiversity. Additionally, the Game Changer program will showcase fast-paced, innovative talks, sharing game-changing ideas to move the profession forward.

See full schedule for session listings.

ASLA's Commitment to Sustainability

ASLA, as a non-profit association, has committed to achieving zero emissions in its business operations by 2040.

ASLA calculated the baseline emissions for its 2022 Conference on Landscape Architecture in San Francisco, CA and headquarters operations in Washington, D.C. and has committed to reducing its overall emissions by 20% by 2024.

ASLA will use its own journey to zero as a learning opportunity for its members, EXPO exhibitors, and partner organizations.

ASLA Climate Action Plan

The ASLA Climate Action Plan charts a pathway for landscape architects to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions in their projects and operations and increase carbon sequestration by 2040. The plan outlines a bold vision for 2040 -

By 2040, all landscape architecture projects will simultaneously:

• Achieve zero embodied and operational emissions and increase carbon sequestration.
• Provide significant economic benefits in the form of measurable ecosystem services, health co-benefits, sequestration, and green jobs.
• Address climate injustices, empower communities, and increase equitable distribution of climate investments.
• Restore ecosystems and increase and protect biodiversity.

ASLA has established short-term and long-term objectives to improve the sustainability of its ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture and EXPO. These objectives seek to reduce the environmental impacts of the event while advancing the Climate Action Plan and aligning with the values of the landscape architecture community.

Partnerships

Partnership is key to becoming more sustainable, and we couldn’t do what we do without the support of our attendees, our exhibitors, partners like Minneapolis Convention Center, Freeman, and other key vendors to make the Conference on Landscape Architecture environmentally sustainable.

ASLA's organizational partners, product suppliers, and venues play an important role in this effort. Together we work to ensure that all print materials, signage, decorations and equipment are recycled and/or recyclable, and that almost all handouts are distributed electronically. In a new effort in support of our commitment to sustainability, ASLA will not have a printed conference brochure on site. Instead, you'll find everything you need on our conference app.

Exhibitors and Freeman Services

Commit to reducing your impact at ASLA by joining the Exhibitor Sustainability Pledge.  
 
Simple actions like waste reduction, water and energy conservation, and sustainable procurement can have a big impact when multiplied across exhibitors. Be sure to consult with Freeman on your expo and booth materials and logistics.  
 
Freeman has a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. With both an ISO 14001 and ISO 20121 certification, Freeman is there to help guide you through sustainable offerings while at ASLA. 

Minneapolis Convention Center

The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) is recognized for its environmental responsibility in operating and managing the venue, receiving LEED v4 Certification for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance by the U.S. Green Building Council. The MCC also achieved Level One Certification with the ASTM Standard for the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences. 

The MCC’s Urban Meadow Plaza was awarded SITES® Silver certification under the Sustainable SITES Initiative® rating system. The MCC Plaza is the nation’s first SITES certified project to be located at a convention center and the first ever SITES certified project in the Upper Midwest.