The organization credits a set of ambitious energy and transportation strategies for the reduction
ASLA released the second annual assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by its business operations. The organization achieved its goal of a 20 percent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2024 and continued to make progress towards its goal of zero emissions by 2040.
The assessment details the amounts and sources of greenhouse gas emissions generated in 2024 by ASLA operations. This total includes electricity use, magazine printing and shipping, business travel, employee commuting, waste produced, and more. These emissions add up to 257 metric tonnes.
To put that in perspective, the average U.S. home produces approximately one metric tonne of emissions monthly via its electricity use in regions where coal or gas generates power.
“We accomplished our ambitious goal by looking into every part of our business operations. A lower carbon footprint makes good climate and business sense. We are committed to continue our efforts to reduce our emissions,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen, Hon. ASLA.
Top sources of emissions reductions from 2023 to 2024 included:
- Purchasing 100 percent renewable energy for the ASLA Center on Landscape Architecture
- Reducing employee commuting miles by 47 percent, with miles by personal vehicle declining 69 percent
- Reducing number of business travel miles by 60 percent
- Reducing the number of complimentary industry partner subscription copies of Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) by 60 percent.
2024 Operations Emissions
The 2024 assessment was developed in partnership with Honeycomb Strategies, a sustainability consulting company. The company and ASLA team cooperated to collect extensive and complete data on:
- monthly business travel and commuting,
- energy used and waste generated from the ASLA Center for Landscape Architecture, the organization’s LEED Platinum- and Well Gold-certified headquarters, and
- printing, shipping, and online use for Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM)
Of the total 257 metric tonnes, the ASLA headquarters emitted 74 tonnes, or 29 percent, and LAM emitted 183 tonnes, or 71 percent.
LAM reduced emissions from printing, distributing, and digital reading by implementing a set of strategies, including reducing complimentary print copies by 60 percent. Emissions from LAM printing decreased by 8 percent and distribution by 7 percent.
The calculations for the Center’s emissions included such factors as electricity use, employee commuting, and business travel.
In 2024, the Center used 112,827 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity or 8.9 kWh per square foot – substantially below the 16.9 kWh average annual electricity consumption per square foot for administrative office space, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). ASLA updated its renewable energy purchasing agreement, yielding a 34 percent decrease in energy use and a 19 percent reduction in emissions from 2023.
- ASLA employees commuted to the office 2,761 times, covering 57,000 miles
- 40 percent of trips by car, a decrease from 69 percent in 2023
- 52 percent by public transit (train, subway, bus), an increase from 27 percent in 2023
- 6 percent by foot or bike, an increase from 4 percent in 2023
- ASLA employees traveled 90,352 miles on business trips, a 60 percent reduction over 2023.
- 92 percent of trips by plane, down from 95 percent in 2023
- ASLA produced an estimated 7,280 pounds of waste
- 71 percent of waste went to the landfill and 29 percent was recycled
2025 Reduction Actions
As the 2024 data was collected, ASLA implemented new strategies to reduce emissions in 2025 and beyond. To reduce its emissions this year, ASLA has implemented a set of strategies:
- Continued to promote benefits and incentives for low-carbon commuting
- Continued to encourage train travel for shorter business trips
- Further analyzed its waste
- Reduced catering of ASLA hosted events
- Continued to refine Landscape Architecture Magazine complimentary copy distribution list
To empower other organizations and companies to make these changes, ASLA published Towards Zero Emission Business Operations. The guide is designed to help landscape architecture firms of all sizes navigate the transition to zero-emission offices more easily. It outlines more than 110 actions landscape architecture firms can implement to reduce their business and project greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 65 percent by 2030 and achieve zero emissions by 2040.