A plaza in downtown Denver, Colorado was a “harsh place,” a “terrible concrete plaza,” explained Kasey Toomey, PLA, landscape architect, artist, and senior project manager at Terremoto. “We decided to create a habitat, a green space for all these creatures” — not just people.

The new 18,000-square foot plaza purposefully creates space for insects and birds but also significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. All material, except for some Black Locust wood lumber and a few metal tables and chairs, was sourced within 100 miles. “We’re pretty fluid — we respond to local materials and product manufacturers’ expertise.”

Terremoto usually designs projects close to their home turf in southern California. With this opportunity, they wanted to see if they could apply their highly local, low-carbon design approach in another state.

Danielle VanLehe, landscape designer at Terremoto, said when they arrived in Denver they intentionally stayed in a hotel far from downtown. “We spent time hiking and immersing ourselves in the natural environment, which became our guide and helped us make decisions about plants and boulders.” Terremoto started the design process this way to ensure they were “respecting native ecosystems.”

They also partnered with Kevin Philip Williams, a local botanist and plant designer, to help them think through the native plant communities for the new plaza. The team curated a mix of plants that connect to foothill and short grass prairie ecosystems.

The designers also ran their plant selections by the local Audubon Society. They advised which plants would provide habitat for local bird species missing from downtown Denver. “We looked at plant structure, type, when they bloom, and which would provide nesting space and protective cover,” VonLehe said.

Given the tight budget of $1.3 million, there wasn’t enough for a fountain or basin for the plaza, which sits on top of the basement of the surrounding buildings. This led the team to design in boulders with natural depressions, which the team then set next to irrigation systems. The indents in the boulders catch water, providing a water source for insects and birds.

With a conceptual design in place, Terremoto took their client out on a multi-day tour of nearby native plant nurseries, material suppliers, and product manufacturers. “In all our projects, we develop intimate relationships with materials and manufacturers. That process influenced the design of the plaza.”

They selected Lyons Sandstone for boulders, pavers, and decomposed granite, because they agreed to work with them in a collaborative way. “We started a dialogue with the quarry — exploring their stone yard to find those boulders with the depressions.” This approach also demonstrates their fluid approach to design: “In our first drawings, the plaza definitely wasn’t pink, but then we found this source,” Toomey said.

They undertook a similar process to find a manufacturer that could transform old trees into sculptural benches. Terremoto selected Where Wood Meets Steel because the company could take a light touch to processing benches. “We usually only do one or two moves to an object or material — to keep it closest to its natural state.” Beyond the beauty of these natural materials, there are added benefits. Materials with little processing have much lower embodied carbon emissions and are often more economical.

The only material not from the local area is the Black Locust wood used for the decks, some benches, and other custom furniture. Toomey said it’s a strong, durable wood that is grown and processed in many parts of the U.S. It’s also a far better alternative to tropical hardwoods like Ipe. Extraction of Ipe causes immense harm to rainforest ecosystems.

Toomey thinks creating an “‘ecosystem’ with the developer, local builder and product manufacturers” is key to making authentic places that are connected to people and ecosystems. “It’s important to focus on local relationships and materials that build and deepen community.”

And it’s possible to forge these relationships in another place while minimizing travel emissions. Terremoto’s team took fewer but longer trips to Denver. “We inserted ourselves only when necessary.” To maximize efficiencies, they also participated in the construction process over five days, choreographing the placement of plants, benches, and boulders. “We were part of the team as it was being built.”

UN Ocean Summit in Nice Closes with Wave of Commitments, UN News, June 13
The conference was viewed as a major win for ocean conservation. It yielded new progress on making the High Seas Treaty international law and resulted in the Nice Ocean Action Plan, which is supported by a declaration by over 170 countries and more than 800 commitments by governments, scientists, and UN and other organizations.

Vietnam Launches First Phase of Emissions Trading Scheme, Reuters, June 11
Vietnam aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. To hit that goal, the country has required its concrete, steel, and power sectors — which account for approximately 50 percent of its emissions — to join an emissions trading scheme. Commercial buildings and cargo transportation will be added in later phases.

New Zealand Government Sued over ‘Inadequate’ Plan to Reduce Emissions, CNN, June 11
“This will be one of the first legal cases in the world challenging a government’s pursuit of a climate strategy that relies so heavily on offsetting rather than emissions reductions at source,” said one of the organizations suing the New Zealand government.

How Restored Wetlands Can Protect Europe from Russian Invasion, Yale Environment 360, June 10
The flooding of the Irpin Valley in Ukraine stopped a Russian advance. Scientists from Ukraine, Germany, and Poland are now looking at a broader European “natural defense” strategy that would include protecting and restoring thousands of miles of wetlands and forests, turning them into nature-based barriers that also provide climate and biodiversity benefits.

New Initiative Aims to Turn Vacant, Abandoned Lots into Parks, Spectrum News – NY1, May 27
The New York City government has committed a total of $80 million to purchasing abandoned lots, focusing on underserved communities that lack access to parks within a 10-minute walk. The City also plans on opening more schoolyards to the community after school, on the weekends, and during the summer.

After major floods devastated Glendale, California in the 1930s, much of the Verdugo Wash became a concrete channel — a boundary dividing communities. Now, landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) is leading the development of a new Verdugo Wash master plan, which will re-envision the 9.4-mile-long tributary of the Los Angeles River as a new linear park or trail system.

The three-year planning process will result in a toolkit of project options for the city to explore. The new plan will enable community connections to the wash and offer ways to restore its ecosystems, while preserving its ability to protect Glendale from floods. The effort is being funded by a California Department of Transportation grant.

“Bringing stormwater infrastructure, flood control, ecological restoration, urban connectivity, and park making together, the Verdugo Wash Master Plan is an incredible opportunity for the region,” said Paul Seck, PLA, partner and chief operating officer at MVVA.

MVVA has assembled a multidisciplinary team to “study the complex technical issues that would be associated with any changes to the wash,” said Ryoma Tominaga, PLA, project manager with MVVA. “We look forward to working with oversight agencies and local stakeholders, such as the Gabrielino/Tongva Nation, to craft feasible approaches.”

The diversity of the team MVVA assembled shows the complexity of the work. Landscape architects will be working with Kimley-Horn, Inter-Fluve, and Limnotech on hydrology and stream morphology; HR&A on market research, Dyson and Womack on public art; Gardiner & Theobald on cost estimates; and Chief Strategies on community engagement. And Schlaich Bergermann Partner will consult on walkways and bridges, Rock Design Associates on wildlife corridor planning, Rincon on biological resources, and Stratifyx on ecological design.

MVVA will start the ambitious planning effort by engaging the community, working with Chief Strategies to host a “range of community outreach events, such as workshops in different neighborhoods, site tours, and pop-up booths at city events,” the firm notes. This work builds on the Verdugo Wash visioning report from 2022, which was led by landscape architecture firm !melk and engineering firm BuroHappold.

The Verdugo Wash begins in the Crescenta Valley, passing between the Verdugo Mountains and the San Rafael Hills before joining with the Los Angeles River. Much of its natural elements have been replaced with a concrete flood control channel that ranges in width from 24 feet at its narrowest to 87 feet at its widest.

Through their planning process, MVVA and its team will explore the wash’s role in managing flooding, debris flows, and wildfires. “Although it is typically a low volume waterway, the wash provides an essential flood control function, managing high volumes during flash floods and debris flows,” Tominaga said. The new plan recommendations will need to “accommodate these extremes, while also identifying ways to expand public access and recreation and ecological improvements, including the potential for improved biodiversity.”

And “any projects recommended by the master plan will be phased in over time. It is possible the plan will identify some areas of the wash as unsuited for additional uses other than its current flood control function,” Tominaga said.

Survey from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) shows high demand for increased accountability

ASLA has released the results of a survey on landscape architects’ demand for a new Climate and Biodiversity Commitment Program. Over 230 landscape architects, designers, and landscape architecture educators responded to the survey in April 2025.

The survey found that 77 percent of respondents think a Climate and Biodiversity Commitment Program is needed for the landscape architecture community.

The architecture, engineering and construction industries have commitment programs, such as the AIA 2030 Commitment. These programs set clear climate goals, track project impacts, and issue public reports on progress.

“Real climate leadership listens first. Through the Climate Action Plan, we heard a clear call: our members want a meaningful way to commit and contribute to climate and biodiversity goals. ASLA is exploring how a potential commitment program could turn insight into impact,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen, Hon. ASLA.

“A commitment program will help build the credibility and relevance of landscape architects’ climate and biodiversity work among our peers in the architecture, engineering, and planning professions,” said Pamela Conrad, ASLA, inaugural ASLA Climate and Biodiversity Action Fellow and Founder, Climate Positive Design. “It will also help us better align with and advance industry standards on built environment data.”

A Climate and Biodiversity Commitment Program for landscape architects will help the community collectively:

• Measure projects’ benefits and impacts
• Increase accountability
• Align with industry standards

A commitment program establishes goals that firms and organizations commit to. Firms typically submit project data, which is then validated, measured in aggregate, and then shared publicly in an annual report.

More than half of survey respondents said a commitment program would enable them to better show their commitment to clients with climate action plans. A majority said a program would support landscape architects’ alignment with other disciplines’ efforts. And a third thought a program would increase landscape architects’ competitive advantage.

Without a commitment program, a minority of landscape architects are consistently tracking their project benefits and impacts:

• 36 percent are tracking water data
• 22 percent are tracking biodiversity data
• 21 percent are tracking carbon data
• 16 percent are measuring heat reductions
• 13 percent are measuring equity benefits

A minority of landscape architects are also now using tools to reduce project greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration. 25 percent of survey respondents are using Climate Positive Design’s Pathfinder while 21 percent are using Sasaki’s Carbon Conscience.

While the lack of a commitment program hinders efforts to measure project data using these tools, there are other obstacles identified by survey respondents:

• Just 19 percent of respondents said they had the knowledge and resources to achieve the measurable goals of the ASLA Climate Action Plan. These include carbon and biodiversity improvements, water use reduction, canopy cover increases, and more.
• Another third said they have the knowledge but lack the resources.
• 16 percent said they don’t receive enough cooperation from clients, allied professions, and manufacturers to achieve the goals.
• Only 23 percent of respondents have their own climate, sustainability or biodiversity action plan to guide progress; another 20 percent said a plan is in development.

But there is also significant progress. More than a third of respondents are now making investments of time and resources to meet ASLA Climate Action Plan goals. They are focusing on a few priorities: employee training and education and researching and specifying low-emission materials.

A majority of respondents think the broad shift to more sustainable landscape architecture projects will impact how the profession designs projects and sources materials. And as the market continues to move towards more sustainable projects, 48 percent of respondents are highlighting or plan to highlight their expertise in climate and biodiversity work.

ASLA and its Climate and Biodiversity Action Committee provide education and resources to help landscape architects decarbonize their projects, including:

• Decarbonizing Specifications: A Guide for Landscape Architects, Specifiers, and Industry Partners
• Decarbonizing the Design Process: A Phase by Phase Approach for Landscape Architects
• Navigating Environmental Product Data: A Guide for Landscape Architects, Specifiers, and Industry Partners
• Biodiversity and Climate Action 101 for Landscape Architects, a webinar series free for ASLA members

ASLA and Climate Positive Design continue to explore the feasibility of a new commitment program. Fill out this brief form to get news and stay up-to-date.

“Small actions can lead to big change,” said Alejandra Hinojosa, Affil. ASLA, sustainability specialist with LPA Design Studios.

“You don’t need to feel defeated. You may not accomplish all your climate goals in a project, but that’s not a failure. You can make progress in your next project. Be empowered.”

Last year, Hinojosa and Mariana Ricker, ASLA, associate principal at SWA, published Decarbonizing the Design Process: A Phase by Phase Approach for Landscape Architects.

In an online discussion, Hinojosa said the guide outlines how to make “intentional low-carbon design decisions, address broader environmental impacts, and advocate for better projects.”

“The guide is designed to helpful no matter what stage of the design process,” Ricker said.

The first step is to establish a decarbonization strategy for a landscape architecture project. “It’s best to do that at the beginning, but it’s not impossible to add it in at a later phase,” Hinojosa said.

For clients who may need extra persuading, landscape architects can frame the benefits of decarbonization in terms of “people, the planet, and profit.”

Hinojosa focused on the profit part. There is a clear return on investment for low-carbon projects: “They have lower operational costs.” And these projects offer many co-benefits in terms of healthier materials, more green space, and increased biodiversity.

As designers move into the schematic design phase, they should focus on three big ideas to reduce emissions:

1) Maximize the reuse of materials found on site
2) Incorporate low-impact design, such as green infrastructure
3) Choose low-carbon materials and create more space for soils, plants, and trees to sequester carbon

Overall, it’s also important to reduce materials as much as possible. For example, “reducing cement saves clients money and reduces embodied carbon. It’s a win-win,” Hinojosa said.

These approaches can also be “seamlessly woven” into a project. “What does low-carbon design mean? It’s just part of the vision for a project.”

Later stages of a landscape architecture project also provide opportunities to reduce emissions. Ricker said landscape architects will benefit from talking to product manufacturers about their product and material emissions.

Designers can collaborate with industry partners. They can ask for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which are third-party verified accounts of the environmental impacts of a product.

Ricker outlined some key strategies for decarbonizing design details:

• Use local products and materials
• Reduce cement use
• Use as much wood as you can
• Use recycled steel products only as needed
• Use low-carbon aggregates and fills
• Protect and reuse soils

Another session delved into how to decarbonize the design specifications that guide the construction of landscape architecture projects.

Last year, Chris Hardy, ASLA, senior associate at Sasaki and founder of Carbon Conscience, led the development of Decarbonizing Specifications: Guidelines for Landscape Architects, Specifiers, and Contractors.

In another online discussion, Hardy said “every construction project, every material has a global warming impact.” Using the new guidelines can help cut those impacts.

The “guidelines aren’t technical standards; they can’t be copied and pasted into specifications,” but they can guide the revision of specifications.

Busy landscape architects can start with updating their specifications for concrete, which can account for more than 50 percent of the emissions of a project. Hardy said Sasaki recently updated its concrete specifications, resulting in significant emissions cuts.

The guidelines also offer ways to reduce emissions by specifying low-carbon products, materials, and construction practices in other areas, like unit masonry, stone, metals, carpentry, base courses and aggregates, lightweight fill, trees and plants, and more. And Decarbonizing Specifications also covers how to best reuse materials and reduce construction waste.

Landscape architects can take a few approaches to updating their specifications:

• Update office standards
• Update specifications project by project
• Edit specifications in SpecLink or MasterSpec
• Educate external specification writers

The process is worth it: “We can buy less stuff, cut unnecessary embodied carbon, and save clients money.”