The organization is focusing on energy, transportation, and food to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions

By Katie Riddle, Steven Spicer, and Jared Green

ASLA released its first assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by its business operations. This report sets the baseline for ASLA as it strives toward its goal of achieving zero emissions by 2040.

The assessment details the amounts and sources of greenhouse gas emissions generated in 2023 by ASLA operations. This total includes electricity use, magazine printing and shipping, business travel, employee commuting, waste produced, and more. In total, these emissions add up to 320.5 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 are demonstrating our climate leadership by being transparent about our impacts. We want to show our members and partners where we are in our journey to zero emissions by 2040. Cutting emissions makes great economic and environmental sense. Let’s learn from each other and move faster together,” said ASLA President Kona Gray, FASLA, PLA.

2023 Operations Baseline

This 2023 assessment was developed in partnership with Honeycomb Strategies, a sustainability consulting company. The company and ASLA team cooperated to collect extensive and complete data:

• business travel and commuting data,
• 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 data for Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM).

Of the total 320.5 metric tonnes, ASLA headquarters emitted 124.5 tonnes, or 38 percent, and LAM emitted 196 tonnes, or 61 percent.

The assessment for LAM covered the creation and online use of the magazine. By requesting extensive emissions data, ASLA introduced new carbon estimation and measurement practices to its partners. These kinds of requests encourage greater transparency and efficiency in the printing supply chain.

The calculations for the Center’s emissions included such factors as electricity use, employee commuting, and business travel.

The Center used 170,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity or 13.4 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 employees commuted to the office 3,882 times, covering 105,000 miles.
  • 69 percent of trips by car
  • 27 percent by public transit (train, subway, bus)
  • 4 percent by foot or bike
• ASLA employees traveled 228,000 miles on business trips
  • 96 percent of trips by plane
• ASLA produced an estimated 7,280 pounds of waste
  • 71 percent of waste went to the landfill and 29 percent was recycled

Reduction Actions

As the 2023 data was collected, ASLA implemented new strategies to reduce emissions in 2024 and beyond. To reduce its emissions this year, ASLA implemented these strategies:

• Purchased renewable energy credits for 100 percent of the ASLA Center’s energy use.
• Promoted benefits and incentives for low-carbon commuting.
• Issued new policies to lessen the effect of business travel.
• Updated procurement policies to encourage locally sourced and 75 percent vegetarian meals for staff and member events hosted by ASLA at the Center.

“These policies help us decarbonize our operations and serve as an example for other organizations,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen, Hon. ASLA. “This assessment caused us to look into all aspects of our operations to see where we can lower our footprint and save money in the process. We share our impacts so other organizations can see what to track to cut their emissions.”

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 strategies landscape architecture firms can implement to reduce their business and project greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50 to 65 percent by 2030 and achieve zero emissions by 2040.

Next steps

In the first quarter of 2025, ASLA will release its 2024 business operations impact assessment with a list of actions to be taken in 2025 to further reduce emissions.

ASLA representatives will showcase projects that increase biodiversity at COP16 in Cali, Colombia

ASLA announced that Dr. Sohyun Park, ASLA, PhD, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut, and MaFe Gonzalez, ASLA, Landscape Designer and Botanist, BASE Landscape Architecture, will represent ASLA at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cali, Colombia, October 21-November 1.

ASLA and its 16,000 member landscape architects, designers, and educators support the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and its key goals and targets. Landscape architects are committed to achieving the 2030 goals and targets, including protecting and restoring at least 30 percent of terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems by 2030 (30 x 30). They also stand behind the Vision for 2050.

“We are advancing 30 x 30 through our projects, research, and advocacy. In our Climate Action Plan, we called for restoring ecosystems and increasing biodiversity on a global scale. This year in Colombia, we will show policymakers how to do it through the latest planning and design strategies,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen, Hon. ASLA.

“Landscape architects are key to translating policy into action and realizing real biodiversity gains in landscapes, particularly in cities,” said ASLA President Kona Gray, FASLA, PLA. “We are uniquely positioned to lead multidisciplinary teams of ecologists, biologists, engineers, and other disciplines to protect, restore, and enhance ecosystems worldwide.”

Landscape architects advance global biodiversity goals by:

• Protecting and restoring ecosystems
• Conserving habitat for species
• Planting native trees and plants
• Protecting and restoring soil health
• Managing invasive species
• Creating ecological corridors
• Mitigating and adapting to climate change

They plan and design projects and conduct research at all scales in urban, suburban, and rural areas.

At the convention, Dr. Sohyun Park will present landscape architecture strategies to increase biodiversity at these events:

Biopolis 2024: Living Landscapes and Infrastructure for Healthy Communities, October 22-23, Green Zone. A keynote – Landscape Architecture Solutions to “Halt and Reverse” Biodiversity Loss – on October 22 at 8:50 AM COT.

Every Construction Project Is an Opportunity to Protect Biodiversity, October 26, 4-5 PM COT, Green Zone, Universidad ECCI Cali (Floor 7, Room 3). A session focused on “proven solutions to support nature that can be adopted at various scales of the built environment.”

MaFe Gonzalez will present these strategies at this event:

Cities to Blossom, October 25, 1 – 2.30 PM COT, Green Zone, Universidad ECCI Cali (Floor 1, Room 8). A workshop focused on “reconnecting children with urban biodiversity through the design of public spaces and educational institutions.”

Last month, ASLA released the results of its first national survey on landscape architects’ planning and design work focused on biodiversity. The survey found that 45 percent of landscape architects have prioritized biodiversity conservation and another 41 percent consider biodiversity part of their organization’s environmental ethos.

Earlier this year, the ASLA Fund released peer-reviewed research on landscape architecture solutions to the biodiversity crisis. The research, which Dr. Sohyun Park developed, reviewed nearly 70 peer-reviewed studies focused on planning and designing nature-based solutions to biodiversity loss published from 2000 to 2023. Explore the findings in an executive summary, which includes case studies and project examples, and a research study.

In 2022, ASLA urged world leaders to commit to ambitious global conservation and biodiversity goals, including 30 x 30. ASLA also joined 340 organizations worldwide in signing the Global Goal for Nature: Nature Positive by 2030.

The organization is focusing on transportation, energy, food, and waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – and new equity strategies to improve the positive legacy of the conference

ASLA has released its 2023 Sustainable Event Management Report, a comprehensive gap analysis of its 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture, which brought more than 5,000 attendees to the LEED-certified Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 27-30, 2023.

The assessment details the energy used and greenhouse gas emissions and waste generated. It also outlines the many positive actions ASLA has taken to make access to the conference more equitable, donate EXPO products, reuse materials, and support the communities that host the conference.

Based on these findings, ASLA has advanced new event sustainability strategies that will improve the outcomes of its 2024 Conference, which will be held in Washington, D.C., October 6-9, and its 2025 Conference, which will be held in New Orleans, October 10-13, 2025. These include a communications campaign on the benefits of train travel for attendees and a new sustainability pledge for EXPO exhibitors.

“This year’s assessment taught us a lot about what it will take to achieve our ambitious Climate Action goals,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Coneen. “We will need to continue to work as a collective – with the entire landscape architecture community – to decarbonize our conference. Our commitment to transparency and accountability continues to guide us.”

2023 Assessment

The assessment, which was developed in partnership with Honeycomb Strategies, a sustainability consulting company, includes key findings.

Over four days and per attendee, the conference released 0.68 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, which is 17 percent higher than the 2022 conference.

This is due to:

• The energy mix in Minneapolis, Minnesota included more fossil fuels than San Francisco, California, where the 2022 Conference was hosted
• ASLA collected additional transportation emissions data
• Updated methodology and calculations were used to align with the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative. (See 2023 assessment for updated 2022 baseline data).

Due to procurement decisions made by ASLA and sustainability measures adopted by the organization:

• 100 percent of electricity from the grid used by the conference was generated from off-site solar and wind through renewable energy credits. The credits were then retired.
• 29,850 pounds of EXPO materials were donated to Habitat for Humanity, which is nearly
• 40 percent less than in 2022. This means exhibitors are leaving behind lower amounts of booth materials.
• A waste diversion rate of 71 percent was achieved, which is 4 percent higher than 2022. Recycling increased by 700 percent and composting increased by 165 percent in comparison to 2022.
• More than $43,000 in positive climate contributions were collected from ASLA members to purchase 1,225 offset credits, a 614 percent increase over 2022.
• 475 pounds of food was donated to People Serving People.

Explore key findings

To reduce adverse climate and environmental impacts and leave a positive legacy in Minneapolis, ASLA has implemented these strategies for its 2024 Conference at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center:

• Selected host city with train and public transit access and LEED-Gold Certified Convention Center
• Created climate change and biodiversity educational tracks at its Conference
• Implemented a communications strategy to reduce transportation emissions from attendees and exhibitors traveling to and from the conference and in the host city. Preliminary data shows a 1,226 percent increase in train travel and a 24 percent decline in air travel to the 2024 conference in comparison with the 2023 conference (as of September 18, 2024).
• Implemented a range of measures related to food, energy, water, and waste to reduce impacts.
• Made a positive carbon contribution by purchasing up to 3,500 tons of emission offsets
• Enhanced a sustainability pledge for EXPO exhibitors
• Provided free registrations for invited Washington, D.C.-based climate equity and justice leaders to attend the conference
• Provided free registrations for invited Washington, D.C.-based young climate leaders to attend the conference

See all conference and business operations commitments and progress to date at the Sustainable ASLA hub.

Positive Climate Contributions

While it pursues its near-term goal of reducing emissions 20 percent by 2024, ASLA has committed to purchasing up to 3,500 tons of carbon dioxide emission offsets from the National Indian Carbon Coalition (NICC).

This partnership will also advance the cultural empowerment and climate equity goals of the ASLA Climate Action Plan, which was released in 2022.

The carbon offsets NICC will provide have been generated in the Tribal Forests of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota. The Fond du Lac Band’s forest carbon project is a natural climate solution that generates carbon credits through Improved Forest Management.

Attendees and exhibitors: Please make a positive climate contribution at the ASLA 2024 Conference during the registration process or via this contribution form.

Next steps

By the end of 2024, ASLA will release a sustainability impact assessment of its ASLA Center on Landscape Architecture, the association’s LEED Platinum and WELL Gold-certified headquarters in Washington, D.C; student-led LABash Conference; and Landscape Architecture Magazine.

ASLA will use its own headquarters assessment to educate its members and partners on how to reduce their own office operational impacts and meet the goals of the ASLA Climate Action Plan.

By the end of 2024, ASLA plans to have a fuller understanding of its climate, environmental, and social impacts across the conference, EXPO, and headquarters operations.