April 2008 - National Landscape Architecture Month
Florida Chapter ASLA Members - We need you!

As we approach the holidays, it may seem like April is far away. However, as a Chapter we should begin preparations now for events to take place during National Landscape Architecture Month. The theme for 2008 is Discover Careers in Landscape Architecture. We should be looking for opportunities to reach out to the public, especially schoolchildren, and teach them what landscape architecture is all about. We have several ideas for easy events that could occur in your area during April. Here are just a few ideas you can do at local schools:

School Career Day:  Contact your local schools by writing a letter to the principal or guidance counselor.  See if you can schedule a career day or be a part of one that might already be scheduled.  National ASLA will be offering complementary Landscape Architecture magazines again this year, so they will be great to take along with you.
 
Designing a Dog Park:  The Idaho/Montana chapter did a great job with this last year and worked with 4th & 5th grade classes, to design a dog park for the City of Coeur d' Alene. The project involves not only weekly interactions with the students for over 2 months, but also a serious introduction to landscape architecture for the students and to the design process as well.  You can modify this plan to make it shorter if necessary.  Start now by contacting a school or any local teachers you might know.  The lesson plan for this is available online

Making a Green Roof Model:  This project is great for elementary school children and will introduce them to green roofs.  You can help them create their own model that will actually grow!  This also allows them to utilize their creativity by choosing what kind of building they would want to put their green roof on.  Start now by contacting a school or any local teachers you might know.  The instructions for this are available online.

Other events to consider:
Design Consultations:  This idea is very easy to put together, and only really requires some advertising and volunteer hours from landscape architects in your area. Set up a time and place for design consultations where homeowners can bring photos, drawings of their yard, trouble areas they may be experiencing, etc. Allow 1 hour (or any time allocation you feel is appropriate) for the homeowners to meet with a landscape architect and get ideas for what they should do, creative ways to solve their problem areas, plant selection advice, etc. This is easy to advertise if you involve local botanical gardens (i.e. Leu Gardens, Fairchild Gardens, etc.) And your local news outlets. Sue Fern, our association manager, can help with the advertising areas of these events as well. This would also be a great event to combine with the green roof model project for kids, allowing them to be occupied while Mom and Dad get their design consultation!

Arrange for a display at the Library or City Hall: Libraries and City Hall’s often have a procedure to arrange for a display to be hosted, generally for a week at a time. What a great way to reach out! Check with your local facilities and see if you can arrange for some boards of landscape architectural works can be displayed. The Chapter has introduction boards that explain National Landscape Architecture Month and What is a Landscape Architect that you can add to your display.

Offer to give a lecture at the Library: Libraries are also always looking for good speakers to present programs. Call them up and offer to do a 1 hour presentation on Landscape Architecture. There are powerpoint presentations already developed on the NLAM webpage that you can download and modify to include some local examples.

More information on National Landscape Architecture Month and getting started on your public relations planning can be found on the NLAM webpage.  Meanwhile, please check out the resources for every age group that are available on the ASLA Career Discovery page and be thinking about opportunities to introduce careers in landscape architecture to students in your chapter area.  For inspiration for even more event ideas, check out what some of the top chapters did last year. 

Don’t wait for your Chapter Leaders to schedule an event for you. If you would like to help us plan and host an event in your area, contact your local section chair or one of the elected Chapter Leaders for program support and scheduling review. And most importantly, if you do schedule an event, please let us know so that we can add it to the overall state NLAM schedule of events!

I hope that we can have an event in every section of the Chapter in 2008!

We need your input and feedback so please contact Mary Bates, Immediate Past President at M.Bates@Libradesigngroup.com.