Events

• Contribute to the Arizona Planning Association's Best Practices Database

  Western Lands and Communities, a joint venture of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Sonoran Institute, is gathering information regarding sustainability and climate efforts initiated by local municipalities in the Intermountain West. This research is a follow up measure to the Arizona Planning Association's (APA) recently released policy focus report entitled, “Planning for Climate Change in the West” by Susan Culp and Rebecca Carter. APA is building on this report by focusing on some of the needs articulated by planners in the West for crafting and implementing local climate change and sustainability policies. APA creating a “Best Practices” database to serve as an online clearinghouse for local governments to use to reference climate mitigation and adaptation measures from large-scale initiatives to small-scale code changes. APA intends to provide decision-makers from various community types with information and tools to help them integrate sustainable land-use planning and conservation-related climate change strategies into their growth and land management efforts. Local communities play a decided role in the climate action process and APA wants to facilitate the process of choosing and implementing effective climate change strategies in their communities.
  
  The Arizona Planning Association is inviting your feedback on the database as their efforts progress. Also, they are hoping that you will share any climate related policies or ordinances that you have adopted in your own jurisdiction to put climate planning into action. They are looking for Sustainability and Climate initiatives, as well as notable practices in:
  
  Energy – Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  Land Use and Development – Green Building, Urban Heat Island, Compact Development
  Water – Conservation, Flood and Drought Planning, Future Resources
  Air – VOC Reduction Measures, Carbon Credits
  Waste – Reduction, Energy Generation
  Forestry – Land Preservation and Conservation, Urban Forestry, Local Agriculture
  Climate Adaptation – Risk/Disaster Management, Resource Shortages, Scenario Planning
  
  Please forward all responses to Erika Mahoney at emahoney@sonoraninstitute.org
  
  Your input and expertise regarding the actions within your jurisdiction are greatly appreciated.

   

• Support the Local ASU Student Chapter

  The ASLA ASU Student Chapter is looking forward to a prospective academic year, filled with many events for our student members to connect with landscape architecture, the local professionals, and community at large. This year we are enforcing student membership fees to help fund our community and volunteer events planned for later in the year.  Each student will be receiving a membership bag filled with useful student information, club information, and “goodies” donated to us by local companies and firms.

  With that said, the student organization is in search of firms/organizations that would be able to assist in one of two ways regarding membership bags.

  We are looking for companies to help sponsor the bags by offering a minimum $35 donation to the student chapter, and supply a monochrome illustrator file of their company logo to screen print on the reusable totes that we are giving to our student members. These bags will be designed, in-house by a student officer, printed by a local company, and will have a group design on one side, and sponsors on the other side.  Our goal is to obtain at least 8 sponsors for the bag.

  The other opportunity to help is by donating items to include inside the bag. Having received many items in the past through other functions, we understand that marketing is very important to any business, and that includes giveaways for events, sponsorships, and conventions.  We are asking to see if companies could generously donate at least 75 quantity of items such as pens, pencils, rulers, scales, stress balls, candies, toys, note pads, etc. that has their company logo, which we’ll include in student member bags.  If you have business cards, flyers, and printed publications, you are more than welcome to include those as well with your donation. 

  The ASLA ASU Student Chapter thanks you for your time and support regarding this cause.  Your donations and assistance will be much appreciated.  Please contact Valerie Ahyong, ASLA ASU Student Chapter President at 602.628.5113 or vahyong@asu.edu if you have any questions, suggestions, or are interested in making a donation.

   

• University of Arizona Underwood Sonoran Landscape Laboratory

  University of Arizona President Robert Shelton stopped by the Underwood Family Sonoran Landscape Laboratory to talk with Ron Stoltz, Associate Dean of the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.  The topics were about the importance of environmental sustainability and the important actions that CALA has taken to educate design students; inform the community; reduce water consumption; and diminish the heat island effect.

  View the video clip at <http://uanews.org/click/32866/1>