Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The 2011-2012 Executive Committee is off to a strong start!

Prior to the 2011 Holiday Party, the new executive committee held their first business meeting. As always there are lots of opportunities for volunteers and we would love your help in planning for a great 2012!

You can check out all the current meeting minutes here to stay up to date on the chapter's work!

ASLA Board of Trustees met at the 2011 ASLA Annual Meeting!

Interested in knowing what the leadership of ASLA discussed at their recent Board of Trustees meeting?

Check out the full report here!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Green Buildings in Indianapolis: Creating a Sustainable Future

Below is the link to the full-length green building documentary titled “Green Buildings in Indianapolis: Creating a Sustainable Future.” http://www.youtube.com/user/IndyDPW#p/a/u/0/admXx-vLj0w The 54-minute documentary features several green buildings in Indianapolis. Specifically, it highlights the construction and completion of The Nature Conservancy’s new Indiana headquarters building – The Efroymson Conservation Center. The building, completed last March, is currently seeking LEED certification and expects to receive a Platinum rating. It will be the first LEED Platinum building in the state of Indiana. The documentary project was a partnership effort between The Nature Conservancy, WCTY Channel 16 (Indianapolis Public Access channel), and the Office of Sustainability. The project began in early 2009, just prior to the beginning of the construction process, and was recently completed. The documentary was posted to YouTube today and will be officially announced tomorrow as Indianapolis’ first green building documentary. The documentary was written, produced, and directed by Allyson Pumphrey, LEED AP, with help from Tony Elliot, an intern in the Office of Sustainability and IUPUI SPEA grad student. The documentary will begin airing on Channel 16 next week.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Bench Build Session

Join us as we kick-off the Landscape Elements Campaign for National Landscape Architecture Month this weekend!

What: Bench Build Session

When: Saturday, April 2, 2011, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm


Where: Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Headquarters, 1029 Fletcher Avenue, Indianapolis, IN

The headquarters is located on the southwest corner of Fletcher Avenue and Shelby Street. Pull around to the back and enter the service yeard off of Grove Avenue- the main/ front doors will be locked.


Tools and materials will be set up and ready on Saturday morning- all you need are work clothes and closed-toed shoes.


Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Is It Easy to Be Active in Your Community?

Is it easy to be active in your community? As we consider the obesity epidemic in the country and its relationship to heart disease and, of course, Type II diabetes, we need to look at the way our communities function. In decades past, people walked and rode bikes as a form of transportation, performed dozens of tasks we now use machines for, and had access to fresh and healthy food on a daily basis. Since the 1950s society has changed in ways that make it more difficult to be physically active.
Did you know that 40 percent of all car trips are made within two miles of home? 1 Many of these trips are made by car because there are physical or perceived barriers to walking or biking. Sidewalk networks are incomplete (if they exist), crossings are dangerous, retail uses and schools and churches are separated from neighborhoods, bike parking isn’t available, car drivers don’t know how to share the road with bikes, and bicyclists may not be comfortable enough to do so safely. All of these factors contribute to fewer opportunities to lead an active lifestyle.

More than 60 percent of American adults are not regularly physically active. In fact, 25 percent of all adults are not active at all.2 Moderate physical activity of just 30 minutes a day most days of the week is the amount needed to reduce health risks3, including the risk for Type II diabetes. Walking or biking to and from the store, school, workplace or place of worship could fulfill this basic requirement.

Across the country groups and individuals are working to raise awareness of these issues and make the active lifestyle-health-land use-transportation connection to achieve active, healthy communities. AARP has a liveable communities initiative that advocates walkability and complete streets. The National Complete Streets Coalition includes partners like the Bikes Belong Coalition. State and local campaigns for complete streets are also underway. Individuals are making a difference participating in Safe Routes to School activities, speaking out in favor of pedestrian connectivity and bike routes at plan commission and local legislative hearings, and testifying before their state legislatures. As a DESA member, you are likely already an active person and could benefit from better connections in your community. You can also be an advocate to encourage others to be healthy and promote active lifestyles in your communities. Learn more about active communities and get involved in your where you live to improve the ability to bike and walk locally.
Learn more about active communities ~
AARP Liveable Communities:
http://www.aarp.org/research/ppi/liv-com/

Bikes Belong Coalition
http://www.bikesbelong.org/

National Center for Biking and Walking
http://www.bikewalk.org/

National Center for Safe Routes to School
www.saferoutesinfo.org

National Complete Streets Coalition
http://www.completestreets.org/
Author Rose Scovel, AICP is a Senior Planner and Associate at LSL Planning, Inc. in Indianapolis, IN. She is currently president of the Indiana chapter of the American Planning Association and an avid runner and cyclist. She is also a Type II diabetic.

1 League of American Bicyclists: http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/why/environment.php
The State of Indiana has a goal that all Hoosiers will live within 15 minutes of a trail.
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/intro.htm
3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Congratulations David! 2010 Claire Bennett Legacy Award Winner

In 2003, INASLA unveiled the initial “Claire Bennett Legacy Award” to recognize individual knowledge achievement, and service to the profession and the Indiana Chapter. The award honors long-time Indiana Chapter Member Claire Bennett, FASLA. Claire served as the president of the Indiana Chapter in 1978 and as the National President of ASLA in 1990-91. The legacy of service she has provided for the Indiana Chapter, as well as the leadership to ASLA on a national level inspired the creation of this award named in her honor to recognize those members who embody those same ideals.


INASLA members who have maintained full membership in the Society for the last ten years may be nominated for the Claire Bennett Legacy Award. The award recipient(s) are selected in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the profession by excellence in administrative work in public agencies, in direct service to the Society and/or profession, in executed works of Landscape Architecture, or in professional school instruction or in professional writing. The INASLA Executive Committee selected the recipient of this award.

This year, we are pleased to honor David Gorden, ASLA with the 2010 INASLA Claire Bennett Legacy Award.

David Gorden graduated with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Illinois in 1981. Upon graduating he received the Department of Landscape Architecture's Edward L. Ryerson Fellowship through which he spent six months in New Zealand studying the work of landscape architects in that country's National Parks. Since then his extensive travels have taken him to over 65 countries around the world.

He joined Mark M. Holeman, Inc. in 1989 and now manages the firm's design staff while also overseeing a wide variety of projects. He is a frequent speaker on landscape matters and has taught classes at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and White River Gardens.


David is a Licensed Landscape Architect in the States of Indiana and Illinois and has been recognized with a variety of awards and honors from a variety of organizations :

Indiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects:
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Monumental Awards:
St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild Decorators’ Show House:
International Society of Arboriculture and Indiana Arborists Association


David has continued to be a leader in his profession, serving the chaptewr in a variety of positions, including

President – 1999
Chair – Annual Meeting – 2005
Chair – Chapter 30th Anniversary Celebration – 2003
Chapter Representative - ASLA Licensure Summit– 2006, 2007 and 2009

As part of his commitment to the chapter and the profession, David has also served as:
Chair – Annual Indiana Green Expo Luncheon and Speaker – 1997-2010
Representative - Indiana Invasive Plant Species Working Group (IPSAWG) – 2001- 2009 and Indiana Invasive Plant Advisory Committee – 2010-present.
Co-Chair of Indiana School for the Blind Monon Trailhead Project. Project awarded 2002 Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Monumental Affair Achievement Award.
Chair of School Tree Planting Program.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Monumental Awards Steering Committee/Landscape Architecture Jury Chair – 2002-present

His service beyond INASLA is also extensive. His many affiliations and positions in other allied organizations have included service on the:
Indianapolis Art Center Building Committee
Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society Executive Committee
Indiana Urban Forest Council Board of Directors
St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild Decorators’ Show House Design Committee
Meridian Kessler Neighborhood Association (Indianapolis) Land Use Committee
Indianapolis Museum of Art Horticultural Society Vice-President
Binford Redevelopment and Growth (BRAG) Advisory Council

David has was also appointed by Governor Joseph E. Kernan to serve from 2004-2008 on the Indiana Board of Registration for Architects and Landscape Architects, serving as Chair of this Board from 2005-06.

David’s service to the profession – as well as his outstanding projects - have made him a leader in the field of Landscape Architecture in the State of Indiana.

The Indiana Chapter of ASLA is proud to honor David Gorden with the 2010 Claire Bennett Legacy Award for his Service to the Profession.

Monday, October 11, 2010

INASLA NLAM 2010 Event: Clark Elementary School


In collaboration with school staff, students, and parents of Clark Elementary, Cory Daly and Dan Syrus developed a conceptual site master plan for an 11 acre site as part of the school’s annual Earth Day celebration. Cory and Dan participated in two design charrettes as part of the process to generate design ideas from the students and staff so the outdoor classroom could be a vision of the entire school and not just the landscape architects.
The school grounds include butterfly gardens, kitchen gardens, sun gardens, shade gardens, and native prairie gardens. Opportunities of learning wait around every corner for students as they run and play in the outdoor gardens. Students learn through interaction with on-site stormwater management techniques, interpretive signage, an interactive waterfall, hummingbird feeders, and bat boxes.
An interactive trail meanders through the prairie gardens and provides the opportunity for students to learn about 50 different types of Indiana native trees. Interpretive signage will be stationed at every tree and every type of garden throughout to enhance the student’s learning experience. A sundial plaza will also serve to instill knowledge of our earth’s solar system and provide social interaction for all who participate.
Overall, the design of the site incorporates all types of users, all types of plants, and all types of learning opportunities that will be shared and enjoyed through multiple generations today and for years to come.



Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. cordially invites you to attend the 33rd annual A Monumental Affair Dinner & Awards Ceremony.

Indiana Roof Ballroom
140 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204-3485


Thursday November 11, 2010
6PM Cash Bar
7PM Program & Dinner


RSVP by Friday November 5, 2010
$80 per person
$600 per table of 8
To RSVP, or for more information visit Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc on the web.
Payment is required in advance. Seating assignment will be given at check-in.


The Monumental Award, representing the most significant visual and physical enhancement in Marion County, is selected by an impartial jury of community and professional leaders. This is the highest award of distinction and is chosen from the honor award winners in each category.


Friday, September 24, 2010

Rethink. Renew. Revitalize: Indiana ASLA


2010 INASLA Annual Meeting and Design Awards Presentation

Rethink. Renew. Revitalize.
I N D I A N A A S L A

Historic Fountain Square Theatre
Friday, October 8, 2010. 8:00 am. – 5:00 pm.


Schedule
7:30-8:30 Registration and Participant Breakfast
8:00-8:30 Welcome comments
8:30-9:30 General Session: Panel Discussion (1 CEU)
The Role of Design in Neighborhood Revitalization


Morning Sessions
9:45-10:45 Concurrent Breakout Session #1 (1 CEU)
Session 1A: Complete Streets, Indiana:
Irene Wegner, AARP Indiana
Complete streets are those designed and operated to enable safe access for all users – pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and public transportation users of all ages and abilities – in moving along and across roadways; they are appropriate in all communities, regardless of size or setting. The proposed session will:·highlight the benefits of complete streets, including links to health, safety, the environment, transportation network capacity, community development, and economics;· provide an overview of design elements, planning and engineering guidance, and implementation resources;· discuss the development and adoption of local, regional (MPO), and state policies for complete streets; and · engage attendees in becoming advocates for complete streets in their communities.
Speaker Biography: Irene Wegner, Associate State Director, Community Outreach Irene has worked with AARP for fourteen years, including time at the Midwest Regional Office. Before joining AARP, she worked with volunteers and community organizations by monitoring and funding over 28 agencies in the northern Chicago suburbs. She was a Director of Religious Education and taught school in various locations. Irene also helped to found WilPower, Inc., a housing and psychosocial center for persons with mental illness on Chicago’s north shore. She is an avid bicyclist and a member of Health by Design, the MPO Multi-Modal Task Force in Indianapolis, the Indiana Healthy Weight Initiative Senior Group, Crooked Creek Economic Development Corp Board member, and Bicycle Indiana. Irene holds a BS degree from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Public Administration from Roosevelt University. For the past three years her work concentration has been in the area of livable communities, primarily with mobility issues.

Session 1B: Environmental Habitat Stewardship:
Lisa Dunaway, ASLA, LEED AP, Sensible Ecology, LLC.
This session will cover some basic ecological principles that will assist landscape architects in making better design decisions for long-term ecological and economic sustainability. Attendees will learn how to help protect biodiversity from the backyard scale to the regional scale. This session is a brief version of the Environmental Habitat Steward Certificate Program developed by Lisa in partnership with the Indiana Wildlife Federation.
Speaker Biography: Lisa Dunaway specializes in the creation and design of ecological assessments and recommendations for the preservation of ecological biodiversity and economic sustainability. She has experience with municipal comprehensive and urban design plans, parks and recreation master planning, and other projects relating to sustainability such as native landscape plantings and green infrastructure design. She also has completed numerous projects involving site sustainability planning, regional ecological planning, economic revitalization, commercial site design, downtown streetscapes, and recreation and trail planning. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from Ball State University and is a LEED Accredited Professional. She is currently completing a Master of Ecological Planning degree at the University of Vermont. She is also an Instructor of Urban Planning at Ball State University and the Owner of Sensible Ecology, LLC.

10:45-11:00 Vendor Expo Session

11:00-12:00 Concurrent Breakout Session #2 (1 CEU)
Session 2A: Integrating Green Infrastructure for CSO Abatement & Enhanced Public Spaces
Ms. Jean Wodarek, PE, LEED AP, Williams Creek Consulting, Inc.
Emily Kusz, RLA, LEED AP, Williams Creek Consulting, Inc.
The presentation will provide an overview of an in-depth technical and financial analysis of the potential outcomes of implementing Green Infrastructure Best Management Practices (GI BMPs) on a large scale throughout Indianapolis, Indiana. Results indicate up to 30% reduction in peak flows where GI BMPs are implemented and approximately 1.6 billion gallons per year of stormwater to be removed from the CSO system. The most cost effective GI BMPs appear to be on-lot residential rain gardens, dual use passive recreation and distributed storage bioretention systems along streets and alleys. Current pilot projects to be monitored to show the effectiveness of GI BMPs relative to the Master Plan are currently designed and ready to be built. The first two pilot projects have been public private partnerships working with the local community and business owners for increased drainage in areas with limited infrastructure while providing enhanced landscape features and public plazas. The Ohio Street Green Infrastructure/Drainage Improvement Project is a partnership effort to improve the 600-700 block of East Ohio Street. The project seeks to improve drainage, handicap accessibility, and deteriorating urban infrastructure to capitalize on recent private investment in the area as a means to continue strengthening the Cole-Noble neighborhood. The project features 1,200 square feet of pervious concrete sidewalk, 500 linear feet of pervious concrete curb and gutter and an approximately 750 square feet of rain garden. These Green Infrastructure retrofits will manage runoff from approximately 16,000 square feet of impervious surface and will infiltrate and attenuate 80% to 90% of the volume and rate, respectively, in a typical year. The Alabama Street pilot project will extend and enhance an existing boulevard median into a 2,500 square foot pedestrian plaza made of porous concrete, pavers, and rain gardens. Retrofits to the road alongside the median will include the integration of four bumpout rain gardens, each approximately 240 square feet. The pedestrian plaza and rain gardens will manage approximately 3 acres of runoff, or about 1 acre of impervious surface. It will infiltrate and attenuate 80% to 90% of the runoff volume and rate, respectively, in a typical year. More specifically, the project will address how landscape architects can address issues such as stormwater management in both traditional landscape improvement projects and public spaces such as plazas.
Speaker Biography :Ms. Jean Wodarek, PE, LEED AP is currently a Senior Project Manager at Williams Creek Consulting in Indianapolis. She has been involved with the planning and design of a wide range of Civil Engineering projects for over 21 years. Her background includes surveying, construction inspection, site evaluation and master planning, storm water management, and all aspects of public and private utility and infrastructure design, sustainable sites and Green Infrastructure master planning and design, project management, and quality assurance review. Her most recent projects include the City of Indianapolis Green Infrastructure Master Implementation Plan, the City of Lafayette Green Infrastructure Feasibility and Prioritization Study, the City of Columbus Ohio Reservoir Pollution Reduction Project, the LaPorte Joint Zoning Ordinance, and numerous private development projects incorporating green infrastructure. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University and is a registered Professional Engineer in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
Ms. Emily Kusz, RLA, LEED AP has gained extensive experience in landscape design, while participating in over five years of commercial and residential civil engineering layout and plan development. Her diverse work experience ranging from direct client interaction, to land plan and landscape design, to plan development conducting her own drainage and grading calculations in AutoCAD have provided her with a diverse background and unique abilities directly related to low impact site design. With her unique professional experience combined with her education, Ms. Kusz has developed a deep understanding and commitment to sustainable site development. Ms. Kusz holds a bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Ball State University with a minor in Natural Resources and Environmental Management.

Session 2B: Branding & Positioning Secrets for a Down Economy:
Josh Miles, Miles Design
Uncover the secrets to growing your business by narrowing your focus. We'll discuss the power of niche positioning using the "wedge" model, and how to market within that niche to appeal to the broadest number of people. We'll look at a framework to help you envision your expert firm, building upon your marketing assets, discovering which branding and marketing assets you need to develop next (branding, positioning, interactive, social media, print, and networking), and explore a roadmap for which marketing tactics to pursue first. Finally, we'll delve into the pivotal role that thought leadership plays in demonstrating your unique positioning, especially in a downturn. This will be a very interactive session - plan to leave with handouts and roadmaps for uniquely positioning your firm!
Speaker Biography: Josh Miles is principal of Miles Design, an award-winning Indianapolis branding and design firm. Miles Design specializes in positioning, branding and interactive design for premium brands and professional services firms. Their client list includes Ratio Architects, Bose McKinney & Evans, Chalet, ExactTarget, AIT Laboratories, and KITE.

As a substitute to the morning’s indoor sessions, participants may choose:

9:45-11:45 Walking Tour # 1 (2 CEU)
Join Leaders from Southeast Neighborhood Development Corp. on a walking tour of the Fountain Square Neighborhood.

12:00-12:30 Vendor Expo Session

12:30-2:30 Lunch and INASLA Awards Presentation
Luncheon Speaker (1 CEU): Gary Scott, ASLA, Immediate Past President
Awards Presentation (.5 CEU)

Afternoon Sessions

2:30-3:00 Vendor Expo Session

3:00-4:00 Concurrent Breakout Session #3 (1 CEU)
Session 3A: St. Clair Place: Streetscape and Neighborhood Revitalization:
Jonathan Mooney, ASLA, RLA, LEED AP, R.W. Armstrong
The presentation will be about St. Clair, but will center around RW Armstrong’s interaction with the City and the office of sustainability. Jonathan is inviting a rep from the city, and his hope is to talk about the project itself, which has to do with redeveloping the neighborhood, introducing a housing TIF finance district to pay for the improvements and the partnership of various people throughout the project.
Speaker Biography: Jonathan’s responsibilities include business development, project management, design, graphics, and staff management. Jonathan’s background has provided him a well rounded approach to design and project management. With 15 years of experience, he has worked on many types of projects including site and landscape design, transportation, urban design, historic preservation, environmental planning, and grant writing projects. Jonathan is recognized for his plant knowledge, public facilitation, construction documents, and his graphic design abilities and is able to work with clients through all phases of a project. As Urban Design Manager, Jonathan oversees the development of community aesthetic plans, identity strategies, streetscape design, marketing communication efforts, environmental design, preservation of natural landscapes, and alternative transportation planning.

Session 3B: Setting Clear Expectations: CJ McClanahan, reachmore
Before you can improve the performance of your team, it is absolutely critical that they know exactly what they need to do to get a raise, earn a promotion, and make you happy. In this session, you’ll learn simple strategies for setting expectations.
Speaker Biography: CJ McClanahan is the founder and president of reachmore, a leadership training and consulting firm. He writes a column on leadership for the Indianapolis Business Journal. Over the past five years, he has spoken to thousands of professionals throughout central Indiana and has helped more than 150 business owners and corporate management teams achieve record sales and profits. After beginning his career with Arthur Andersen, where he helped organizations use technology to improve their business processes, Mr. McClanahan shifted his focus toward the small business. He served as the director of finance and operations for a mid-sized manufacturing organization and as a director of sales and business development for a software company with global sales of more than $20 million. He began his consulting career as a licensed business coach with Action Coach and was soon recognized as one of the top coaches in the United States. Mr. McClanahan was named to the 2006 class of the Indianapolis Business Journal “40 under Forty” list.

As a substitute to the afternoon’s indoor sessions, participants may choose:

2:30-4:30 Walking Tour # 2 (2 CEU)
Join Leaders of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and tour their facilities.

4:00-6:00 Social Hour: Duckpin Bowling

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Need some inspiration....check out some thoughts from the ASLA Annual Meeting Keynote Speaker Majora Carter!

“I believe that you shouldn’t have to leave your neighborhood to live in a better one.”
Environmental and urban planning advocate Majora Carter advises cities, foundations, universities, businesses, and communities around the world on unlocking their green-collar economic potential to benefit everyone. In 2001, she founded Sustainable South Bronx to achieve environmental justice through economically sustainable projects formed by community needs. Today, through the Majora Carter Group, LLC, her work simultaneously addresses public health, poverty alleviation, and climate change. She is currently working in the city of Detroit on a project to train residents to become "urban agriculture technicians" and to organize a market for selling the products throughout the greater Detroit area. Carter's work has earned numerous awards including a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship. She was named one of Essence magazine's 25 Most Influential African-Americans and one of The New York Post's Most Influential New York City Women. Newsweek named her one of "25 To Watch" in 2007 and one of the "century's most important environmentalists" in 2008. She is a board member of the Wilderness Society and hosts a special National Public Radio series called "The Promised Land" and the Sundance Channel's "Eco-Heroes."
For more information on Majora and her company The Majora Carter Group visit her website!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

2010 Lilly Day of Service: Volunteers Needed

As part of this year’s Annual Meeting, INASLA members will have the opportunity to partner with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful in the Lilly Day of Service. INASLA volunteers will assist in “quality control” – helping teams of Lilly employees properly locate and plant some 15,000 trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs.

An outstanding way to “give back,” the commitment involved a one-hour education session (worth 1 CEU) held in the weeks before the day of service and 4 hours on-site, either 8-12-1-5 (or all day, if you desire).

Please contact Sean Rotar at 317.332.9430 to reserve your place in the INASLA volunteer team.

For more about the project please visit the KIB project page.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

INASLA Job Opportunity: New Post!

Click here to read the full post!

INASLA : Call for Volunteers and all Interested "Park Builders"


This year, INASLA is joining AFH-Indianapolis (Architecture for Humanity - Indianapolis Chapter : http://afh-indy.org ) and other Profit and Non-Profit organizations throughout our community to present PARK(ing) Day 2010 to the downtown population of our great city. For those that don't know, in short, PARK(ing) Day is a global event when concerned and forward thinking groups of citizens partner together to turn urban parking spaces into small, viable, community parks - for one entire day. AFH-Indy did it quite successfully, on their own, last year and has opened up the event to other interested groups in Indianapolis. INASLA will be joining the cause and "developing" our own parking space, downtown, in celebration of PARK(ing) Day 2010.

What: PARK(ing) Day 2010
When: Friday, September 17, 2010
Time: All Day - (6 am - 3 pm : plus or minus)
More Information: Click here

We're calling on INASLA membership to join forces for this great event. We will have one (1) downtown parking space that we will be able to turn into a "Park" for one day on Friday, September 17. It's an all day event, so, we'll need a few folks to be involved all day and some to take "shifts" in joining fellow LA's at the space downtown, promoting the event and promoting the cause.

Once we have a committed group of volunteers, we'll have a meeting to coordinate work shifts, material donation solicitation and other logistics for the event. We'll need you all to utilize your resources to help us collect materials for our park that willing vendors, nurseries and the like are willing to donate for the day. There will be no promotion opportunities for "for-profit" organizations, but, those folks that donate materials are more than welcome to join the volunteer effort and spend time in the space downtown.

We'll need a variety of materials including, containerized perennials and grasses, containerized sedges and rushes, containerized trees, pavers, benches and the like. The ExComm committe is currently trying to come up with a couple design options to present to the volunteer group, so that we have a direction for the design and layout of the parking space. The final "design" will be determined once we have a group of volunteers committed to the effort. It should be noted that AFH-Indy wants to utilize as much of the donated materials, as humanly possible, in order to put in an urban park at a Community Center at 23rd and Guilford, after the PARK(ing) day event is over. As you're talking to material donors, please mention this and see if they're willing to commit materials for permanent use in the community.

Please email Katie Clark or Ben Jennings to put your name on the volunteer list. It would be great to have a large and diverse group of volunteers from our membership, so, please feel free to commit sooner rather than later. For more information see the PARK(ing) Day website for more details about what the event entails.

Katie Clark (CClark@rwa.com)
Ben Jennings (
ben.jennings.design@gmail.com)

Thanks, in advance, for your help with this great event. The deadline for committing to volunteer is Noon on Friday, August 20th. After that, we'll have an organizational meeting to get ready for the September event.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

New Job Posting

American Structure Point: Senior Project Manager
For position and contact information click here.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

17th Annual INASLA Golf Outing

Come join us for an incredible day of golf and social gathering. We will play a scrambleformat, so dust off your clubs and make your reservation! This is an INASLA-Vendorsponsoredevent, so your golf fees, food and beverages will be covered (3 ASLA membersand 1 Sponsor per foursome).

August 27, 2010
The Fort Golf Resort
6002 North Post Road Indianapolis IN USA 46216
317.543.9597
www.thefortgolfcourse.com

9:00 PUTTING CONTEST and REGISTRATION
10:00 SHOTGUN START

Grilled Lunch and Beverages provided
Reception following golf: Appetizers, Beverages, and Prizes


A $25 reservation fee for all golfers covers the following:
1 reserved spot on a foursome
2 chances in the putting contest
Hole contests
1 ticket for the prize table drawing
1 Mulligan per player to help the overall team score

MARK YOUR CALENDAR, RSVP AND SEND YOUR CHECK TO:
Julie Zigler (317) 585-0167
112 Shadowlawn Dr., Fishers, IN 46038
jzigler@irrigationdesignsource.com

Space is limited. E-mail or call in your reservation today.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

2010 Claire Bennett Legacy Award: Call for Entries

In 2003, INASLA unveiled the initial "Claire Bennett Legacy Award" to recognize individual achievement, service and knowledge to the profession and the Indiana Chapter. The award honors long-time Indiana Chapter Member Claire Bennett, FASLA. Claire served as the president of the Indiana Chapter in 1978 and as the National President of ASLA in 1990-91. The legacy of service she has provided for the Indiana Chapter, as well as the leadership to ASLA on a national level inspired the creation of this award named in her honor to recognize those members who embody those same ideals.

In 2010, members are encouraged to nominate individuals, agencies, firms, or other groups for special recognition based on service to the Indiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the landscape architecture profession, or stewardship to the environment.

The INASLA Executive Committee will select the recipient(s) of this award.

You can find the Clair Bennett Legacy Award information here.
All submissions are due Friday, August 6, 2010 by 4:30 pm.

2010 INASLA Awards Program: Call for Entries

The INASLA Professional Awards Program was created to recognize professional excellence and outstanding examples of landscape architecture by Indiana landscape architects. These awards honor works that represent the forefront of the profession of Landscape Architecture and embody high levels of creativity and imagination. Any individual, firm, agency or institution is eligible to submit a project for consideration provided that:
  • Projects submitted may be located outside of Indiana, but there must have been project involvement by a member in good standing of the Indiana Chapter of ASLA.
The four categories are: Constructed Projects, Unbuilt Works, Residential Works and the INPAWS Award (Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society).

In addition to the traditional Honor and Merit Awards, the jury may also select an 'Award of Excellence' for the single most outstanding submission (of the combined collection of Constructed, Unbuilt and Residential entries.)

The complete awards packet can be found here.

All submissions are due Friday, August 6, 2010 by 4:30 pm.

2010 INASLA Executive Committee Elections

It's that time of year again. The 2010 INASLA Executive Committee ballot has been confirmed and we are ready for you to vote. Before casting your ballot please feel free to review the brief bio statments from the nominees.

You can also access the 2010 Executive Committee Ballot here.

Please note that completed ballots are due back no later than close of business on July 20, 2010.
Thank you for taking the time to cast a ballot for your elected representatives, and helping to make the upcoming year a success!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Pilot Projects Put SITES into Action

More than 150 pilot projects in all scales commit to applying the guidelines. The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) has selected pilot projects to test a national rating system for sustainable landscape design, construction, and maintenance.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture, New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward Sustainable Infrastructure Project, and the Indianapolis Super Bowl Village join more than 150 other projects that include educational centers, transportation corridors, industrial complexes, and private residences in employing cutting-edge guidelines and performance benchmarks outlined in the SITES Rating System. Pilot project locations and descriptions can be found at
www.sustainablesites.org/pilot.

ASLA participated in a conference call on the Obama Administration’s response to the BP Gulf oil spill. The call featured Valerie Jarrett, Senior Domestic Policy Advisor to the President; Carol Browner, Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy; and Nancy Sutley Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The abbreviated call highlighted recent Administration activities on the oil spill. Recently, ASLA wrote to former Senator Bob Graham, Hon. ASLA, who is co-chairing the president’s commission on the BP oil spill, to remind him of the expertise landscape architects can bring in mitigation efforts in the Gulf region. Government Affairs staff will continue to monitor federal developments in addressing this catastrophe and will continue to highlight the role of the profession in remediation and mitigation strategies that will be in high demand as this battered region begins to recover.

In coordination with ASLA’s letter to former Sen. Bob Graham, Hon. ASLA, applauding the efforts of President Obama’s commission on the BP oil spill to work quickly on a remediation and mitigation strategy for affected areas along the Gulf Coast, staff created a featured page on asla.org with an offer of support and links to where to donate time and money. Staff are working with Government Affairs to host an open forum on the spill at the annual meeting.