October 2019 Newsletter
ASLA UTAH OCTOBER 2019 NEWSLETTER
UPCOMING EVENTS
SAVE THE DATE!
ASLA Utah Conference on Landscape Architecture
Friday, May 15th, 2020
Gateway Mall, Salt Lake City
Be on the lookout for more information to come!
Lunch and Learn hosted by Lucky Dog
November 5, 2019
ASLA Utah Chapter Office, 280 S 400 W #150, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Lessons Learned Lunch with Shalae Larsen
November 12, 2019
ASLA Utah Chapter Office, 280 S 400 W #150, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Leadership Express
Colin Olson, Chapter President
Hello All!
I'd like to elaborate a bit on the theme for the 2020 ASLA Utah Conference on Landscape Architecture.
We've chosen The Gateway as the venue for the conference. Most of you are probably aware of the history of the Gateway. In the not so distant past, it was the premiere commercial space in Salt Lake City. A few years passed, circumstances changed, and The Gateway appeared to be doomed. To go with the Halloween theme, many perceived it as a zombie mall. With some fresh investment and a creative vision, new life was breathed into The Gateway. It emerged from the ground and crawled right out of the graveyard!
As people and professionals, we all must adapt at different times to the pressures thrust on us by outside forces, and position ourselves to thrive. The theme of the conference will be centered around this concept. I'm looking forward to developing the program and welcome any of your thoughts on what would be beneficial for you.
Thank you to all of you for allowing me to serve as Chapter President for the past year. I've learned a lot and been continually impressed with the rest of the executive committee as everyone gives their time and strives to contribute. I guess this is the last President's Letter I'll be writing. Lauren Smith takes the reins as Chapter President on November 1st. Lauren has already elevated the chapter through her role as President Elect, I'm confident that trend will continue as she takes over
Over and out,
Colin Olson
The ASLA Utah Memorial Scholarship
Geoff Ellis, Memorial Fund Chair
The Utah ASLA Memorial Fund began with a donation by the family of Utah landscape architect Happ Young, in his memory. The fund, established before the Utah Chapter of ASLA was split from the Rocky Mountain Chapter in the early 1970’s, was intended to grow and eventually provide scholarships for students, although much of it was in fact given to the ASLA Building Fund for the purchase of the national ASLA headquarters in Washington, DC.
The fund was replenished in the 1980’s by a donation from Utah ASLA and Karsten Hansen, sometimes known as “The Father of Landscape Architecture in Utah.” After his death, the suggestion was made to name the fund after him, but in the end it was simply called the Memorial Fund, to honor the memory not just of Happ Young and Karsten Hansen, but of all the members of the Utah Chapter of ASLA who have passed away. The purpose of the fund was defined as providing visibility for the profession and benefits to the general community in Utah. The scholarship was established in 2012 for students in the LAEP Department at USU, with the first award granted in 2013.
An eligible student must be a junior or a 1st or 2nd-year graduate student and must be a student member of both the national ASLA organization and the LAEP Student Chapter of ASLA. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic achievement and their potential to provide positive visibility to the profession and benefits to the communities where they will live. Each year, LAEP faculty select three finalists from among the eligible students and submit their names and bios for a final vote by the Memorial Fund Committee, which consists of the Memorial Fund Chair, the Utah ASLA Chapter President, Chapter Treasurer, and one other member of the Utah ASLA Executive Committee.
We’re pleased that we’ve been able to make a difference for LAEP students. Patricia Beckert, the scholarship winner in 2018, wrote “Since I was younger, I have the dream of getting higher education, but I did not have opportunities after finishing high school. In Peru, quality education is a privilege for the rich and powerful. Coming from another country, growing up in a single family household, and becoming the first generation in my family to go to college, I value educational opportunities because higher education is expensive, and this scholarship is helping me pay for part of my tuition this year.”
The recipients to date have been:
2013-2014 Kim Cloward Drown - MLA, '14
2014-2015 Sam Taylor - BLA '15
2015-2016 Hailey Wall - BLA '16
Since 2012, the investments in the fund have done well, and we’ve been able to increase the scholarship amount from $1,000 to $1,500, making it one of the larger scholarships at LAEP. Even so, that amount does not go very far in today’s dollars, and we’d like to grow the fund to the point where it would provide a scholarship to cover an entire semester’s tuition. For this reason, the revamped Utah ASLA website will have an option to donate to the Memorial Fund, and we will be highlighting the fund and reminding everyone of donation opportunities at the Winter Social.
Thank You!
Survier Castillo, 2019 Scholarship Recipient
Dear Members of the LAEP Advancement Board,
I am humbled by your decision to award me the LAEP Advancement Board Scholarship. Thank you for the faith and trust you have in me to utilize this scholarship. I will continue to work hard to enhance my education and knowledge and I will not let this support be wasted.
I admire your thoughtfulness and care in helping complete strangers finance their education. I am so grateful that you have chosen to help me. With your contribution, I will be able to focus on my education more fully, without the lingering worries of financing. This is a great help to me and there is no way I will ever be able to show my full appreciation and gratitude to you.
I have always loved design, and when I found USU's remarkable landscape architecture program I felt like I had finally found a place that made sense to me. It combined my love for design with my affinity for horticulture and spatial planning, and it provides a real opportunity to make an impact on my environment.
Within the sphere of landscape architecture, I want to address issues of disability access and inclusion within poverty-stricken and low-income neighborhoods, particularly issues related to climate change and growth. As someone who immigrated from a third-world fishing village, I have seen firsthand how income can limit one's access to accommodations we often take for granted as basic and universal.
There is a lot of exciting work for landscape architects these days, I’m eager to be part of that work. Now and in the future, I hope to be doing work that takes steps to mitigate the impact that growth will cause to the most vulnerable populations. Thanks to your generosity, that goal is more achievable than ever before.
Thank you for the kindness and support you have given me.
Sincerely,
Survier Castillo
New Website Coming Soon!
Lauren Smith, President Elect
Be on the lookout for a brand new ASLA Utah Website. ASLA Utah’s Executive Committee has been working towards and updated website to better serve our chapter and our members. We’ve created this website from the template offered by ASLA National which will allow for a more consistent brand as well as more sophisticated functions.
We are planning to launch the website December 1st! Be on the lookout for an e-mail blast when it officially launches. Please bear with us, as we anticipate there being some minor quirks that we will need to work through as we get it up and running. We would greatly appreciate you contacting me (Lauren Smith), McKenna (our Social Media Chair), and/or Jenny (our Executive Director) of anything you find on the website that isn’t working and/or anything you’d like to see added.
Thanks for your patience,. We hope you find the updated website as a valuable tool!
City of Pittsburg Modernizes Waste Collection Process While Combating Climate Change
Victor Stanley, Platinum Sponsor Article
When Pittsburgh’s city leaders sought a more efficient waste collection process, they turned to the Victor Stanley Relay™ smart waste management system. This data-driven solution fit hand-in-glove with their ambitious goals in the fight against climate change – to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gases, increase renewable energy use, and attempt to achieve Zero Waste.
With no way of knowing when each of the city’s 2,000 litter receptacles needed collection, crews had to drive the full collection routes every day.
Inevitably, some would already be overflowing by the time they arrived, while others might still be almost empty. Relay data showed that, on any given day, only about 13% of the city’s containers would reach the 90%-full threshold representing critical need for collection.
With Relay, sensors embedded in litter receptacles measure how full they are. This dramatically reduces unnecessary collection runs, which saves fuel, time, and lowers emissions. Thanks to Relay’s data, 16 of Pittsburgh’s 25 public works employees previously assigned solely to trash collection have been reassigned to higher priority tasks. This more efficient system helps the city reduce its carbon footprint and re-engage with deferred public works responsibilities, while saving millions of dollars in the process.
With the Relay system’s data, Pittsburgh is well positioned to lead the way on two fronts – the global, ongoing battle against climate change, and improving the seemingly simple task of collecting the trash.
Read the full report online: http://www.victorstanley.com/pittcasestudy
November Lunch & Learn with Lucky Dog!
Lucky Dog just got back from a trip to the BERLINER PLAYGROUND FACTORY in Berlin so they invite everyone to come share their experience along with surprise speakers from the ranks of the UT ASLA. It will be well worth your time.
Emerging Professionals - FALL SERIES - Lessons Learned Lunches
Kyle Funk - Emerging Professionals Chair
Stonecover is generously sponsoring the November Lessons Learned Lunch where emerging professionals can hear and ask questions from seasoned landscape professionals. Please join us on November 12th, 12:00 at the the ASLA Utah SLC Office to hear lessons learned from Shalae Larsen.
Shalae is a licensed Landscape Architect and co-founder and principal-in-charge of Io LandArch (established in 2006).
Shalae has a Bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning from Utah State University, as well as a Masters Degree in Architecture and Historic Preservation Certificate from the University of Utah.
As a community revitalization specialist, Shalae focuses on grassroots design efforts integrating historic preservation, outdoor recreation, and creative placemaking to create successful and authentic places. Shalae’s unique background and design perspective integrates a deep appreciation for indigenous landscapes and an understanding of the vernacular of the intermountain west.
Thank you Victor Stanley for hosting a fun Fall Outing in Zions National Park
Gorgeous Photo by ASLA member Don Leslie
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Thank you to our sponsors for their continued support!
