ASLA Media Advisory

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2014 — (PRNewswire) — The 2014 Annual Meeting and EXPO of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is expected to draw more than 5,000 attendees, and will feature almost 500 exhibitors. The theme is "Resilience."

Keynotes by environmental justice activist Robert D. Bullard, and a panel on landscape architecture on TV featuring veteran hosts, producers and programmers of hit home improvement shows: landscape architect and Grounds for Improvement co-host Dean Hill, ASLA;architect and the host of the HGTV hit show Curb Appeal John Gidding; nine-time Emmy winning producer Mila Holt of JOHLT Productions; network executive Steven Lerner, senior vice president of programming, for HGTV, DIY Network, and Great American Country; and Academy Award-winning producer Michael Williams of Green Harbor Productions.

The Inside the LA Studio series will highlight the philosophy and work of the following landscape architecture firms: Balmori Associates, !melk, Biohabitats and Confluence.

More than 130 education sessions are offered on such topics as agriculture and local food production, green roofs and living walls, healthcare and therapeutic design, parks and recreation design, plants and soils, sustainable design, transportation and complete streets, urban design, stormwater management, and wetlands. All sessions are approved for continuing education credit with the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System, and many are also approved by AIA, AICP and USGBC/GBCI.

Members of the ASLA Colorado Chapter will team up with the local affiliate of the ACE Mentor Program to design a project using products donated by ASLA's generous EXPO exhibitors to be installed after the meeting. They will design a pocket park nestled along Speer Boulevard into the heart of downtown Denver to serve as open space for the actors, staff and students who attend the Denver Center for the Performing Arts summer programs. The Legacy Project volunteers, students and product donors will be recognized during the Opening General Session on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 8 a.m., at the Colorado Convention Center.

An Edible Landscape Celebration will celebrate the local food movement on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 8 to 11 p.m., at the Mile High Station, 2027 Old West Colfax Avenue, Denver. Organized by Nat Bradford, ASLA, a landscape architect working at the forefront of the farm-to-table movement, the event will feature celebrity chefs and a menu they've created just for the landscape architecture profession using healthy, locally sourced and heirloom foods:

Chef-Farmer Matthew Raiford
Executive Chef at the Lodge at Little St. Simons Island and owner of Gilliard Farms

Chef Alex Seidel
Owner of Fruition Restaurant and Fruition Farms and one of Food and Wine magazine's Best New Chefs

Chef Jennifer Jasinski
Owner of Rioja, Bistro Vendome and Euclid Hall Bar + Kitchen; winner of The James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest; and a finalist on Bravo's Top Chef Masters Season 5.

WHEN:    Friday to Monday, Nov. 21-24, 2014

WHERE:  Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St, Denver, CO 80202

HOW:      For advance press registration, please contact Karen Grajales at Email Contact and include your press affiliation, audience/circulation, business address and email/phone.

Press passes provide working journalists access to the EXPO floor, general sessions, education sessions, and the working press room with computers, internet access and refreshments.

About the American Society of Landscape Architects

Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing more than 15,000 members in 49 professional chapters and 72 student chapters. Members of the Society use "ASLA" after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession. Landscape architects lead the stewardship, planning and design of our built and natural environments; the Society's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education and fellowship..

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SOURCE American Society of Landscape Architects