ASLA Launches New Online Animation: “Designing Neighborhoods for People and Wildlife”

November 07, 2012

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Transforming residential properties into real wildlife habitats is the focus of a new animation launched by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The animation—“Designing Neighborhoods for People and Wildlife”—shows how native plants and designed structures provide what nature needs. Wildlife habitat can be destroyed by development, farms, or mines; or degraded by invasive species, climate change, or pollution so it no longer supports native wildlife. The animation shows that habitat loss, and the corresponding loss of biodiversity, doesn’t have to continue. Starting with homeowners’ properties, fragmented habitats can be rewoven together, creating neighborhoods that are not only healthier for wildlife but also for people. Many residential landscape architects are also helping to stem the losses by creating beautiful neighborhoods that provide habitat for many species. he animation is part of ASLA’s Designing Our Future: Sustainable Landscapes site. Made possible by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, the site offers 30 case studies in easily understood terms that demonstrate how landscape architects beautify our world while also protecting and working with nature. It also includes ten animations—developed by ASLA with author and Google SketchUp expert Daniel Tal, ASLA—that show sustainable landscape design in action. The free site also provides many educational resource guides aimed at K-12 students. Topics include recycling, outdoor recreation, transportation, and more. The guides provide hundreds of vetted games, videos, classroom activities, and curriculum organized by age groups (K-5, 6-8, and 9-12).

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