Time to Get Active: Resources for Advocacy and Engagement

Climate change, infrastructure investment, public health, social equity, the EPA — whatever issues you are passionate about, it’s time to use your voice! LAF’s New Landscape Declaration asserts the vital role of landscape architecture and calls upon landscape architects to commit and act upon their ideals. One of the key calls to action is:

To help cultivate this culture, LAF is spreading the word about current issues and resources to help you make your voice heard. While landscape architects are uniquely positioned as designers, there is also much we can do to ensure that our leaders, policies, and institutions are working to address the defining issues of our time: climate change, species extinction, rapid urbanization, and inequity.

Follow us on Twitter (@lafoundation) to get updates on upcoming legislation, hearings, and tools for civic engagement. Here are a few of our favorite resources:

General Resources

• A Handy Flowchart to Make Your Way Through the Political Maze
  http://commonedge.org/a-handy-flowchart-to-make-your-way-through-the-political-maze/
  Having trouble separating fact from fiction, news from noise? This well-researched chart guides you from info to action.
• Senate.gov and House.gov
  https://www.senate.gov/
  http://www.house.gov/
  These clearinghouses let your find your Senators/Representatives, see committee activities, track active legislation, see past votes, and more.
• Congress.gov
  https://www.congress.gov/
  From bills introduced to hearings schedules and videos of proceedings, this website provides a wealth of resources.

Curated Sets of Action Items

• 5 Calls
  https://5calls.org/
  Select the federal issues that are important to you, and based on your location, the site provides phone contact information for your representatives and an example script.
• Natural Resources Defense Council - Take Action
  www.nrdc.org/actions
  This website makes it really easy to send messages to the appropriate decision-maker on a wide range of environmental and public health issues.
• 350.org - Campaigns
  https://350.org/campaigns/
  This climate change and climate justice-focused group offers petitions, mobilizations, and other ways to get involved.
• National Parks Conservation Association - Take Action
  www.npca.org/advocacy
  This website makes it really easy to send messages to the appropriate decision-maker on federal, state, and local issues affecting our national parks.
• Alt National Park Service - Legislation Tracker
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mOJ-zjAcSNeI7b7HGKzE8U26c8LTQczJk3vLUEjdYW0/edit#gid=1028168339
  Rogue National Park Service employees compile and update this summary of bills that impact public lands and wilderness.
• ASLA iAdvocate Network
  http://advocate.asla.org/app/register?1&m=15471
  Sign up to get email alerts with information and tools you need to quickly and effectively communicate with your policymakers about issues important to the profession

What resources are you using to follow and weigh in on issues of concern to landscape architects? Please share on social media and tag LAF!