DESCRIPTION

VA ASLA is introducing the Green Ribbon Award in the 2025 award cycle to honor landscape architecture projects that prioritize sustainability, carbon reduction, and community engagement. The award recognizes efforts to reduce environmental impact, enhance biodiversity, and build resilience to climate change through thoughtful material choices, local resource reuse, and clear communication.

This award is offered in addition to our primary categories and does not disqualify your project from consideration within those categories.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible projects will be evaluated based on their achievements in the following criteria:

• Materials: Clear, measurable strategies for reducing a project's embodied carbon, including material selection, sourcing, and specification.
• Reuse: Effective use of locally sourced materials, promoting long-term durability and reuse in the design.
• Planting: Planting strategies that enhance biodiversity, create or restore habitats, and/or adapt to changing climate conditions.
• Communication: A community-engaged process that empowers participants, fosters collaboration, and effectively communicates the project's goals and outcomes.
• Innovation: Integration of innovative, sustainable solutions that push the boundaries of landscape architecture and environmental stewardship.
• Resilience: Implementation of specific strategies to enhance the landscape's ability to withstand and recover from climate-related challenges