Upcycling Our Urban Ecosystems: Building Landscapes for Biodiversity

Space is limited. Open to college-age students and older only. Registration required. RSVP HERE

5:30-6:15 pm – Registration & Networking – Free wine/beer, Appetizers.
6:15-7:30 pm – Formal Presentation

Featured Speaker: Heather L. Venhaus, Regenerative Environmental Design

Heather Venhaus is the principal of Regenerative Environmental Design, a sustainable design-consulting firm in Austin, Texas that strives to connect natural and built systems in mutually beneficial ways. Previously, Ms. Venhaus facilitated and led the development of the Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks and worked with the U.S. Botanic Garden to developed the educational content and teaching materials for Landscape for Life. Heather is a contributing author to the Sustainable Sites Handbook and author of Sustainable Site Design: Integrated Design Strategies for Small Scale Sites and Residential Landscapes.

In a world where 6 million people are added each month, every piece of land matters. However, in our quest for sustainability, we habitually neglect the full potential of built landscapes.

Urban areas are increasingly where we come into contact with the natural world – not just in parks and nature preserves, but in more familiar places like residential landscapes, restaurants, campuses, and even parking lots. Too often, these spaces are designed to serve a particular, and often limited, purpose.

This presentation will challenge attendees to think broadly about all outdoor spaces and recognize their untapped potential.

OBJECTIVES:

• Explain the concept of ecosystem services and how it applies to regenerative design.
• Apply design strategies to improve the overall performance of built landscapes.
• Describe conventional land development and maintenance practices that negatively impact the triple bottom line.
• Distinguish between performance metrics that reduce environmental impacts and those that build ecosystem value.

CONTINUING EDUCATION
1 GBCI CE Hour
1 AIA LU/HSW
1 LACES Credit

Presented in partnership with the American Society of Landscape Architects-St. Louis Chapter, Missouri Botanical Garden, BiodiverseCity St. Louis, and the Academy of Science of St. Louis. 

Thanks to our Event Sponsors!

ASP Enterprises  *  DJM Ecological  *  Kozeny Wagner  *  Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District  *  SWT Design