Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was today recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) with the Olmsted Medal for environmental leadership. Representatives of ASLA’s national and Rhode Island chapters presented the award to Whitehouse in his Washington D.C. office this morning.
“It’s an honor to accept the Olmsted Medal from the American Society of Landscape Architects,” said Whitehouse, a leading champion in Congress for addressing climate change. “Landscape architects see the effects of climate change up close every day. I’m working to protect the environment and the businesses that rely on our natural resources from the worst effects of climate change.”
The Olmsted Medal was created in 1990 to recognize individuals, organizations, and programs outside the profession of landscape architecture for environmental leadership, vision, and stewardship. The Medal honors Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the founder of the American landscape architecture profession and a steward of the environment. Previous recipients of the Olmsted Medal include President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter, Vice President Al Gore, and former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
“The American Society of Landscape Architects is deeply honored to present the Olmsted Medal to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse,” said Roxanne Blackwell, Hon. ASLA, Acting Executive Vice President & CEO of ASLA. “The Senator has long demonstrated a deep personal commitment to the values of environmental stewardship, respect for the natural world, and devotion to social justice that was at the heart of the life and career of Frederick Law Olmsted and of the profession and Society he helped found. This honor reflects ASLA’s belief that design professionals and policymakers must come together with common purpose and renewed energy to find solutions to the climate crisis, the most profound environmental issue of our time.”
Founded in 1899, ASLA is the professional association for landscape architects in the United States, representing more than 15,000 members.
###
