Conservation Design Forum's David Yocca Receives Outstanding Service Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects
Elmhurst, IL, December 5, 2014 (Newswire.com) - David Yocca, RLA, FASLA, AICP, LEED AP, and principal at Conservation Design Forum was one of four individuals to be honored with a 2014 Outstanding Service Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The awards were presented at the ASLA's annual meeting held November 21-24 in Denver.
Mr. Yocca was recognized for his "notable contributions to or on behalf of the Society", especially his work to help formulate the first-ever landscape performance rating system called the Sustainable Sites Initiative which is the environmental equivalent to the momentous LEED building rating system. SITES provides a new context for innovation and strategic thinking about natural resources, environmental impacts, land use and building approaches that enable landscape architects, engineers, developers, land-owners, policy makers and others to guide land design and development.
The prestigious award was presented to Mr. Yocca by ASLA President Mark A. Focht and Executive Vice President/CEO Nancy C. Somerville at the annual meeting in front of an audience of 2,500 ASLA members, meeting attendees, and exhibitors at the Colorado Convention Center.
The Outstanding Service Award was created in 2013 to in order to recognize the valuable contributions and lasting impact of volunteers whose work benefits the ASLA and its members. Winners are selected from a field of nominees encompassing the Association's more than 15 thousand members across the Americas and internationally.
In welcoming Mr. Yocca to the stage to receive his award, Ms. Somerville recounted his role in the development of the Sustainable Sites Initiative beginning with the first planning summit in 2005, and recognized his willingness to share his expertise in sustainable design and stormwater management, adding "he continues to serve as the ASLA's voice on SITES, stormwater and sustainability issues from Capitol Hill to professional venues around the globe."
Throughout his career as a landscape architect, Mr. Yocca has served as an expert/presenter for numerous ASLA educational sessions highlighting economic and other benefits of using green infrastructure. His outreach efforts include presentations at annual regional and national conferences for the ASLA, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Planning Association (APA), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) including Greenbuild, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and Cities Alive! conferences. As an advocate, he has provided testimony at a congressional briefing before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the importance of developing government policies that support sustainable landscapes.
Since joining Conservation Design Forum in 1997, Mr. Yocca has fortified CDF's position at the forefront of sustainable design; leading projects that span a wide spectrum of uses, contexts and scale including campuses, parks, neighborhoods, municipalities, waterways and other land districts. He continues to be a frequent presenter and lecturer at various workshops, conferences and universities speaking on a variety of sustainable planning and landscape architecture topics. He serves as a board member with the national organization Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, and sits on the River Corridor Planning Committee in Grand Rapids, MI where he makes his home.
For more information, contact Conservation Design Forum at 630-559-2000 or Terry Poltrack, Director of Public Relations and Communications at the American Society of Landscape Architects in Washington D.C. via email at: tpoltrack@asla.org
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About Conservation Design Forum
CDF is an award-winning, full-service, multi-disciplinary firm providing integrated analysis and design utilizing ecologically-based, water-focused approaches to land-use planning, site/landscape design, civil/water resources engineering, and ecological restoration. The company is a privately held corporation founded in 1994 and headquartered in Elmhurst, Illinois. To discuss a project or possible collaboration with CDF, or for more information about their services, go to: www.cdfinc.com or call 630-559-2000.