Antony Blinken Secretary John Kerry U.S. Secretary of State Nominee Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Designate Office of the President Elect Office of the President Elect 1401 Constitution Avenue NW 1401 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20230 Washington, DC 20230 Dear Secretary of State Nominee Blinken and Secretary Kerry: We, the undersigned landscape architects, design professionals, and other stewards of the built and natural environments, are writing to urge you to recommit to the United States’ promise to the Paris Climate Agreement of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change. The United States must act quickly and diligently to reverse our climate change impacts while working to build a more sustainable and resilient future for all. We also urge you to develop global climate action approaches that heavily use green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and other low-impact development strategies. The findings in the 2018 UN Climate Change Annual Report state that green infrastructure is one of the world’s greatest tools to create a more sustainable future. Additionally, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C highlights the importance of green infrastructure, sustainable land use and water management, and nature-based solutions as important adaptation options to reduce the risks and perils related to climate change. As the Biden-Harris administration begins to take action on this issue, we hope you heed these findings to create a more climate-resilient and sustainable planet. Landscape architects are leaders in using green infrastructure and nature-based solutions to plan and design projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make communities more resilient to climate impacts. The profession successfully creates climate-resilient projects, including green roofs, parks and other outdoor spaces, living shorelines, multimodal transportation networks, large-scale commercial and residential master plans, and more. Our designed and built infrastructure projects help reduce or sequester greenhouse gases while also providing other critical community benefits. It is also critical for you to take swift action to address climate impacts on underserved communities, including communities of color, low-income populations, and Tribal and Indigenous Peoples. Across the globe, these populations are disproportionately affected by the ravages of climate change. Now is the time to address this issue on an international level and deliver targeted and sustained investments in these communities. Because of the absence of national leadership on climate issues and the purposeful removal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, the American Society of Landscape Architects joined more than 4,000 state and local governments, business leaders, university AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS | 636 EYE STREET NW, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001 | 202.898.2444 | ASLA.ORG heads, cultural institutions, and others by signing the “We Are Still In” declaration. Through this declaration and organizing efforts, the signers are helping to fill the void left by the federal government’s withdrawal from the agreement. However, our efforts alone will not be enough. We look forward to the Biden-Harris administration making the federal government a full partner and leader in climate change and resilience on the world stage. Sincerely, Kelly Popek NJ Julie Zigler FL Shawn Kalbli FL Craig Hondorp MI Jane Ritchie NC Alexandria Krzmarzick MN Julie Parrett WA Sookyung Shin MA Alexander Fenech FL Linda Velazquez FL Lynn Warren AR Tracey Cohen PA Clara Gouin MD Robynne Heymans TX Amanda Barton SC Joan Piccalo GA Patricia Trauth CA Mary Susan Olmsted MN Mark Kuskowski CA Anna Springer MN Michelle Delk NY Richard Leisner TX Aris Stalis CT Wendy Ellis Gardner OH Grace Pursley NC Katherine Solosky PA Diana Bolton OH Charles Fischer IL Daniel Granniss CT Pamela Golde NY Scott Wunderle VT Tom Liptan OR Anthony Hauser NC Kene Okigbo NE Larry Cavender OR Teresa Durkin DC Eileen Bergt NE Bradley Smith TX Susan Mattison PA Alexandra Hay DC Buddy Spencer VA Denise Hudson CA Emily Braht TX Anita Beard TX oscar diaz IL Guy Winig NY Susan Turner GA Lindsay Birch MA Michael Hussey CO Robert Jaeger GA Cheryl Douglas CA Rebecca Bradley FL Rodney Swink NC Isobel Ritch TN Courtney Goode MA Luke Nichols MN John Tikotsky CA Mark Vysoky MI Aaron Johnson UT Stephen Volkmann OH lori Barnaby NY Martha Desbiens NY Jena Biondolilo WA Francisco Gomes CT William Bauer WI Kirsten Stubbs TX Brian Weller NJ Alex Wayland AL Cristina Blanco Krauss CA Robert Grist FL Rachel Loeffler MA John Mariani WI Darbi Davis AZ Carter van Dyke PA Rick Howell KS Melissa Evans AR Debra Ashack IN Catherine McLaughlin CA George Debs FL Liz Alward MN Philip E. Jeselnik AZ Pauline Hurley-Kurtz PA Stephanie Tuite MD Akira Shepherd MD Ann Richard KY Mark Heinicke FL John Slater MD Joonyon Kim MA Alison Kennedy AP George McEldowney AL Doris Plumer ME Lucy Lawliss FL Walter Nestler NY Carlos Hernandez PA Charles Smith GA Maggi Johnson WA Jo Hickson GA Todd Teuscher MO brian starkey NC Allison Platt NC Tuula Villavaso FL J Anthony Eyerman OH Ebru Ozer FL Clifford Lind CO Thomas Marzolf SC Paula Cortes MA abby clough NY Sam Valentine MA Jonathan Bonham NY Gi-Chul Choe PA Thom Morkin NC Isabelle Rooney CO Ryan J King Ebrahimian FL Sarah Kwon OR Scott Radford WA Steven Warren MI Enma Navarro VA Patrick Tormay Miller CA Michael Lipko WA Gregg Bleam VA Mary Pat McGuire IL Amy Whitesides MA Kate Hibschman OR Joseph Hays VA Nina Kramer NY William Rountree LA Elizabeth Walton MN Karen Richardson TX Edward Spevak MO Priyanka Parachoor VA Crystal Ross NC Félix de Rosen CA Alyssa Gill LA William Swiernik PA Camille La Foy TX Jennifer Margison NV Mark Paronish PA Zachary Kiebke AZ Valerie Ahyong AZ Andy Rowell TX Bryn Richard ME Christopher Mueller WA Paul Maue MA Beth Fessler NC Robert OBoyle MI Jerry Smith OH Brett Hatfield TX Wayne Villavaso FL Veronica Westendorff NC Joshua Seyfried NY Daniel Ibba OH Zachary Peterson IA Jo-Annie Tran CA Jennifer Nitzky NY Robert Lasky MI Hal Blevins NE Kenneth Sussman FL Heather Corcoran TX Kelly Rench WA Lee Skabelund KS Anne Scott NC Robert Hursthouse IL Howard Greenstein CA Carol Yetken IL Joshua Sloan MD Laura Antonson OR Anjali Joshi RI Nancy Buley OR scott slaney CA Patsy Owens CA Brandon Herman CA Jin McFarland CA Sanford Rabinowitch AK Virginia Ross GA Jordan Zlotoff WA David Jay MA Greg Nowell CA Jackson Wandres NY David Volz CA RONDA FISCHER IN Michael Murphy TX Miguel Jimenez CA Fred Glick WA Jeffrey Sawyer PA Colleen Anderson MI Patricia Farrell OR Patricia Lenssen WA Liu Yang CA William Brandt HI Shaney Clemmons TX David Raphael VT Margaret Robinson TX Duane Dietz WA Bethany Rydmark OR Brian Orland GA Charles Iuliano NJ Harold Miller NV James Wescoat MA Juan Antonio Bueno FL Kevin Perry CA Margot Halpin OR Charles K Dockham MT John Fish VA Jeffrey Goller VT Lisa Hageman MD Evan Hazlett OR Duane Blossom AZ Elizabeth Thompson TN William Hoffman NH Tricia Martin NY Robert Chipman TX Fouad Elgharabli OR Angela Rainey NC Barbara Hopkins MD Mary Pat Hogan CA Steven Lipkie IL Joni Giese MN Lee Jennings MA Carter Crawford CO Karen Stoelzle Midden IL Anton Reut NJ Brenna Castro Carlson CA Marti Dodds CO Steve McKeown TX Roberto Lugo AZ Chris Reed MA Jonathan Henney KY Frances Chester NJ Deb Guenther WA William Ward UT Nicholas Knoebel AZ Curt Jackson GA Chelsea Kilburn MA Caroline Barnes WA Trent Thelen OR John Mayer MI Chad Kucker SD Linnaea Tillett NY William Andersen MD Harry Dodson MA Page Crutcher WA Karen Sebastian MA John Eric Schneider PA Klaus Rausch MO Pamela Panattoni CA Jenn Judge RI Kara Roggenkamp PA Timothy Britain MI Emily Handelman NY Mary Padua SC Henry Ross NC Jessica Arias NY Tao Zhang MA Aida Curtis FL James Scott CT Chester Hill MI Mark Kieser FL Barbara Deutsch DC Glenn LaRue Smith DC Joshua Hughes IL Paul Gareau VA Marissa McKinney TX Carlos Flores CA Todd Hill GA Kelli Bland DC Kristina Harvey SC Brendan Bettwy CA Matthew Johnston VA Noah Kerr OR Robb Berg CO Jennifer Reut MD Sarah Newton TN Elizabeth Gourley MA Tricia Keffer FL Jamin Pablo TX Brian Wolf HI Paul Kelsch VA David Lycke SC Leland Edgecombe MD Krista Van Hove CA Jordan van der Hagen MN Colin Curley NY Inmi Moon TX Alejandro Vazquez NY Richard Kacenski MO Adriana Hernandez Aguirre TX Christopher Camp TN Daniel McElmurray LA Robert Loftis NM Gretchen Rabinkin MA Liia Koiv-Haus CO Bradley McCauley IL Matthew Shimer CA Courtney McKelvey NM Danielle Duhe LA Joe Ignatius MD Matthew Bird NY Judith Stilgenbauer HI J. Patrick Graham MD Michael Gaunt IA Vicki Rand CA Amin Omidy KY Robert Nava CA Lara Guldenpfennig IA Torey Carter-Conneen MD Karen Fitzgerald NH Carl Kelemen PA Sue Steele NY Len Rindner NC BRYAN LEININGER ND debowden bauer ID Shawn Balon VA Joshua Culwell CO Nate Byro IA Udday Datta WV Magdalena Aravena IL Briana Morrison CA Mary Estes AZ Laurene Gilbert NY Jitka Dekojova NM Arthur Foster OR Alan Watkins IL George Sorvalis MD Om Khurjekar MD Yuanshuo Pi CA Nick Gilliland OH Kenneth Kokroko MI Taj Hanson OR Robin Shifflet CA Allison Bodin LA Michelle Delgado-Wallace PA Cynthia Driskell OH Leilani Nelson CO Afrooz RH CA Elizabeth Giersbach MA Scott Emmelkamp MO Alexandra Boese MN Eva Slover CA Michael Jischke MN Taylor Fehmel LA Taylor Bowden OR Mark Wilson NC Alexa Bush MI Ricardo Zambrano IL Wick Mackenzie TX Jackie Jonassen GA Gary Scharlach CA richard zweifel CA Gloria Lau NY Nancy McLean OH Jordan Monez WA Maria Harrington MD Bailey Guinn NH Arshauna Wright WI Brookley Henri OR katherine sewell MT Pamela Brief CA M.