Through habitat destruction and fragmentation, overharvesting, and pollution, humans are directly responsible for the accelerated loss of biodiversity. It's our responsibility to act now. This session provides three diverse yet aligned perspectives focusing on design, policy, and performance-based metrics to address the biodiversity crisis and increase our collective knowledge.

This session will discuss the Georgia Institute of Technology's vision for a new campus landscape typology rooted in performance and ecological health. The panel will demonstrate a new vision for campuses of higher education through the EcoCommons planning, implementation and commitment to biodiversity, stormwater management, and social health.

Low-maintenance landscapes present a challenge for material choices. This session will discuss what is effective for material choice for public projects and other low-maintenance environments, along with the sustainability behind material choices. We will also discuss successful detailing with reused or recycled materials in public spaces.

This session recounts how Gilead Park transformed a six-acre parking lot into a SITES Gold employee-focused amenity. Examine how SITES was utilized as a project touchstone to advance the client's sustainability goals, acted as a lens that shaped the design process, and challenged the conventional construction process.

Since its Green Infrastructure Plan in 2010, New York City has built thousands of green infrastructure projects. The Gowanus watershed in Brooklyn was one of the city's first combined sewer watersheds to pilot many green infrastructure practices. Find out about lessons learned from plans, implemented projects, and maintenance and education programs.

Numerous environmental stressors impact the longevity of urban forests. Panelists expand on the value of canopy coverage, with topics including heat island reduction, storm water treatment, tree species selection, wildlife habitat, and human comfort. Learn from case studies and collaborations of successful planning, maintaining, and replenishing of urban forests.

The session discusses the past, present, and future of fungi in landscape architecture, including emerging science regarding mycelium, soil microbiomes, and mycorrhizal relationships. The talk explores the opportunities and constraints of working with fungi in green infrastructure projects, mycoremediation, stormwater management, mitigating tree mortality, sequestering carbon, and community engagement.

This session addresses the design process that began at Glenstone in 2003 and evolved into an ongoing collaboration between people and living systems. The panel will describe how landscape architects, native plant consultants, and an organic-oriented in-house team achieved the ecologically diverse and vibrant landscape that continues to evolve today.

Stone is overlooked as a sustainable construction material. It is durable, recyclable, nontoxic, easily maintained, and has lower embodied energy. Still, over 50% of dimension stone is imported, and current quarrying practices produce substantial waste. This session examines stone's sustainability scorecard, design opportunities, and the industry's environmental practices.

Trails are valuable infrastructure for catalyzing positive change in our cities. The Westside Trail Extension, part of the Atlanta BeltLine, is the first SITES-registered multi-use urban trail to prioritize carbon impact reduction, equitable placemaking and restorative landscapes. Achieving these goals creates a fascinating web of solutions that deliver transformative results.