The OUTSIDE: Sustainable Landscapes Collaborative is a virtual event exploring how to increase the adoption of sustainable landscape practices throughout the state of Florida. This collaborative effort will engage stakeholders across the state and address how landscape practices affect our critical natural resources. Through a unique, virtual platform, the issues will be unraveled, challenges and opportunities will be identified, and a strategic framework will be built to advance sustainable landscapes in the state of Florida.
OUTSIDE focuses on the intersection of academia, industry, and government promoting collaboration across a wide range of industry disciplines and agencies.
This event was spearheaded by Cherrylake, an integrated landscape company in Groveland, Florida. Cherrylake’s President, Timothee Sallin, has worked with other key stakeholders throughout the State including Dr. Pierce Jones (University of Florida), Dr. Patrick Bohlen (University of Central Florida), Chris Hite (Dix.Hite), and Deirdre Irwin (St. Johns River Water Management District).
OUTSIDE’s Land Development Panel will explore how sustainable practices can be incorporated into large scale community mix-use developments. Panelists include Brian Canin (Canin Associates), Ernie Cox (Family Lands Remembered), and Richard Levey (Levey Consulting) and collectively represent over 30,000 acres of plan developments in Florida. Speakers will share their outlook on the implementation of sustainable landscapes, in addition to the potential benefits and values to the state, economy, and real estate industry.
Leading local government officials including Commissioner Sean Parks (Lake County); Commissioner Bill Truex (Charlotte County), and Commissioner Lee Constantine (Seminole County) will provide the tools and information necessary for local governments to implement better standards and encourage the use of sustainable practices. They will discuss political challenges and opportunities at the local level, state and federal agency coordination, as well as share their successful experiences during the Local Government Panel.
OUTSIDE’s keynote speaker, Jeff Vandermeer, a Florida local for over thirty years, is an award-winning novelist known for his emphasis on environmental themes. His critically acclaimed New York Times-bestselling Southern Reach trilogy won the Shirley Jackson Award and Nebula Award. The trilogy prompted the New Yorker to call the author “the weird Thoreau” and was published in 35 countries, with Paramount Pictures releasing a movie, Annihilation, in 2018. VanderMeer’s nonfiction, often about conservation and ecology, has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Atlantic, and the Los Angeles Times.
“Science, technology, and innovation have already revealed to us new landscape methods and practices with the potential to clean water, restore soil health, and enhance ecosystem services and functions,” says Sallin, “with Florida’s population projected to reach 34 million by 2070, we need to act now to protect our natural resources and create more vibrant communities for our children.”
The collaboration will be live-streamed from Casa Feliz in Winter Park, Florida on October 22, 2020, from 12-5 PM (EST). This event has also been approved for a number of professional certification credits (CEUs) including Landscape Architect DBPR, Community Association Managers DBPR, Florida Water Star Accredited Professionals, ISA, AICP, and more.
For more information on speakers, the agenda, CEU credits, and how to register for the OUTSIDE Sustainable Landscape Collaborative, you can visit the official OUTSIDE website at https://outsidecollab.com/.