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“Would our paths crossed if every great loss
had turned out our gain?
Thanksgiving for every wrong move that made
it right.”
I’m probably showing my age here, but the lyrics
above are from a song by a group called Poi Dog Pondering that’s been on my
mind lately. It’s called “Thanksgiving” but you’re not likely to hear it on
the radio after “Alice’s Restaurant”.
The crux of the song is that sometimes things
don’t work out in the short term but over the long haul could turn out to be
something amazing. Once upon a time, I was a magazine editor in Maryland,
but that didn’t work out so great. I decided to move back home with my
parents and go to school full time to become a landscape architect. It was a
scary time in my life, but I made the right choice and it opened up doors
that I didn’t know existed as an editor.
So even though times are hard, I’m very
thankful, even for the “wrong moves”. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I think
one of the best ways to show gratitude for good fortune is to give back to
the community. But what’s the best way for landscape architects to do that?
Pro bono work? Monetary donations? I realize that this is a personal choice,
but I’m curious as to the charities that appeal specifically to landscape
architects. The idea of giving to Heifer International to plant trees to
prevent soil erosion, or feed families with fruit trees is appealing to me,
but I can’t help wondering “What kind of trees are they specifying? Are we
rebuilding local ecosystems or inviting more pest and disease problems?”
Maybe investing in open space or playgrounds is more effective? What do you
think? I want to hear from you!
I’ve included a list of charities (below) that I feel
capture the spirit of our profession, both here at home and abroad, but I’d
rather print recommendations from our members. Let us know what works for
you and we’ll print a list in the future.
Hope to hear from you soon regarding this or
other interesting landscape architecture ideas and coming in December, gift
ideas for landscape architects!
Karen Twisler, CLA, RLA, LEED-AP
President @ njasla.net
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