WASHINGTON, April 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has announced that former Vice President Al Gore will be the closing keynote speaker for its 2007 Annual Meeting on October 8 in San Francisco. He will present An Inconvenient Truth, the visually stunning multimedia presentation that inspires audiences to confront environmental issues in the world today.

The Society's mission is to lead, educate, and participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environments. In 1992, ASLA presented then-Senator and soon-to-be Vice President Al Gore with its Olmsted Medal, the highest honor the Society may bestow upon an individual outside the profession of landscape architecture.

"It was only the third time the medal had ever been presented and this early honor turned out to be very prescient given Al Gore's steadfast leadership, vision, and stewardship of the environment," said Nancy C. Somerville, executive vice president and CEO of ASLA. "His speaking tour and documentary have educated millions on what we must do to protect our planet for ourselves and for generations to come. Landscape architects are on the forefront of designing our built environment and protecting our natural resources and his presentation will provide a rallying point for the profession."

The ASLA Annual Meeting is the largest annual gathering of landscape architecture professionals in the world and will be held October 6-9 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. More than 7,000 attendees are expected to participate in over 80 educational sessions and to tour the 500- booth product EXPO. Information on meeting registration will be available on the ASLA web site, http://www.asla.org/, next week.

About ASLA

Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing more than 17,000 members in 48 professional chapters and 68 student chapters. Landscape architecture is a comprehensive discipline of land analysis, planning, design, management, preservation, and rehabilitation. Members of the Society use their "ASLA" suffix after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession. Learn more about landscape architecture online at http://www.asla.org/.

CONTACT: Ann Looper, Director, Public Relations of the American Society
of Landscape Architects, +1-202-216-2369, alooper@asla.org

Web site: http://www.asla.org/