DLANC Board Member to be recognized by LA County Supervisors with Green Leadership Award.

On April 20, DLANC Area-Wide Workforce Private Sector Director Ashley Zarella Hand, LEED AP BD+C, Assoc. AIA will be awarded a 2010 Green Leadership Award by the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors for the work she has initiated in Downtown Los Angeles. The Green Leadership Award program recognizes outstanding efforts by individuals and organizations in developing and implementing innovative strategies to enhance our environmental sustainability. Mrs. Hand has been recognized as an individual whose “efforts empower her community and society toward ecological restoration and a sustainable future.”

Shortly after her election to the DLANC Board of Directors, Ashley Zarella Hand launched the DLANC Sustainability Committee to develop a community greening strategy and resource toolkit for Downtown Los Angeles. Since its inception in October 2008, Mrs. Hand has led the efforts of the award-winning DLANC Sustainability Committee to increase participation in existing public services; create opportunities for community education; identify critical issues for advocacy; and champion best practices for other neighborhood councils. The Sustainability Committee was awarded the 2009 national AIA SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) grant to bring professional resources to the neighborhood and help build confidence in the process for key stakeholders while engaging the community with an informed voice.

Ashley Zarella Hand, with her personal experience in green building, communication, marketing, and community organization, has engaged hundreds of community members in conversations and community-based initiatives such as placemaking, street tree planting projects, green alleys, waste/recycling awareness, urban gardening among others to empower neighbors and create a more livable, affordable and efficient urban center. In addition to her volunteer time as a DLANC board member, Mrs. Hand works as an architectural designer and LEED AP for AECOM, headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles, and is an active member of the American Institute of Architects.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will present the Green Leadership Award to all recipients on April 20, 2010 at 9:30am at 500 W. Temple Street (Room 381-B, Board Hearing Room) in commemoration of Earth Day, which is that same week on Thursday, April 22, 2010.

The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council represents all downtown stakeholders, whether they live, work, own a business or actively involved in a local organization. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sustainability Committee Chair, Ashley Zarella Hand, LEED AP BD+C, Assoc. AIA and Board Director, Area-Wide Private Sector Workforce (AECOM Design) at sustainability@dlanc.com or 917-974-1891.