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Tackling the Water and Biodiversity Crisis in Florida: The OUTSIDE Collaborative
August 13, 2025 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM ET
ASLA Florida Members: $25 | Non-Members: $35 | Student: $10
The vital issues of rapid growth, water supply issues, biodiversity loss and the effects of climate change require us to change traditional landscape practices. Hear from a practitioner, nursery owner and university researcher on the development of a sustainable approach to the landscape transect from design to implementation and maintenance. The OUTSIDE Collaborative is made of a diverse group of stakeholders and practitioners who are passionate about building as sustainable future. Through the power of collaboration, they are learning and applying the latest methods in holistic sustainable landscaping, development, place-making, and conservation. Collaborators include landscape architects, landscape companies, local and state government representatives, researchers, students, water management districts, engineers, non-government conservation groups, developers, home builders and environmental and ecological consultants. The work is affecting a diverse group, not limited to developers and policy makers, nursery growers, contractors, landscape maintenance personnel, new and longtime homeowners, jurisdictions, academics, and landscape architecture practitioners.
Learning Objectives
- Gain insights into the overall structure, history, goals, and status of a multi-disciplinary, statewide collaborative established to create sustainable landscapes across the full chain of custody.
- Learn about the collaborative’s key initiatives , including partnerships and a case study a residential development project that is successfully minimizing/eliminating the need for irrigation, mineralized fertilizers and pesticides while enhancing eco-system services (the Big 4) in its landscapes.
- Discover the research results from in-field tests of sustainable landscapes.
- Learn key takeaways regarding implementation, maintenance, and management practices for sustainable landscapes.
- Understand the key role the landscape architect takes in the successful design, implementation and ongoing management of sustainable landscapes that meet the Big 4.
This session will provide 1.5 CEC through DBPR and LACES.
- DBPR: Course #0014705 1.5 CEC - Optional
- LACES: 1.5 CE, HSW Approved
**Please be sure to provide your LA license number in your registration if you want to receive credit.**
Meet the Speakers:
Christina Hite,FASLA, LEED AP
Dix.Hite + Partners
Christina (Chris) Hite, FASLA, LEED AP is a Founding Partner at Dix.Hite + Partners, bringing more than 35 years of extensive experience in a holistic landscape architecture practice for both public and private clients. As Chairman of the Board and consulting principal, Chris has helped define Dix.Hite as a firm with a national reputation for excellence. Chris received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia in 1987, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Florida in 2012. Chris has led and designed a wide range of projects, ranging from parks and multi-model transportation projects to the design of residential spaces, with an emphasis on placemaking for communities. She fosters the advance and influence of the landscape architecture profession through leadership in design, practice, academic, and community service, and is the current President of the OUTSIDE Collaborative, working to shift the landscape paradigm with research, policy, culture, and industry through collaboration to position landscapes as a vital solution to sustainability. She was recognized for her excellence in leadership and management by her peers nationally and elevated to Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects.
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Pierce Jones, PhD
Emeritus Professor, University of Florida
Pierce graduated from UF in 1980 with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. He is a recently retired Professor from the University of Florida where he established and directed the Program for Resource Efficient Communities, an interdisciplinary group that promotes the adoption of “best design, construction and management practices” in master planned developments. The program directly participated in land development and building projects that adopted and demonstrated “green” practices. He sits on the board of the OUTSIDE Collaborative, a non-profit dedicated to increasing the adoption of sustainable landscape practices. He currently provides consulting services on sustainable development practices.
Tim Sallin
Co-CEO, Cherrylake
Tim Sallin is the Co-CEO of Cherrylake, an integrated horticulture and landscape company, and IMG Citrus, a leading Florida fresh citrus company. Under his leadership, both companies prioritize sustainability, innovation, and community impact. Passionate about regenerative agriculture and sustainable landscapes, Tim advocates for collaborative efforts that reconnect people with nature.
He serves as Treasurer of The OUTSIDE Sustainable Landscape Collaborative and Secretary of 1000 Friends of Florida, both nonprofits dedicated to environmental and community betterment. Tim also hosts The Ground Up Podcast, which focuses on building resilience, biodiversity, and sustainability from the ground up.
