ALCC contributions to professionalism Email
Written by Colorado Green NOW   
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 01:00 AM

Colorado Green Now

How does a fledgling landscape industry become professional and respectable? It happens one small step at a time and sometimes by leaps and bounds by those who believe in their industry. Following are some of ALCC’s contributions to several big steps forward over 60 years.

Water

  • At the table when “Xeriscape” was born in 1981
  • Was a leader in GreenCO’s defense of landscape water use during the drought of 2002
  • Promoted research in 2016 by CSU on The Hidden Value of Landscapes in our communities. Using only 3% of the water that’s left after most runs downstream to other states, research helped defend the need for landscape water in future droughts.
  • Launched Sustainable Landscape Partners in early 2010s and the Sustainable Landscape Management program in 2016

 Workforce training and recruiting

  • Launched Certified Landscape Technician (CLT) designation in 1989 and making it one of the top three most successful programs in the U.S.
  • Launched Irrigation Boot Camp training in partnership with Emily Griffith Technical College in mid-2010s and continues that training by ALCC to the present
  • Taught and continues to teach high school teachers with horticulture programs how to train students in basic landscape skills over the years
  • Launched the Landscape Career Pathways program in Colorado high schools in 2016

Advocacy

  • Lobbied annually at national level for the H-2B Guest Worker Program
  • Partnered with SIMA to drive legislative reform in Colorado impacting snow removal in 2018 
  • Successfully promoted legislation that allows for the safe and scientifically responsible use of pesticides