Now in its 18th year, ELA remains focused on the education of green industry professionals, concerned citizens, and homeowners. ELA proudly offers high-quality educational opportunities, leading edge newsletters, and diverse networking opportunities.

Ecologically responsible landscape practices are making serious inroads into the public's awareness. This new awareness provides additional opportunities for progress on ELA's mission of educating and advocating for environmentally responsible landscaping and horticultural practices.

The pressures that conventional landscaping practices put on our natural resources continue to grow as the number of people with landscapes to manage grows. The longer resource-intensive practices persist, the more risk we place on our nation's dwindling water supply, the quality of that water, our own health, and biodiversity in general. The public is beginning to understand that there is a healthier way to create and maintain our landscapes. ELA celebrates the progress that has been made in the past 18 years. But there is much more to be done.

In the coming year, ELA will again offer high-quality educational opportunities. The next Conference and Eco-Marketplace is in the planning stages with more information coming soon. Our most recent Conference held at the MassMutual Center, Springfield, MA, offered a variety of seminars and workshops. We are also planning educational Roundtable workshops in the Northeast, focusing on wide-ranging topics.

We publish a comprehensive newsletter with feature articles and summary updates on leading edge techniques, books, and programs. Our publication The ELA Guide to Healthy Landscapes ("Site and Soil Preparation") is a resource for valuable information. Our members, who are among the leading professionals in the field, continue to develop Hints and How-tos. And we will continue to maximize our impact through valuable collaboration with other environmentally concerned groups and organizations.

ELA members are a diverse group. We are environmentally concerned individuals; landscape and nursery businesses; designers; private estate and public garden professionals; conservation professionals; educators; and private gardeners who give our time and financial support because we believe that environmentally responsible landscape practices are urgently needed and are feasible, even on a large scale. Collectively, ELA members have been making a difference in the world for nearly two decades by changing the way Americans view their gardens, lawns, and landscapes.