With April being National Landscape Architecture Month, George has volunteered to be the official spokesperson for “Discover Careers in Landscape Architecture.” He has taped television and radio messages to encourage students and their parents to think about careers in landscape architecture. He explains that landscape architects not only design home landscapes of all sizes, but for entire communities, for parks, recreational facilities, streetscapes, retail areas, college campuses, therapeutic gardens for hospitals, hotels and resorts, golf courses, green roofs, memorials, waterfronts and transportation systems. He points out that some landscape architects focus on environmental projects, such as stormwater management, wetlands restoration and brownfields cleanup.

In short, he tells young people that a career in landscape architecture combines art with protecting the environment.

“In 1992, when I came to Ohio State, I really wanted to get something out of my education, something that I had a passion for beyond football, preferably doing design work and being creative,” George explains. “Someone suggested I try landscape architecture, so I took a course early that year and fell in love with it. At its essence, landscape architecture is about creating memorable places and coming up with creative solutions that are environmentally responsible and that bring our client’s vision to life.”

Regardless of the specialty of the landscape architecture firm, all landscape architects, he noted, are committed to making their projects as sustainable as possible.

“It’s such an important profession because everything we do affects the environment,” says George. “I mean, we do everything outside the walls of the building, so we need more young people, we need creative thinkers and more talent to grow the profession. You can make a change by becoming a landscape architect and there are many opportunities to be successful. We have fun, we have passion and we enjoy coming up with creative solutions.”