Registration Eligibility
N/A
Start Date
06/24/2015
End Date
06/24/2015
Description
Session 1: After more than 25 years of planning and preparation, the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden opened to the public on August 1, 2014. The opening was a small step, as it represents just a fraction of what this dynamic cultural asset will become. However, it is a giant step in that it marks a triumph over the nearly insurmountable odds of establishing a major new outdoor botanic garden “from scratch” on land with a legacy of environmental problems. This presentation will outline the steps taken to go from a brownfield to a botanic garden.
Session 2: How can public gardens provide essential connections with nature for urban residents? How can gardens more fully engage and educate people about urban nature and conservation issues? This session will provide a glimpse of how two very different public institutions in the Los Angeles region have addressed this question from their unique perspectives: Descanso Gardens and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Participants will obtain concrete take-homes about how to design, program, and manage interactive, educational and contextually responsive gardens that are beneficial for plants, animals, people, and place.
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Distance Learning
No
Course Equivalency
No
Subjects
Remediation / Brownfields
Urban Planning & Design
Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Hours
1.50
Learning Outcomes
Session 1-
- Learn about how the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden has dealt with a wide array of environmental issues, such as acid mine drainage, high-walls, subsidence and toxic waste.
- Understand the long-term benefits of cleaning up the site, to both to the Garden and to the area residents, rather than moving to a new site.
- Explore the ways in which botanic gardens are now being called on to tackle such global challenges as biodiversity, plant conservation, climate change, and plant-based solutions to environmental problems.
Session 2-
- Learn about the ways in which public gardens combine science, education, and design to create opportunities for visitors to experience a world they may rarely see, inspiring wonder, discovery, and responsibility for the natural world.
- Gain insight into how these institutions use created or existing wildlife habitat to tell meaningful stories about nature that help visitors see, understand, and appreciate biodiversity.
- Learn about how botanic gardens influence urban initiatives to achieve more livable, sustainable spaces for people, plants, and animals, by connecting visitors with nature.
Instructors
Greg Nace, President, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden; Carol Bornstein, Director of the Nature Gardens, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; Rachel Young, Director of Horticulture and Operations, Descanso Gardens; Michelle Sullivan
Course Codes
MN201504
Provider
American Public Gardens Association