Green spaces (zoos, city parks, and urban farms) and cultural institutions are capturing our gap audiences—racial minorities, youth and young adults, and people of lower socioeconomic status. Come find out why it is important to engage and collaborate...

Despite the resonant theme of plant biodiversity inherent in the public garden sector, institutions grapple with a staggering lack of human biodiversity in their staffs, member base, donors, and audiences. To achieve inclusivity and maintain relevance...

How do you invite Latinx visitors to your programs? Do these Spanish-speaking community members feel welcome in your space? We explore community partnerships and recommended approaches to maximize success. Speakers will share successes and challenges...

Public gardens across America are responding to an influx of refugees/immigrants from many parts of the world with edible garden displays showcasing the increased diversity of our visitors. Community gardens and urban agriculture projects that are...

The staff and visitors of many public gardens are less diverse than the communities they serve. Events, policies, and Carl Linnaeus’s categorization of humans have created long-standing barriers. Eve Rickenbaker, PhD student at the University of...

Meaningful conversations leading to change happen in the gray areas of conversation. We must go beyond thinking in terms of black and white and speaking only with people who agree with us. In order to engage people in topics we think are important, we...

Of the myriad gifts plants provide to humanity, food is among the most visible, as everyone needs to eat, every single day. Due to their universal importance, food and agricultural plants would appear to represent ideal entryways to address plant...

Hear from three experts exploring research, strategies, and benefits of connecting people to nature: Louise Chawla, University of Colorado; Lauren Watkins, Impact by Design; and Sheila Williams-Ridge, University of Minnesota. 

NAAEE featured...

Contact your elected representatives and let them know how you feel about plants, our web of life, and the ecosystem services we all depend upon:

• Ask them to cosponsor H.R. 1572 The Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research,
...

In this article, we examine how the general public in the United States has viewed global warming over the past decade, identifying important trends in public understanding of global warming,
their perceptions of the risks, varying degrees of...

Attached are a series of documents from various institutions and states that desribe their Adopt-A-Pond, Field, or Park Programs. These documents can serve as templates for those interested in adopting their own specific guidelines, applications, and...

Association Director of External Relations Joan Thomas leads a webinar showing how make the most of the MobileCause platform for MYGARDEN - a fundraising tool the Association offers for National Public Gardens Week. Marketing and Communications Manager...

Many communities have or are considering policies and programs to address climate change. They understand that buildings represent a critical element of these policies, since buildings comprise more than 40 percent of energy use and account for more...

Association Director of External Relations Joan Thomas leads a webinar showing how to set up and use the MobileCause platform for MYGARDEN - a fundraising tool the Association offers for National Public Gardens Week.

Public engagement in botanical research has the potential to simultaneously advance research, science literacy, research sustainability, and workforce diversification goals, if strategies are carefully crafted and implemented to do so. Here, we briefly...

Community gardening is one of myriad ways in which humans and nature interact. A primary
objective of the study was to ascertain the impact of the Community Greening program on new participants.

Of specific interest was the inherent need...

Successful programs of crop wild relative (CWR) exploration, conservation, and utilization are ultimately dependent on sustained public prioritization and support, which in turn requires public awareness and engagement. Here we discuss the importance...

The purpose of this study is to look at botanical gardens, in light of their unique and diverse initiatives, and seek to discover attempts at, and the success of, destination branding in the tourism sector. There was a relatively small group of diverse...

Botanical gardens devote their resources to the study and conservation of plants, as well as making the world's plant species diversity known to the public. These gardens also play a central role in meeting human needs and providing well-being. In this...

This paper examines Urban Advantage, a thirteen-year partnership in New York City, between eight cultural institutions (botanical gardens among them) and the Department of Education, as a ‘case’ of a long-lasting research practice partnership that has...