Six Ways for Public Gardens to Make a Better Difference : Six Ways for Public Gardens to Make a Better Difference Stem Education and science career mentoring for under-represented students
Urban Agriculture training for youth and adults
Training and Transitional Jobs for incarcerated
Caring attentively for an aging population
Serving special needs people and returning veterans
Climate Change Education for all
Chicago Botanic Garden Global Climate Change: The really big emerging trend and the role of living collection institutions : Global Climate Change: The really big emerging trend and the role of living collection institutions Slide 5: In an era of increasing climate instability, the southwestern region in the United States faces strained water resources, greater prevalence of tree-killing pests and potentially significant alterations of agricultural infrastructure. Such threats and challenges, as well as others, are detailed in the Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States, a new book published by Island Press.
A consortium of researchers from the Southwest Climate Alliance coordinated the assessment; these scientists are affiliated with NOAA’s Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) Program and the U.S. Department of the Interior Southwest Climate Science Center. The Climate Program Office’s RISA Program specifically provided funding for the background research, engagement with stakeholders in the region, and contributing time (writing, research, and engagement) from Climate Assessment for the Southwest Investigators.
The book blends the contributions of 120 experts in climate science, economics, ecology, engineering, geography, hydrology, planning, resource management and other disciplines. The book is also one of 10 regional technical inputs to the 2013 National Climate Assessment released in draft form earlier this year. Things to do : Things to do Understand how people think about climate change
Combine forces to tackle global issues; present a united front; use the web and digital media to get out your/our story
Stop being afraid of advocacy
Convene business: they are looking for guidance and a way forward Understand how your audience thinks : Understand how your audience thinks Read and Understand Global Climate Change as seen by Zoo and Aquarium Visitors http://clizen.org/files/CliZENSurveyFinalReportMay2012
64% of zoo and aquarium visitors are concerned or alarmed about global warming, compared to only 39 percent of the general American public, who responded in a survey by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.
65% of of surveyed zoo and aquarium visitors believe that human actions are related to global warming, and the majority of visitors think that global warming will harm them personally, as well as future generations.
Zoo and aquarium visitors are more likely to have friends who share their views on global warming. Visitors who are alarmed or concerned about global warming use zoo and aquarium visits as a chance to talk to companions about their relationships to nature, and they view zoos and aquariums as trustworthy places to learn about global warming.
Read The Six Americas by Anthony Leiserowitz and see updates at environment.yale.edu/climate-communications
Try and Figure out where your audience(s) fit(s) on the scale
Rad The Six Americas by
Try and understand where your audience fits on the scale 2. Join Forces with your local Zoo or Aquarium : 2. Join Forces with your local Zoo or Aquarium Public gardens, zoos and aquaria share major public education and species and habitat conservation goals.
Mount a joint PR campaign about climate change and its consequences
Jointly submit climate change education proposals to funders
Sponsor a “2063” exhibit on regional plants and animals
Jointly offer a middle school course on climate change impacts …offer digital badges for course achievement
Teach Climate Change to students and teachers as part of schoo field trip classes 3. Take a public Position on the climate : 3. Take a public Position on the climate Stick up for your plants, ecosystems, natural resources, public health and national security!
Sign the APGA-sponsored Youtopia pledge
Convene a conference to showcase local speakers about climate change
Take a pledge to reduce your carbon footprint and report publicly on progress through your website
Ask your Board of Directors to publicly express their concern
Tell your elected legislators and appointed officials about policies you want supported 4. Convene local business as allies : 4. Convene local business as allies Corporate leadership of sustainable practices is real and growing. Help it advance in your community by
Hold a corporate roundtables for sustainability; share lunch and ideas. Make your concern about climate change clear and actionable
Showcase your expertise when it can benefit corporate campus operations
Connect these businesses with high school and college students who share your garden’s sense of urgency about environmental matters
Empower these companies to carry the message to your audience at annual events Don’t Wait : Don’t Wait © Copyright 2013 American Public Gardens Association. This presentation is intended for viewing only and should not be copied or re-distributed for further use. Slide 13: When I was first asked to be a part of this great panel I said, “Sure”. Then an email came saying, “Congratulations, your paper topic has been accepted.” Then reality set in and this is how I felt. What was I thinking? There are two types of cities, which I’m showing you now. : There are two types of cities, which I’m showing you now. The second city has lots of green with bright blue skies and is the way we see the world that we hope we will live in in the future. So, as I begin to look and think about the future of botanic gardens and arboretums I was fortunate that I had done a similar thing with zoos and aquariums in 2011. The first city is the dark, gloomy, awful type that you often see portrayed as a future city. predicting the future about anything is risky business! : predicting the future about anything is risky business! But... as in that Conference and in this Paper, Today, I have some things that are still in labs and others are still in the marketplace but have done that 10 to 20 years it takes to get an idea from “what if” to reality. Zoos & Aquariums 2030 : Zoos & Aquariums 2030 Sponsored by
San Diego Zoo & Van H. Gilbert Architect PC In that time, the firm I worked for, Van H. Gilbert Architect PC, and San Diego Zoo Global collaborated to present a conference on the future of zoos and aquariums in the year 2030 and what exhibits might look like. Slide 17: Held at the San Diego Zoo above the new elephant exhibit, the 2030 Conference brought together 20 Zoo and Aquarium Directors from around the Country and 20 people from the business and scientific world. Slide 18: We had various presentations by many of these people. Some of them included Walt Disney, Sandia National Labs, scientists from various communities, scientists on biomimicry, education specialists, AZA leaders and people from the field of energy and the science of energy. Slide 19: During the Conference, we looked at technology currently in the marketplace, technology that is almost ready to come out of the labs, and ideas that the public might be a part of in the future that we could use in exhibits. After three days of presentations and discussions, some of the highlights that came out that could be ready in 10 or 20 years included: Augmented virtual reality
Customized visits by visitors
Real time experience for social media It was very stimulating to discuss possibilities that are 10 to 20 years in the future! Dynamic opacity
Invisible barriers for animals
and last but not least, real time medical diagnosis for animals as well as people. Slide 20: Reagentless electrochemical bioassay
Press against skin to identify biological markers just beneath skin surface
Works in-situ - Body fluid not withdrawn
Glucose and quinone demonstrated
Tips treated with antibodies to bind to relevant suspect substance
Works with proteins, enzymes, and biologically relevant chemicals
Equipment cost: $10-20K Detection of antibodies
State of health assessment ElectroNeedleTM – Biomedical Sensor Array Sponsored by the San Diego Zoo & Van H. Gilbert Architect PC These next slides are some of the amazing developments that are mostly in Stage 8; Stage 10 being available for the public. Slide 21: On-site, near real-
time monitoring using
Potential to replace days-long laboratory process
Identifies proteins by separating samples into distinct bands
Detects trihalomethanes (undesirable by-products of chlorination process) – EPA regulation to measure Immediate monitoring of aquarium and zoo
water quality and contaminants MicroChemLab: Checks for Toxins in Water Supply Sponsored by the San Diego Zoo & Van H. Gilbert Architect PC Slide 22: Nanotechnology is the engineering of tiny particles, systems or machines. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, or about the width of three or four atoms. Human hair = 100,000 nanometers Nanotechnology Strong, near invisible barrier for cages or aquariums using carbon nanotubes - a step towards the “Force Field” Hormonal activity
Water Purification - Desalination and impurity removal
Batteries - Greater surface area of nanotubes provides for more energy storage and faster recharge Carbon nanotubes Water flow Sponsored by the San Diego Zoo & Van H. Gilbert Architect PC This type of Technology will be one of the greatest effects in our future Slide 23: Demonstrate energy conservation and ecology – Operate Aquariums and Zoos off-grid National Renewable Energy Laboratory affiliate
Photovoltaic Power Systems for Navajo Tribal Utility
200 units installed in remote areas
Sandia provides technical support
3 Kw-hrs per day average in winter
One unit per home
Power Source for Water Pump
10 kW solar dish/sterling engine
Agriculture stand-alone system Energy and Ecology Sponsored by the San Diego Zoo & Van H. Gilbert Architect PC Slide 24: Hopping robot
Can hop 25 feet high
Designed for precision payload deployment
Hopping helps traverse in urban environments
Designed under DoD contract Animal toy to enhance alertness and provide stimulation – big cats
Robotic interaction: monitoring and delivery of medicines, etc. Robotics Sponsored by the San Diego Zoo & Van H. Gilbert Architect PC Later we will discuss how robots will help in the future. Slide 25: Implement moderate range RFID
Today’s tags have 1 meter range and hand-held reader. Future: 100 meter range.
Interrogator grid throughout facility or handheld
Implantable, solar rechargeable tag
Enhanced RFID: Psysiological monitoring and location Animal RFID tag by Destron Implant: AVID
Digital Angel (temp) Solar-Powered, medium-range prototype tag (Sandia) Animal Tagging and Monitoring Sponsored by the San Diego Zoo & Van H. Gilbert Architect PC Slide 26: Even those previous slides were in our near future. Today, I wanted to review what is out there currently. Future Timeline.net is a very interesting website that examines each year from 2000 to 3000 – 1000 years of what if? It is quite fascinating to see what this group of learned people are predicting. The following slides show the main topics that occur over and over that are part of the future and none of them will be a surprise. Slide 27: OIL How long will it last?
At what cost? Slide 28: CLIMATE CHANGE Long term predictions are from bad to worse but there will be change! Slide 29: MONEY Will there even be money as we know it in the future?
Go the site and find out. Slide 30: EDUCATION Education has been the same for centuries. How will it change? We must continue to learn. Will there be standard school buildings? Slide 31: SOCIAL ISSUES The photo at the top left sums it all up! Slide 32: DOWNFALL OF POWERFUL NATIONS Will the US continue to be the leader? They are predicting not. Slide 33: ENERGY As oil goes out so do thousands of petroleum based products. Slide 34: FOOD SHORTAGES Massive food shortages associated with climate are in the future! Slide 35: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Can science rise to the challenges of the future to aid in the problems of the future? Slide 36: TRANSPORTATION Will there really be flying cars? How will we get around or do most things some to us? Slide 37: Technical and scientific advances. So, how do we, at APGA, fit into the future? Slide 38: People will continue to have a need to be a part of nature. Nature calms us. For example, they did a test and people working in Central Park were more alert and focused on more the task in hand when in the park than in the office. The public wants green and beautiful. Slide 39: We hold our own future for exhibits in our own hands. We can incorporate what is new into what we are planning today. Remember, the two types of the future. Slide 40: How do we get there? What if we want a place in the garden to experience nature yet have a secure area to do texting, computing, social networking, all of those things around our personal lives that we see today? Well, one way would be to create a specialized garden that uses translucent concrete. Remember, this is available now. We can be in touch with nature while being inside of something looking through to see it but it’s not glass. We see the shadows shimmering. We see the plants moving back and forth. It could be a dynamic experience. Slide 41: The auto industry has been in love with carbon fibers for some time. Slide 42: Carbon fibers can be used and colored in many uses. Slide 43: Why not use strong yet large planters that weigh five pounds? What about a trellis that is lightweight? Planters that are lightweight? Thy will not rot or change over time but are strong enough to hold the plants up over a great period of time. All of these made of carbon fibers and they could look like stone or concrete. Slide 44: What about a concrete sidewalk that repairs itself? Concrete that bends. Yes, they are a reality. As the crack gets wet, the concrete starts the process of healing more fibers. Slide 45: There are many realities today that these products could be used in. What about kinetic glass. That monitors the health of a room and automatically opens embedded grills to regulate air based on the shadows or the people that are in the room keeping the space they are in free of carbon dioxide and monoxide? Slide 46: What about Sensitile? Sensitile is embedded with fiber optics that transfer light from space to space or tile to tile. The light from this tile can illuminate a path for you to follow. Your shadow will tell it when to turn on. These tiles ahead of you or in walls or in the ceiling could be illuminated in various patterns, styles, and colors. Slide 47: Fabrics are being developed that are electronically controlled to display images. What are the possibilities of something that has characteristics of cloth but acts as a computer screen. These textiles could project a video of your choosing on your
clothes that would change as you are walking. Or, this textile could be used in an exhibit that changes but folds and does all the things that a textile can do while still showing images that come from personal phones, computers, etc. Slide 48: Aerogel. This product holds 15 entries in the Guinness World Book of Records. Some refer to it as frozen smoke. It is a great insulator. It stops cold and heat so well the U.S. military is looking at including it as one of the components in combat armor because of its superior insulating qualities. Can’t you just see a plant growing surrounded by this in the dead of winter? It could be pretty interesting. One of my favorites is nano. Slide 49: Micro machines could help us in our daily chores of keeping the garden pristine and beautiful. They could eliminate pests, till the soil under the direction of a gardener. The gardener could direct a small army of micro machinery. Slide 50: Larger robots will also be useful but the concept and designs are still in the lab and practical use is 20 years out. Slide 51: More Nanos: Nanos are microscopic but they can be woven. They can be spun. They become tubes. They can be embedded. They can be planted. There are a number of things that nanos happen. Now, nano technology is not quite ready for primetime. There’s still many things going on in the lab to perfect it that would be there. So, it is a product that would be in the future but it could be woven and you can’t see nanos with the naked eye. It’s as close to a force field as at this point scientists believe we will get. Imagine a vine growing and it seems to be hanging onto thin air. What about nanoglass? Glass that barely needs support of any kind but can span great distances and nanos, as they are woven together, are as strong as stainless steel. These are transmission made nanos. In the live videos, you can see it move and change gears. Micro Machines. So, we want this future in a botanic gardens to be wonderful.. We want people living in spaces that are part of a garden, perhaps next to it, or living in the middle of it. We want this garden environment every day Slide 52: Could this be a garden of the future? Part of the land of the old garden is used as a funding source with high rise apartments, street level retail, and massive gardens on roofs and on the ground. Thank you. Slide 53: No part of this presentation may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the American Public Gardens Association.
Copyright © 2013 by the American Public Gardens Association. All rights reserved. The American Public Gardens Association
Vision: A world where public gardens are indispensable APGA 2013 Garden Evolution Conference _______________________________________________