Traditional efforts to preserve biodiversity and address climate change will not succeed in the long run unless people change the way they interact with the world. Institutions, like public gardens, can play a major role in creating that change. To do this, and be seen with credibility, we must first ensure that our actions reflect our message. When Phipps opened in 1893 people believed there was no limit to the amount of natural resources we used or pollution we produced. 110 years later, by questioning and challenging conventional design and operations, Phipps transformed itself from a relic of the last industrial revolution to one of the worlds greenest gardens.
Results/Conclusions
In 2005, Phipps opened the first LEED certified visitor center in a public garden: in 2006 the most energy efficient conservatory in the world: and in 2009 completed designs for a net-zero energy and water building to meet the Living Building Challenge and exceed LEED Platinum. Simultaneously, Phipps systematically began to review and change all of its operations to meet a high level of sustainability. Concurrent with this, Phipps began to 1) develop a new research program on sustainable solutions for engineered landscapes to complement the knowledge gained through ethnobotanical research funded by Phipps’ Botany in Action program, and 2) linking this research with new community based sustainability education programs, with an emphasis on children, that are designed to change the way people interact with the world by connecting them to the important role that plants play in our lives and provide sustainable solutions for where the natural and the built environments intersect. And 3) use the momentum and credibility gained in leading by example to develop important new collaborative relationships with Universities, a Government Lab and numerous other non-profits. By demonstrating environmental stewardship and leading by example, organizations, like Phipps, can multiply their efforts to inspire and change the way people interact with the world. For Phipps these efforts also garnered Phipps numerous awards, public recognition and funding, and the selection by President Obama to be the G20 Summit host site for the opening reception and leader’s dinner in September 2009 all which further enhanced our credibility to encourage change.