Looking Back on 2009
 2009 has been a busy year for the BGCI Education Team with the publication of two new issues of Roots and a whole range of educational resources for climate change. We also trained and worked with educators at botanic gardens around the world, from Italy to Mexico, and ran the Seventh International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens (see this issue's 'In the Spotlight'). And that's just a small sample of what we've been up to! With 2010 just around the corner, we look forward to another engaging year working with the botanic garden education community around the world. As you wrap up your 2009, please send us news from your botanic garden or education site, and we'll include it in the next issue of Education E-update. Best wishes,
The BGCI Education Team
education@bgci.org (for general education enquiries to BGCI)
e-update@bgci.org (for Education E-update enquiries)
| | Education News From Around the World
Botanic garden diploma course set for 2010: BGCI and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, will once again offer the highly regarded International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education in 2010. Last run in 2008, the five-week course in botanic garden education takes place from 20th September - 22nd October 2010. The BGCI website has full details about course content, costs, and experiences of previous participants. Fairchild Challenge workshop to engage new partners: The next annual Fairchild Challenge Satellite Partners training workshop will take place in Miami (USA) at the end of January. The Fairchild Challenge is an annual environmental education outreach programme run by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and partners around the world. This year, BGCI is once again offering a Global Option for Fairchild Challenge participants. To learn more about the Fairchild Challenge or the upcoming workshop, email challenge@fairchildgarden.org. Montreal Botanic Garden receives urban sustainability education grant: The Montreal Nature Museums Foundation (which includes the Montreal Botanic Garden) will offer a new environmental education programme entitled 'Green Solutions to Urban Challenges,' thanks to a (Canadian) $100,000 grant from HSBC Bank Canada. The programme aims to help young people understand how plant science and technology contribute to building sustainable communities. Orchid festival at Putrajaya Botanical Garden: Orchids of various colours and species were the centre of attention at the three-day 'All About Orchids & Orchids for All' festival at Putrajaya Botanical Garden (Malaysia) last month. The festival will now be made a yearly event at the garden. New butterfly display at Bogota Botanic Garden: A new butterfly vivarium opened last month at the Bogota Botanic Garden (Colombia). For three months the vivarium will display 500 butterflies of 20 different species in order to raise awareness of Colombia's biodiversity. With more than 3,000 species of butterflies, Colombia has more butterfly diversity than any country but Brazil. State Botanical Garden of Georgia hosts sustainability festival: The State Botanical Garden of Georgia (USA) last month sponsored 'Sustainability: Bring It Home!' a weekend-long festival focusing on sustainability. Topics at the festival included mulch beds, herb gardens, annual and perennial vegetable gardens, erosion control, permaculture, alternative energy, and water conservation. Desert Botanical Garden boosts visitation with email surveys: Desert Botanical Garden (USA) has reported that email surveys have helped the garden boost repeat attendance despite a tough economy. Earlier this year, the garden began sending post-event email campaigns featuring surveys to capture attendee feedback and suggestions for future event enhancements. The garden is feeding event registration information into its customer database daily and sends an email to attendees immediately following an event. The Garden also sends a twice-a-month newsletter to members and non-members, featuring details on upcoming events and current projects at the Garden. What's new at your botanic garden? Send us the latest news from your botanic garden or education site, and we'll include it in an upcoming issue of Education E-update. | | PlantEd Poll
It's quick and fun! Read this month's poll question and click on your response. We'll publish the results in the next Education E-update! This month's poll: Do you have a strategic plan for education programmes at your botanic garden? Click on a response below to cast your vote! Yes, we have a strategic plan. No, we do not have a strategic plan. In October, we asked what is the busiest season of the year for education programmes at your botanic garden. Here's what you said! 
| | Tools You Can Use
Tools for exploring climate change with Google Earth: The University of Wales, Newport (UK), has produced a series of learning resources showing how Google Earth can be used as a tool in exploring the impact of climate change on the planet. 'Sands of Time: A Google Earth Approach to Climate Change Education' includes a free online video and learning activities for use by educators. UNESCO World Conference on ESD report now available: UNESCO has published proceedings from the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, held earlier this year in Bonn, Germany. The proceedings contain the outcomes of the Bonn Conference and reports on plenary sessions, 22 workshops on a variety of ESD topics, project-based workshops in and around Bonn, a workshop for young people engaged in ESD, and the Bonn Declaration which was adopted by the participants in the closing plenary. International Year of Biodiversity website launched: The International Year of Biodiversity begins next month, and the website for this unique event in the history of the United Nations was launched recently at a ceremony in Montreal. The website offers an opportunity for people to learn about biodiversity and to find out more about the International Year of Biodiversity and the important role biodiversity plays in our lives. Additionally, details on the celebration of the International Year and international events already scheduled are posted on the website. What's in your education toolbox? Send us your most valuable tools or resources, and we'll include them in an upcoming issue of Education E-update. | | Housekeeping
To subscribe to Education E-update, use our online form. To unsubscribe from Education E-update, simply reply to this email with "unlist" in the subject line. For information about how we protect your privacy, see our Privacy Policy. To reuse content from Education E-update in your own publication, send us an email. Feel free to forward this newsletter, however. | | | | December 2009 | | In the Spotlight This month, we bring you a report from BGCI's Seventh International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens. The Congress was hosted by the stunning Durban Botanic Gardens (South Africa) from November 1-5. This was the first time the Congress had been held in Africa, and 110 delegates from 23 countries participated--an excellent turnout considering the global economic situation. Three days were held at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Durban and the first and fourth days were run at Durban Botanic Gardens. The Congress showcased the innovative ways in which botanic gardens are using education to help achieve the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and the Millennium Development Goals, encourage environmental justice, address climate change, and highlight the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Three keynote speakers helped to focus the event. Professor Brian Huntley, former Chief Executive of the South African National Biodiversity Institute, presented a global overview of the role played by BGCI in identifying goals, targets and processes towards achieving the 2010 GSPC goals. He also highlighted the successful contributions made by South Africa's network of botanic gardens. Stella Simiyu, BGCI/SCBD Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Officer, emphasised the need for botanic garden education to be relevant to current environmental and economic situations. She stressed the need align botanic garden education with the Millennium Development Goals. Caroline Lewis, Director of Education at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (USA), presented the inspirational Fairchild Challenge programme, which is run in six botanic gardens in the USA, Costa Rica and Venezuela. She called on educators to scale up their programmes in order to maximize their impact and to light fires in the hearts and minds of young people who are increasingly disconnected from nature. In total 43 papers and 20 posters were presented, and 33 workshops were run. A 'Knowledge Café' was held with all delegates to gather views and contributions on education and the GSPC. Additionally, six national and regional botanic garden network meetings were organised, providing delegates with an opportunity to discuss relevant issues and plan collaborative activities. For more information about the conference outcomes, download the conference summary notes. A presentation of images and quotes from the Congress is also available to download. Full proceedings from the Congress will be released next year. | | | | | | What We're Reading  Social Justice, Peace, and Environmental Education, edited by Julie Andrzejewski, Marta Baltodano, and Lynda Symcox. What would education standards look like if they were generated from social justice perspectives and through collaborative and inclusive processes? This is the central question posed by the contributors of this collection on the interconnectivity of social justice, peace, and environmental education. Click on the image above to buy this book from BGCI's Amazon bookstore. | | | | | | Fairchild Challenge/BGCI Global Option 2009/2010 BGCI is teaming up with The Fairchild Challenge to offer an exciting Global Option for students ages 14-19. The challenge? Design a CD cover for a climate change-themed single from London-based band Storey! Click here for details. | | | | | | Index to Roots BGCI's education journal Roots has published hundreds of articles and resources over the years. Now you can easily find the information you're looking for online. Search the Roots index to find organisations, authors, meetings, subjects, resources, and places. The index covers 15 editions from December 2000 to October 2007. | | | | | | Spread the News About Your Education Programmes, Projects and Successes! Send us your news to be included in the next issue of Education E-update. | | | | | |
