Free Public Workshops as part of new powerPLANT program

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden is using a $50,000 private foundation grant to help pay for a new environmentaleducation program, which is expected to broaden K – 12 and community engagement in environmental issues.

powerPLANT workshops are free and open to the public. In addition, Garden admission is free for workshop attendees.

Get Sustainable!
Jan. 29, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
Sustainable Claremont provides info on local sustainability projects and how you can get involved.

School Gardens
Feb. 27, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
Learn about the many benefits of school gardens and how you can cultivate efforts at your favorite school.

Botanical Research and Conservation 101
March 19, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
See how RSABG botanical research and conservation efforts are vital in advancing knowledge of plants worldwide and protecting native plants.

Earth Day Extravaganza
April 2, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
Be selective with your time. Come learn about volunteering options at the many local Earth Day events.

Environmental Action Showcase
May 18, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Come see the fruits of the powerPLANT projects.

The BCM Foundation grant helps enhance environmental education through powerPLANT (People Living and Nature Thriving), a new program that builds on RSABG’s well-regarded educational programs.

PowerPLANT, which includes a series of free public workshops, uses unconventional methods to reach students, teachers and school administrators. Designed like a contest, 12 teams are competing for prizes and cash awards for their school and recognition as leaders for positive environmental change.

The teams, consisting of at least four students, are spending the 2012-13 school year researching and critically evaluating environmental topics through team-based multidisciplinary activities that promote environmental awareness, scholarship and stewardship.

The school-based initiatives, which range from planting native plant school gardens to hosting Earth Day events at their schools, help personalize local environmental priorities. Participants will present their projects at the Environmental Action Showcase on May 18 at RSABG.

PowerPLANT encourages knowledge and engagement of relevant environmental issues, especially pertaining to California education state standards in curriculum and California’s Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI), the first of its kind in the nation.

RSABG has more than 30 years of experience providing educational programs for students and teachers that convey the importance of native plants, cultures of indigenous people and natural history of California.

In 2011, the BCM Foundation awarded the organization a grant to align our longstanding K – 12 school tour curriculum with EEI, helping teachers reinforce classroom learning with hands-on instruction in the Garden.