Episode 11: Boosting the longevity and relevance of school and botanical gardens

With Todd Beasley of the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina and University of South Carolina

Why is horticulture misunderstood in so many schools? What is the largest barrier to sustained success with school gardens? How can botanical gardens become more culturally relevant? To what extent do non-profit board composition and recruitment practices impact the cultural relevance of botanical gardens? These are some of the big questions that Todd Beasley joined us to discuss in our latest episode. More than a few plant puns found their way into the conversation, too!

Transition music:

"Garden Music" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Guest:

Todd Beasley, Green Teacher’s Regional Editor for South Carolina (SC), has 25 years of experience in horticulture and education. Between stops at three botanical gardens, Todd taught 5th-grade Environmental Science and continuing education Horticulture classes. Todd also served as the School Environmental Education Director at Heathwood Hall in Columbia, South Carolina, USA, where his students created a nationally recognized youth gardening program. Todd wrote the proposal that brought the American Horticultural Society’s Annual Children and Youth Gardening Symposium to Columbia, SC in 2016. Todd is currently the owner of Primitive by Design, an eco-friendly garden design firm, and is an Elementary Education professor at the University of South Carolina.

Todd’s article, Richard Headstrom — STEAMING Ahead with STEM 75 Years Ago, appeared in our spring 2021 issue of Green Teacher magazine.