On Friday, March 3, the Longwood Graduate Students presented their annual symposium entitled “Growing Together: Cultivating Change in the Economic Landscape.” The daylong educational experience sought to engage attendees in big picture thinking. From how the public horticulture industry uses vacant city lots for urban farming to the way public gardens can advocate for their mission while leveraging current events and politics, the riveting speakers and crowd discussions left no mind untilled.
The symposium began with opening remarks and laughs from Dr. Yoram Bauman, also known as The Stand-Up Economist. This comical genius blended the value of economics and the power it can have in the public garden sector with belly laughs and economy puns, all while tackling topics like climate change, littering, the rise of global temperatures, and taxes. The author of several illustrated economics books, Bauman conveyed the information effectively and digestibly for the crowd. As it is atypical for gardens to have an economist on staff, the comedian recommended incorporating economics into public gardens by staying abreast of current events and reading The Economist.
Attendees of the symposium were given the chance to mingle and meet other professionals and students in the industry. As pictured, Education Intern, Alexa Wright, socializes with a Student Travel Awardee. Photo by Gene McCutchen.
Next, the symposium welcomed Ethan Connor-Ross, a Director of Econsult Solutions, Inc., to the stage. Did you know that Philadelphia is home to America’s Garden Capital? The City of Brotherly Love boasts the largest concentration of public gardens and arboreta in the world. Recently, Econsult Solutions, Inc. partnered with Greater Philadelphia Gardens to unearth and report the economic impact these 30+ destinations and attractions have on the region. His session focused on quantifying and capitalizing on the nature of gardens’ visitation and tourism, and measuring how to communicate with these visitors. On a yearly basis, these beautiful gardens and arboreta rake in $37 million in ancillary spending to the eleven-county Philadelphia region! Connor-Ross helped guests from across the country better understand how gardens can market and utilize this same economic measure.
Representing a garden from the south, Karen Lucht, Promotions Coordinator from Magnolia Plantation & Gardens of South Carolina, explained how their for-profit garden uses nonprofit programming to spread the mission of the gardens’ owners and board. Also, Lucht discussed Magnolia’s challenge of embracing their dark past of slavery on the property to serve as a learning experience for all visitors. Likewise, Brenna Goggin, Director of Advocacy for the Delaware Nature Society, had minds in the room spinning at the idea of advocating for a garden’s mission by leveraging current events and politics. Both speakers introduced the idea that every garden and arboretum has something unique in its mission and history and that embracing those nuances can propel an organization into the future.
In the spirit of public gardens' effect on local economy, Longwood teamed up with the Brandywine Bee Company of Chadds Ford, PA, to provide attendees with a local taste. Photo by Gene McCutchen.
In recent years, urban gardening and city farming have become horticulture and community staples in cities across America. In separate sessions, speakers Sandra Albro and Karen Washington discussed the need for community partnership and unification to make every parcel of land available for the use of urban greening and growing. Washington, Co-Owner of Rise & Root, led a discussion about gentrification that got the room buzzing with thought-provoking conversation. The symposium delved into topics hitting close to home in the States, but Andrea Kee of Gardens by the Bay in Singapore gave the attendees a glimpse of victories and triumphs in public gardens on the other side of the world.
The 2017 Longwood Graduate Program Symposium allowed guests to engage and participate in the ways that public gardens contribute to local and regional economies, tourism, employment, and community development. Graduate Fellow Tracy Qiu worked hand-in-hand with her cohort in the planning of the symposium. "The Fellows had a great time organizing this symposium, and we were pleased to have had so many participants come and learn about the economic impact of public gardens. We hope everyone was able to take something back to their own institutions and look forward to sharing the webinar online!"
The day was almost complete with a panel discussion entitled "Economic Triumphs and Trials," featuring (left to right) Sandra Albro (Research Associate for Applied Urban Ecology, Cleveland Botanical Gardens), Marnie Conley (Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Longwood Gardens), and Karen Washington (Co-Owner, Farmer and Activist, Rise & Root Farm). Photo by Gene McCutchen.
The Longwood Graduate Program was established in 1967 through a partnership with the University of Delaware. The students are chosen through a prestigious and vigorous application process and once accepted, experience academic coursework, thesis research, travel, and experiential learning in public horticulture. We are proud to share in the announcement of the Longwood Fellows chosen to begin a new chapter of our founder’s mission in education. The current graduate students will be the first class introduced to the Society of Fellows as the program evolves and changes.
The Longwood Graduate Students were all smiles at the end of their successful event with their co-leads, Brian Trader and Marnie Conley. From left to right: Erin Kinley, Tracy Qiu, Grace Parker, Brian Trader, Marnie Conley, Elizabeth Barton, and Alice Edgerton. Photo by Gene McCutchen.
