Impact Conference 2021
2021 Impact Conference
Pollinators. Invasive Plants. Native Plants. Native Insects. Natural Ponds. Organic Lawns. Something for everyone at this year’s conference.
Nina A. Koziol “I believe that all of the objects and possessions that we own really just exist at different stages of becoming garbage. To me the world is comprised of garbage and pregarbage. Because every object on earth is actually part of a giant, slow parade to the dumpster…” — Comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
Seinfeld’s dish on garbage and our
“disposable” culture may be funny, but sadly true. We end up throwing things “away” when we’re done using them or when they’ve lost usefulness. But as one landscape architect told me years ago, “There is no ‘away’—it all stays right here.” In the manufacturing process, resources—often non-renewable— are used to make what we consume and then they’re disposed of—whether it’s in a month or decade. In the big picture, sustainability—and reducing reliance on non-renewable energy—is a hot topic, whether it’s politicians, environmentalists, concerned citizens, or, in this case the green industry.
24
Besides the resource issue, sustainability encompasses biodiversity and conserving ecosystems that ultimately connect humans to countless other animals, insects, plants and other organisms. More than 210 people registered for this year’s conference held at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was a great turnout considering we’re still in the midst of the pandemic. The topics ranged from “foodscaping” with native plants, marketing organic lawn care, designing natural ponds (aka chlorine-free swimming pools), eradicating invasive plants, insect-plant relationships and using wild plant communities in the built landscape.
The Landscape Contractor December 2021
Keynote of note
Keynote speaker Doug Tallamy, entomology professor at the University of Delaware, kicked off the conference with a rousing virtual presentation based on his latest book, “Nature’s Best Hope.” “Half of the terrestrial earth is in some kind of agriculture,” Tallamy said. “We need a new approach to conservation. There’s
