Keynote address at the Horticulture Society of New York's Healing Nature Forum

The Horticultural Society of New York in partnership with NYU Langone Center’s Horticultural Therapy Department present:

Healing Nature Forum:
Planting the Seeds of Health and Sustainability

Formerly The Horticultural Therapy Forum

The connection to nature is essential to human health and well-being. Interacting with nature promotes physical, psychological, and community benefits. This year’s forum will focus on information that integrates programming, policy-making and fundraising with non-profits, social services, healthcare industry, and community groups. Therapeutic horticulture can improve the body, mind and spirit through passive or active involvement. Join us as we discuss the importance of horticulture as therapy.

Friday, March 29, 2013 9:00am—3:00pm LOCATION: Farkus Auditorium at NYU Langone Medical Center 550 1st Avenue New York, NY Admission: $25 Click here to register.  For more information emailprograms@thehort.org

Forum Agenda

9:00 – 9:45		Meet & Greet Breakfast
10:00 – 11:00		Introductions & Keynote Speaker Keynote Speaker: Keith G. Tidball, Ph.D., Senior Extension Associate, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University.
11:00 – 12:30		Panel Discussion: Starting Horticultural Programs in Human Service Organizations
12:30 – 1:00		Lunch
1:15 - 2:45		Panel Discussion: Funding Horticultural Programs in Human Services Organizations
2:45 – 3:00		Closing Remarks

URBIS- Urban Biosphere Initiative presented at Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future

Tidball and colleagues recently summarized the results of the funding they received from the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) at a topical lunch.  The focus was on recent work on urban sustainability and biodiversity conservation that was presented, discussed and launched at Rio +20 in June of 2012. The goal of this ACSF funded work has been to develop an inter-disciplinary research program focusing on sustainability, biodiversity, social-ecological systems resilience, and ecosystem services in cities. Recognizing that cities are now the dominant human habitat, the project has endeavored to address a gap left by other global sustainability initiatives, such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which pay only minimal attention to urban ecosystems. This applied research and work at the science-to-policy interface has contributed significantly to the launch of the URBIS global urban biosphere policy initiative, which has been endorsed by several international agreements and was launched at the Rio +20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. Click here for the full report.