Sustainability

In 1997, there was no organized nursery program, restoration work was relatively small-scale, and greenhouses were made of pipes and plastic sheets. From that humble start, Betty Young led nursery staff and dedicated volunteers in growing over 2 million plants. On the eve of Betty’s retirement, hear her story.

On the heels of a productive 2013, the Institute at the Golden Gate has released Change Makers, a report summarizing the Institute’s five years of leveraging parks as places to address some of society’s most pressing challenges.

Threatened by Sudden Oak Death, wildfire, and the proliferation of invasive species, the oak and bay trees of Oakwood Valley face a tenuous future. But a recently completed stewardship project gives us reason for hope—and a way to help.

We’re thrilled to report that 2013 may have been the most successful year yet for the Institute at the Golden Gate. Look back on a remarkable year of influential reports, national convenings, and impactful pilot programs tackling some of society’s most pressing challenges.

On November 6–9, 2013, the Institute at the Golden Gate hosted over 140 educators, rangers, experts, and innovators at Fort Baker to brainstorm ideas on leveraging parks as places for climate-change education. Read on to learn what they discussed.

Do parks have a role in educating us about the local impacts of climate change? Would you listen? This November, the Institute at the Golden Gate’s will convene Parks: The New Climate Classroom to contribute to the growing movement for meaningful, practical, and local climate change education and communication in parks and communities nationwide.

In a rapidly urbanizing world, parks and public lands are seen as vital to human, social, and ecological health. Learn how the Institute will highlight innovative programs that leverage parks to make stronger, healthier, and more vibrant communities.

With the help of the Institute at the Golden Gate’s Food for the Parks program, the National Park Service has announced new standards for healthy and sustainable food options at parks across the country. Get a taste of this important change—here at Golden Gate!

Working with native plants all the time you begin to develop a huge soft spot for them and it becomes easy to forget that not everyone shares the same love and appreciation for our home-grown plants. But the question remains: why?

Between 2010 and 2050, the Earth’s population is expected to rise by two billion people—almost all of them living in urban centers. Learn how the Institute is highlighting parks as vital factors for human and environmental health in an urbanizing world.