Saturday, June 1
Support your local planet:
a day to take action
Conservation is a big term that covers a lot of ground: that’s why we set aside a full day to explore conservation and sustainability on World Environment Day, Saturday, June 1.
It’s a day to learn about topics large and small, from climate change to backyard composting:
- At the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center, which will be buzzing with science activities from the rooftop to the rain garden.
- At the Esplanade and at the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, where you can ask our horticulturists and staff experts about our gardens—and about what’s happening in yours.
- At the Regenstein Center keynote presentation, where you’ll get the big picture on climate change from a panel of Chicago’s most distinguished scientists.
Of course there’s lots to do for kids, too. Come for the day, have lunch at the café, and then put what you’ve learned into practice at home!
The Day's Key Events
Learn from the Panel
Spaceship Earth:
The Fragility of Our Planet
World Environment Day Keynote Panel
Saturday, June 1
10:30 a.m. – noon
Alsdorf Auditorium
$12 nonmember; members receive 20% discount
What do an astronaut, a garden, a zoo, and a planetarium all have in common? Join us for an inspiring discussion about planet Earth and climate change.
Michelle Larson, Ph.D.
President and CEO of Adler Planetarium
Panel moderator
Col. David Hilmers,
USMC (Ret.), M.D., E.E., M.P.H.
former NASA astronaut
Alejandro Grajal, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Conservation and Education, and Director of the Center for Conservation Leadership, Chicago Zoological Society
Pati Vitt, Ph.D.
Conservation Scientist, Plant Demography, Chicago Botanic Garden
Jennifer Schwarz Ballard, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President of Education at Chicago Botanic Garden
Learn at the Labs
Meet the scientists and check out the plant science in action at our Plant Science Center, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Kids won’t want to miss ecologist Jim Steffen’s display about native spider identification.)
Learn from Our Horticulturists
Meet the “horts,” who will cover a great slate of topics: Drought-Wise Gardening, Butterfly Gardening, Eco-Friendly Lawn Care, and many more, from 11 to 4.
Learn at the Fruit & Vegetable Garden
Meet three experts who walk the talk on composting, organic vegetable gardening, and raising bees, from 11 to 4. Take home a ‘Speckled Roman’ heirloom tomato seedling, too!
Learn from the Chefs
Big Bowl chefs Marc Bernard and Patricia Yeo cook with locally grown produce at the Garden Chef Series, at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. at the Fruit & Vegetable Garden outdoor kitchen.
Learn at Play
Family drop-in activities are ongoing, from 11 to 4, at the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden and the new Kleinman Family Cove.
Recycle Garden Plastic
Don’t miss this opportunity to recycle all those plastic pots and flats from your garden, 9-4 in parking lot 4.
Farmers' Market Stand
Our own Green Youth Farms sells fresh, organically grown produce harvested from our Fruit & Vegetable Garden and their urban garden sites.
World Environment Day is generously supported by
