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The Climate Toolkit For Museums, Gardens and Zoos

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About
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Houston Botanic Garden

Contact:

Daniel Millikin

Director of Education

Dany@hbg.org

281-908-9503

Region Served: Houston, Texas

Website: hbg.org

Focus Area: Landscapes and Horticulture Completed Planned

Landscapes and Horticulture

Ensure 25% of all lawn/garden maintenance equipment is electric (by end of 2027)

Ensure that 50% pesticides and fertilizers used are not derived from fossil fuels

Reduce lawn areas by 10% and encourage native plant replacements

Support reforestation to sequester carbon

Convert parking spaces into greenspaces to combat the rising temperature in cities

Additional Goals for This Institution

Buildings and Energy

Water

Food Service

Transportation

Offset carbon for all work-related staff travel (by end of 2025)

Make 25% of vehicle fleet electric (excluding tractors) (by end of 2023)

Incentivize employees to carpool, bike, bus or otherwise forgo single-occupant car transportation (by end of 2024)

Incentivize visitor sustainable travel (by end of 2026)

Waste

Eliminate all single-use plastic in food service, horticulture, gift shop, and all other facilities and operations (by end of 2024)

Compost 100% of food waste

Eliminate the sale and use of bottled water (by end of 2025)

Recycle or reuse all recyclable materials including metals, glass, and plastic (by end of 2025)

Investments

Internal and External Engagement

Create an employee incentivization program for reducing emissions (by end of 2025)

Establish a green team to support employee-related climate action (by end of 2023)

Assist visitors in switching to household renewable energy (by end of 2027)

Educate visitors on sustainable, fossil-free horticulture

Educate visitors on growing organic food

Educate visitors on the impacts of food choices and waste on climate change

Teach facts and best practices to mitigate and reduce global climate change

Research

Conduct region-specific research related to climate change

‹ Horniman Museum and Gardens

Hoyt Arboretum Friends ›

Additional Resources

2030 Palette: A Database of Sustainable Design Strategies and Resources

BGCI Technical Review: The Role of Botanic Gardens in Practising
and Promoting Environmental Sustainability

Our Collections Matter: ICCROM

Project Drawdown

Public Gardens Sustainability Index

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

We Are Still In

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Contact Us

climatetoolkit@phipps.conservatory.org

412-622-6914