霍尔登森林和花园

您已经采取或计划采取哪些独特的情况和举措来应对气候变化？

霍尔登森林和花园由两个园区组成，即市区的克利夫兰植物园和郊区的霍尔登植物园。霍尔登植物园拥有 3000 英亩的自然区域，其中包括 2000 英亩的森林。我们的工作林项目旨在展示可持续森林管理，使土地所有者在管理土地以增加生物多样性和减缓气候变化（如提高树木生长率、在森林中保留木质碎屑）的同时获得收入。该项目将研究与教育推广相结合，同时让我们提高自己森林的固碳能力。

您所在社区有哪些最紧迫的问题或机遇可以用来应对气候变化？

一个亟待解决的问题是，城市地区的气温可能会升高，气候变化会加剧 "热岛效应"。作为在城市和建筑环境中植树的倡导者，我们的工作可以提高社区对气候变化的适应能力。

您的花园有哪些独特之处可以用来应对气候变化？

如上所述，霍尔登广阔的自然区域既是实验室，也是霍尔登学习、教育和减轻气候变化影响的方法。

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

In FY23, our primary focus was on establishing recycling programs at both campuses. These campuses are now equipped to recycle everyday items, including glass. Composting initiatives have also seen significant growth with the introduction of the new composting area at ARB. We are actively exploring the potential for implementing food composting at ARB in collaboration with Rust Belt Riders.

In FY23, we identified Green Corps Interns as a key audience for climate education, equipping them with factual knowledge and practical strategies to reduce environmental impact. Interns applied this learning through hands-on sustainability actions, including ink-recycling initiatives that modeled waste-reduction best practices. Building on this approach in FY24, we hired a dedicated Green Corps intern to lead a food waste reduction initiative, focused on educating school groups about the climate impacts of food waste and implementing best practices to reduce lunch waste sent to landfills. Together, these efforts positioned interns as informed climate stewards who actively apply and share solutions that mitigate global climate change.

Additionally, to achieve this goal, we initially attempted to arrange a multi-day workshop for educators focused on climate change. Regrettably, the workshop was canceled due to low registration. Nevertheless, we adopted a new approach. In collaboration, our Education and Research departments hired a Teacher-in-Residence in the summer of FY24. This Teacher in Residence developed teacher-led lessons and educational materials on climate change and its mitigation. Lessons and other resources are available on our website for educators to download.

Eliminate all single-use plastic in food service, horticulture, gift shops, and all other facilities and operations.

We devoted significant efforts to pursue this objective, recognizing that eliminating single-use plastics may not always be feasible without viable alternatives. We have successfully addressed single-use options in both campuses’ food services by transitioning vending machines and water offerings to cans or self-serve stations. Our Horticulture department is actively experimenting with non-plastic alternatives for pots and other single-use plastic products. Moreover, our gift shops are switching suppliers to favor non-plastic packaging materials. In all other facets of our departments and operations, we diligently seek alternatives to single-use plastics wherever practical.

In addition, in FY24, the Sustainability Committee launched the Employee Single-Use Plastic Challenge to engage staff in reducing or eliminating single-use plastics across departments, events, projects, and programs at Holden Forests & Gardens. Through team-based planning and implementation, the challenge increased organizational awareness of the impacts of single-use plastic and prompted departments to more intentionally evaluate and adjust everyday practices. Results emphasized reduced reliance on disposable plastics, cross-team learning, and increased adoption of alternative practices, reinforcing a culture of mindful consumption and collective climate action.