Even the garbage is critical in botanic gardens! Apart from the financial cost of removal from the Gardens, there is a genuine desire among Botanic Gardens to inform and educate the public about all things which contribute to a sustainable future for the planet.
Objective D7 from the EU’s Action Plan for Botanic Gardens includes the following –
- develop and carry out a green audit in the garden and develop and implement a strategy for
change if necessary - implement sustainable environmental programmes that are linked to the education
programme.
(Action Plan for Botanic Gardens in the European Union; D. Education, Training and Awareness, Chapter ‘D’ contributed by Julia Willison, in collaboration with European educators; European Botanic Gardens Consortium)
Sometimes the messages, whether simple or complex, are made very clear. Balancing creativity with the importance of the message is critical.
Here’s a few of signs about garbage… And, yes, we do get some funny looks when caught snapping images of bins!
The signs from Royal Botanic Garden Scotland – Edinburgh Botanic Garden, and Royal Botanic
Garden Kew in London, inform and engage visitors about waste management. They provide a simple
effective message which will be remembered by their clever images and captions. Insert images
Whilst all three are quite clearly functional recycle bins, without a message an ideal opportunity is
lost.