Daily Archives: November 7, 2023

Thursday, November 16, 6:30 pm – Our Artificial Nature: Perspectives on Design for an Era of Environmental Change

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On the tenth anniversary of the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities, the Druker Design Gallery exhibition Our Artificial Nature: Perspectives on Design for an Era of Environmental Change aims to situate emerging research within a history of design and solidify a dialogue around a new ecological paradigm. Carson Chan, Director, Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and Natural Environment and curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, will engage GSD faculty in a conversation about past design speculations, current research, and practice.

The conversation will address the cultural, social, and technological processes emerging within design discourse that aim to address ecological imperatives. The event will call attention to the idea that design practice is the creation of the artificial, as well as the imagination of our constructed environment in a moment when our designed and natural worlds are fused. Both the event and exhibition aim to situate current research within a history of design for environmental change, framing new paradigms for environmental design.

This event is part of ArtsThursdays, a university-wide initiative supported by Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA). Free and open to the public in the Gund Hall Piper Auditorium at the Harvard Graduate School of Design on November 16 from 6:30 – 8. For complete information visit www.gsd.harvard.edu

Wednesday, November 15, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Closing the Loop in Landscapes: Enhanced Sustainability with Roots, Wildlife, and Healthy Soil, Online

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Traditionally, many resources are used to keep landscapes looking lush and healthy. Tremendous amounts of water are used to irrigate lawns and garden beds. Every year we cover our landscapes with yards of mulch to keep weeds at bay and retain soil moisture. However, we can lower our water bills, stop the annual mulch delivery, and have gorgeous healthy gardens by creating an ecosystem that ultimately cares for itself. The incorporation of native plants attracts wildlife and feeds the soil, the foundation of healthy plants. In this session, you will learn how to identify plants to enhance sustainability; how to naturally enhance soil health; and how to design with techniques that encourage wildlife and minimize water use. This American Horticultural Society online lecture takes place Wednesday, November 15, at 7 pm Eastern. $10 AHS members, $15 nonmembers. Register at www.ahsgardening.org

Marie Chieppo is a landscape designer who works with nature and interconnecting systems to enhance biodiversity and the overall health of the environment. With an initial background in public health policy and research, she has designed beautiful resilient landscapes for over twenty years through her business, EcoPlantPlans. Her most recent work focuses on sustainable solutions for plastic plant containers. Chieppo is an Ecological Landscape Designer and Accredited Organic Land Care Professional.