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Tours & ProgramsSustainable Community Field School

Sustainable Community Field School

Connecting people and garden networks to advance climate adaptation, sustainability education, and resilient landscapes from local to global scales.

The Sustainable Communities Field School (Field School) advances sustainability, climate action, and education by engaging diverse groups and communities through place-based learning.

Established in 2015, the Field School has positioned UBC Botanical Garden as a leader in sustainability education, research, and community engagement. Our programs are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and include experiential learning and team-based programs for youth, organizations, and community partners.

In 2021, the Field School launched a Climate Change Adaptation initiative to accelerate climate action through collaboration with local and global garden networks. By building capacity to understand and respond to climate change, the program supports inclusive, resilient communities while strengthening the long-term health of landscapes, plants, and biodiversity in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Our three main goals to advance climate adaptation at local, regional, and global scales are:

1. Adaptation Planning

Collaborating with established and emerging networks (gardens, universities and local governments), the Garden is developing community-driven solutions for adapting plants and landscapes through:

  1. a regional adaptation plan for the Pacific Northwest; and,
  2. plant-specific case studies for valuable collections such as maples, crop wild relatives, alpine plants, and native plants.

Climate and conservation planning will enable networks to understand future climate risks, prioritize adaptation options and build on collective strengths to drive climate action and plant conservation.

2. Action for Adaptation Biodiversity Atlas and Policy Tools

The Menu of Adaptation Action for Botanic Gardens and Arboreta

As climate change raises new challenges for people, plants, and communities around the world, it is critical for botanic gardens and arboreta to strategize together and share resources for adaptation action. UBC Botanical Garden has created the Menu of Adaptation Actions for Botanic Gardens and Arboreta, a toolkit that organizations can use to advance adaptation work according to their needs, resources, and goals. Based on learnings collected through surveys, workshops, and meetings with botanic gardens around the world, we developed the Menu along with survey results and case studies. Together, these resources aim to inspire adaptation action so we can continue growing and conserving plants in the face of evolving global challenges.

Survey of Climate Adaptation Actions from Botanic Gardens and Arboreta: Results from 2022 and 2024

In collaboration with the Climate Change Alliance of Botanic Gardens, UBCBG conducted online surveys in 2022 and 2024 for botanic gardens around the world to share how they are approaching climate adaptation. This report shares adaptation actions, key learnings, and resources from the 42 responses received in 2022 and 39 responses received in 2024.

The Menu of Adaptation Actions for Botanic Gardens and Arboreta: Case Studies

The Case Studies report highlights eight stories of botanic gardens taking action around the world. They aim to inspire creative, practical ways to address a range of climate-related challenges. We hope to continue building a collection of case studies so gardens can support one another in working collectively toward a climate-adapted future.

3. Climate Education

Our team engages businesses, organizations and youth in nature-based education at the Garden. We are constantly updating our tours with new information about SDGs, biodiversity and climate action to reflect emerging local and global priorities. To book a tour please visit our Group Experiences and Tours page.

Programs and Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • Ulrich, J.C., Moreau, T., Luna-Perez, E., Beckett, K. Simon, L., Migicovsky, Z., Diederichsen, A., Khoury, C. 2022. An inventory of crop wild relatives and wild-utilized plants in Canada. Crop Science. Vol 62, Issue 6. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20807
  • Migicovsky, Z., Amyotte, B., Ulrich, J., Smith, T., Turner, N., Pico, J., Ciotir, C., Sharifi, M., Meldrum, G., Stormes, B., Moreau, T. 2022. Berries as a case study for crop wild relative conservation, use, and public engagement in Canada. Plants People Planet. 2022: 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10291
  • Krishnam, S., Greene S.L., Khoury, C.K., Kuehny, J., Miller, A.J., Moreau, T., Novy, A. 2020. People pollinating partnerships: harnessing collaborations between botanic gardens and agricultural research organizations on crop diversity. Acta Horticulturae 1298: 37-42. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2020.1298.7.
  • Khoury, C.K., Greene, S.L., Krishnan, S., Miller, A.J., Moreau, T., Williams, K.L., Rodriguez-Bonilla, L., Spurrier, C., Zalapa, J., and Nabhan, G.P. 2020. Toward integrated conservation of North America’s crop wild relatives. Natural Areas Journal 40(1): 96-100. doi: 10.3375/043.040.0111. https://doi.org/10.3375/043.040.0111.
  • Novy, A. and T. Moreau. 2019. Crop Science Special Issue: Connecting Agriculture, Public Gardens and Science. Crop Science – Special Submissions: Celebrating Crop Diversity: Connecting Agriculture, Public Gardens and Science. Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Societies. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America. ACSESS Digital Library.
  • Khoury, C. K., Greene, S. L., Krishnan, S., Miller, A. J., and Moreau, T.L. 2019. A  Road Map for Conservation, Use and Public Engagement around North America’s Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Utilized Plants. Crop Science – Special Submissions: Celebrating Crop Diversity: Connecting Agriculture, Public Gardens and Science. Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Societies. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America. ACSESS Digital Library.
  • Moreau, T.L., and Speight, D. 2019. Cooking up Diverse Diets: Advancing Biodiversity in Food and Agriculture through Collaborations with Chefs. Crop Science – Special Submissions: Celebrating Crop Diversity: Connecting Agriculture, Public Gardens and Science.  Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Societies. American Society of Agronomy Crop Science Society of America. ACSESS Digital Library.
  • Krishnan, S., Moreau, T.L., Kuehny, J., Novy, A., Greene, S.L. and C. Khoury. 2019. Resetting the table for people and plants: Botanic gardens and research organizations collaborate to address food and agricultural plant blindness. Plants, People and Planet. Vol 1. Issue 3 157-163.
  • Zelenika, I., Moreau, T.L., Lane, O., and Zhao, J. 2018. Sustainability education in a botanical garden promotes environmental knowledge, attitudes, intentions and willingness to act. Environmental Education Research. Vol 24 (11).·   Zelenika, Moreau and Zhao. 2018. Toward zero waste events: Reducing contamination in waste streams with volunteer assistance. Waste Management. Vol 76: 39-45.

Other Publications

  • Jackson, L., Moreau, T., and Justice, D. 2024. Blueberry. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/blueberry
  • Chan-Khan, Z., Moreau, T., and L. Jackson. 2024. The Role of Public Gardens in Advancing Community Food Security and Resilient Food. Systems. Public Garden Magazine. Volume 29, Issue 2.
  • Novy, A., Hestness, E., Khoury, C.K., Miller, A., Moreau, T., and E. Warschefsky. 2024. Botanic Gardens Contribute to Food Security Through Education, Conservation, and Research. Vol 1, Chapt. 3 In: T. Pullaiah and D. Galbraith (eds) Botanical Gardens and their role in Plant Conservation. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, LL
  • Moreau, T., and S. Willoughby. 2023. Change Much? Marking our Mark and Tracking Impact using Logic Models and Theories of Change. Public Garden Magazine Volume 28, Issue 4.
  • Volk, G.M., T. Moreau, and P. F. Byrne. 2023. Conserving and Using Climate-Ready Plant Collections. https://colostate.pressbooks.pub/climatereadyplantcollections/front-matter/introduction/.
  • Khoury, C.K., Greene, S.L., Moreau, T., Krishnan, S., and Miller, A.J. 2019. Botanic Garden – Agriculture Research Collaborations around North America’s Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Utilized Plants. Public Garden 34(4): 6-9. https://adobeindd.com/view/publications/b51a2f77-7438-4cce-9c7a-21da325ef663/teyz/publication-web-resources/pdf/11_2019_PG_Magazine.pdf
  • Moreau, T. 2018. Food Gardens Growing Global Goals: Setting the Table for Sustainable Development. Roots. Botanic Gardens Conservation International Education Review. 15 (2) Nov. 14-16.·   Moreau, T., and A. Novy. 2018. Public Education and Outreach Opportunities for Crop Wild Relatives in North America. In: Greene S., Williams K., Khoury C., Kantar M., Marek L. (eds) North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 1. Springer Cham.