conferences « Therapeutic Landscapes Network

“In Our Nature,” 2010 AHTA National Conference – Early bird registration ends 9/1!

August 26, 2010 | by Naomi Sachs

Fountain at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Rooftop Therapeutic Garden (Photo by Naomi Sachs)

The American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) is teaming up with the Chicago Botanic Garden for this year’s annual conference, on October 13-16. The 2010 theme is “In Our Nature,” and will feature keynote speakers Gene Rothert and Linda Emanuel; tours of HT programs and gardens and exemplary school gardens; two pre-conference workshops; and a terrific lineup of education and poster sessions. I’ve gotten to visit Chicago twice in the last year, including the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Schwab garden pictured above (designed by Gene Rothert and Martha Tyson, and also on one of the AHTA conference tours), and this city is really worth the trip; SO many great gardens, and Chicago’s downtown is vibrant and exciting. I attended last year’s AHTA conference in Pasadena and learned a ton while meeting a whole lot of great people. AHTA and CBG both do it right, so this year is sure to be fantastic.

Early-bird registration for In Our Nature ends on 9/1 (which is in less than a week!), so sign up now. More information and registration on the AHTA website.

Next Month! National Children & Youth Garden Symposium

June 15, 2010 | by Naomi Sachs

The Vitality of Gardens: Energizing the Learning Environment

That’s the theme for The American Horticultural Society‘s (18th!) annual National Children & Youth Garden Symposium, to be held July 22-24, 2010, in Pasadena, CA.

“The restoration we seek in gardens is more essential than ever, but gardens are also sources of healthy food, environmental protection and personal fulfillment. The garden can be an incubator for fostering engaged citizens. For children and youth, a garden can be a science lab, art studio, kitchen, gathering place, theater of the imagination, a special place to explore the world.

Come learn how to create and use gardens to provide dynamic environments for experimentation, social engagement, self-expression, and connection to the natural world. Hear from youth, the adults in their lives, and national experts about the vital role of gardens in the lives of today’s youth.”

Visit the AHS website for more details about tours, speakers, education sessions, and more.

ASLA Healthcare and Therapeutic Design PPN Event: Informal Walking Tour in Washington, D.C.

May 11, 2010 | by Naomi Sachs

Photo of the American Psychological Association's Rooftop Labyrinth by Lea Goode-Harris

Registration for the annual ASLA meeting (American Society of Landscape Architects) has begun, and it’ll be in Washington, D.C. this year, from September 10-13. But before you book your ticket, think about joining the Healthcare and Therapeutic Design (HTD) and Children’s Outdoor Environments Professional Practice Networks for a “meeting before the meeting” walking tour of some D.C. sites that relate to human health and well-being, on September 9th.

Here’s the write-up from the HTD PPN Therapeutic Landscapes Design social networking site (which is open to all):

“We plan to spend the day visiting sites on and along the Mall to generate discussions on how they relate to our common interest in Therapeutic Gardens. We are considering several sites, including the Vietnam Memorial, the Butterfly Garden, the Garden at the Native American Museum and the rooftop garden and labyrinth at the American Psychological Association. After the site visits, we hope to gather and ‘debrief’ to share our thoughts. The date is Sept. 9th, the day before the actual meeting. We will meet in the morning around 8:30 AM and continue through the day (you can join us in the afternoon, depending upon your travel plans.) We will be sending out further information as we get closer to the date. There is no cost and we will stop for lunch along the Mall. We will hope to continue the conversation at the PPN meeting on Saturday or Sunday. We will be sending out further information in the coming weeks and asking you to RSVP for the event.”

If you’re interested in attending and don’t want to join the above-mentioned site, just leave a comment here and I’ll hook you up.

While researching for this blog post, I found a great post by Lea Goode-Harris about the APA’s rooftop garden and labyrinth on her blog Tales from the Labyrinth. Lots of good pictures! This is one of the many projects funded by the TKF Foundation; we’ve written about them in the past, and I’m sure we’ll be doing so again. They do great work. The APA labyrinth will be the first stop on our walking tour that day, and they are excited to show us around. In case you can’t make our “meeting before the meeting” but want to visit the green roof with labyrinth, it’s at 10 G Street, N.E., and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. You can get access by asking the guard at the front desk (this from the APA website).

And if you want more on labyrinths, check out the Therapeutic Landscapes Network’s Labyrinths page.

AHTA Conference Request for Proposals – Due 4/15!

April 7, 2010 | by Naomi Sachs

Photo of wild plum by Henry Domke

Proposals for this year’s American Horticultural Therapy Association’s conference, In Our Nature, are due soon – April 15th – so if you have something to say and you think others should hear it, get busy and submit your proposal. Last year’s conference was excellent – great speakers and poster presentations, wonderful tours, lots of networking opportunities. And this year, October 13-16, it’s in collaboration with the Chicago Botanic Garden. Click HERE to link to the AHTA conference page, where you can download the RFP.

Oh, and the Therapeutic Landscapes Network just sent out its March/April e-newsletter. It’s only available to members on our mailing list, so if you’d like to join (membership is free), click HERE. Thanks, and happy reading!

Discount on DVDs – A Consolation Prize for Those of Us Who Can’t Attend the Design for Aging Conference

March 21, 2010 | by Naomi Sachs

I really wanted to get to the Design for Aging conference, which started today, but just couldn’t this year. If you are in the same boat, I have a consolation prize for you!

The Therapeutic Landscape Network has teamed up with Access to Nature to offer a 10% discount off of the excellent DVD series, “Access to Nature for Older Adults.”

Please visit this earlier post for a detailed (and glowing) description of this DVD series. It is an excellent new contribution to this field, and I wish that everyone would see it.

So to help with that, here’s the deal: Receive a 10% discount when you buy any or all of the Access to Nature DVDs. Just enter this promotional code in the checkout section on the Access to Nature website: TLNA2N.

Happy Horticultural Therapy Week!

March 15, 2010 | by Naomi Sachs

This week, starting yesterday, is National Horticultural Therapy Week.

To celebrate, I’m posting the American Horticultural Therapy Association’s Call for Papers for their next conference, In Our Nature, which will be in Chicago from October 13-16, 2010. Proposals are due by April 15, so get your act together soon to submit.

If you’re not quite sure what horticultural therapy, or “HT,” is, here’s a quick definition, courtesy of the Horticultural Therapy Institute: Horticultural therapy is “a professional practice that uses the cultivation of plants and gardening activities to improve the mental and physical health of its participants.”

The Therapeutic Landscapes Network has a special page devoted to HT, and the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) has many resources, including links and books to buy, on their website.

It is my personal opinion that any designer who designs therapeutic landscapes should be a member of AHTA. The Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture alone, published by AHTA, is worth the price of admission alone.

I’m working on a blog post about my amazing day at the Horticulture Society of New York’s forum, Food 4 Thought, and hope to have that out before the end of the week.

In the meantime, here’s a nice video form GardeningForLife about HT:

This Friday! Horticultural Society of NY presents Horticultural Therapy Partnership Forum, Food 4 Thought

March 9, 2010 | by Naomi Sachs

Image courtesy of HSNY

This Friday, 3/12, the Horticultural Society of New York presents its 4th Annual Horticultural Therapy Partnership Forum, “Food 4 Thought.” What a great line-up! I’m so excited to get to meet and hear from all of these amazing people. Click HERE to link to the HSNY info and registration page.

Morning topics and speakers are:

“Horticultural Therapy at the Rikers Island,” with Hilda Krus, HTR, Director of GreenHouse, HSNY
“Horticultural Therapy for People Living with HIV/AIDS,” with Liza Watkins of Bailey Holt House and Sandra Power of the Horticultural Therapy Institute

An afternoon panel will be moderated by Ronnit Bendavid-Val, Director of Citywide Horticulture, NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation. Panelist topics and presenters include:

“Urban Farming, Farm Stands, & Markets,” with Jane Hodge, City Farms Manager, Just Food and Rev. Robert Jackson, Co-founder of Brooklyn Rescue Mission
“Horticulture Across Generations,” with Arthur Sheppard, Goddard Riverside
“Partnering Medical & Social Research,” with Anne Wiesen, Co-founder & Executive Director of Meristem and Naomi Sachs, Founder & Director of the Therapeutic Landscapes Network
“Physical Therapy and Gardening,” with Karen Washington, Physical Therapist, President of NYC Community Gardens Coalition, and Co-founder of La Familia Verde Gardens Coalition.

Anne Wiesen, my co-presenter, is also the co-editor of the book Restorative Commons: Creating Health and Well-Being through Urban Landscapes,” which you can read a review of on this blog post.

This forum is one of several great upcoming events. I haven’t had the chance to blog about each and every one, so please visit the “Upcoming Events” area (right-hand column, about half-way down) to see what’s going on in your area (geographically or professionally). And as always, if you have events that you want others to know about, contact the TLN and we’ll get it posted.

Image courtesy of HSNY

Upcoming Talk in NYC: Restorative Landscapes

January 4, 2010 | by Naomi Sachs

The New York ASLA is hosting a presentation on Restorative Landscapes this month (1/14), with speakers Jack Carman, Nancy Chambers, and Naomi Sachs (that’s me!). The three of us will talk about “the power of designed outdoor spaces to relieve stress and promote healing.”

I’m honored to be in such good company. Jack is president of Design for Generations, a landscape architecture and planning firm that focuses on designing therapeutic outdoor environments for seniors, and he has just published the book Re-Creating Neighborhoods for Successful Aging, which I reviewed last month (and year…). He is also a member of the Therapeutic Landscapes Network’s Advisory Board. Nancy Chambers is the Director of the most comprehensive horticultural therapy program in the country, the Enid Haupt Glass Garden at the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitative Medicine. The Glass Garden is a terrific resource for designers and horticultural therapists, right in the heart of NYC. Nancy is also on the Faculty of the New York Botanical Garden and Chicago Botanic Garden.

Please join us on January 14th, 6:30 p.m., at the Arsenal, 5th Avenue & 65th Street. $15.00 for members, $20.00 for non-members; you can pay cash at the door or RSVP at www.nyasla.org. Dirtworks, PC is sponsoring the event, and there will be refreshments served after the talk.

See you there!

Upcoming Conferences on Environments for Aging

December 3, 2009 | by Naomi Sachs

Image courtesy of Henry Domke

Though they’re about 4,000 miles away from each other, both of these upcoming conferences look really good. If you’re looking to learn more about this subject, connect with others in this field, or earn CEUs, here are two excellent opportunities.

Elderly Care By Design International Symposium and Workshop

London, England, Feb 18, 2010

“Examining how investment in the design of environments for older people, from hospitals to residential facilities, nursing homes and facilities for the end of life, can support independent living, health and wellbeing, the event will be attended by an interdisciplinary mix of researchers and practitioners from government, academia, health and social care providers, and private industry.”

Environments for Aging .10

San Diego, CA, March 21-23, 2010

Founded and produced by Long-Term Living magazine and the Center for Health Design.

“Environments for Aging is a comprehensive, three-day experience to explore new ideas for creating appealing and supportive places for people as they age. The program will enable you to share common goals, innovations and best practices, and to gain inspiration through a gathering of like-minded individuals who have a vision for the future and who will be instrumental in shaping it.”

If you register by 12/31, you save $440.www.efa10.com.

Know of other good conferences that our members would want to know about? Leave a comment, or contact us through the TLN website.

Tomorrow! Making Space for Therapeutic Horticulture

November 12, 2009 | by Naomi Sachs

Image courtesy of Anne Dailey

If you are a horticultural therapist or a designer of healing gardens and other restorative outdoor environments and you live in or near NYC, don’t walk – run – to this tomorrow:

“Making Space for Therapeutic Horticulture”

Therapeutic Horticulture Network Group Meeting

Friday, November 13, 1-4 pm

“Making space for therapeutic horticulture – at our institutions, on our grounds, and in our busy schedules – can be a challenge. Come prepared to share your stories about making space for therapeutic horticulture in your work. There will be lots of time for networking, so don’t forget to bring your business cards!”

At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Avenue between Parkway and Empire Blvd.

The afternoon will feature networking activities and will include brief presentations on local therapeutic horticulture projects. Refreshments will be served throughout the meeting.

Thanks to Anne Wiesen, the beautiful brains behind the Restorative Commons, for sending information about this meeting.