Friday, October 30, from 1-6pm @ Posner center in denver

There are currently 120,000+ community gardens around the world. These spaces deliver outsized benefits to gardeners, neighborhoods, and cities, including food, community, and climate resilience. Yet they are often unseen, under-supported, and underfunded. 

We'll explore what it is about community gardens that makes them critical infrastructure for thriving cities, shine a light on civic stakeholders and their needs, and what steps we can take to strengthen the movement to the benefit of all.

AGENDA

1:00-1:15 Welcome and Stage Setting

1:15-1:30 TED-Style Talk

Community Gardens as Critical Infrastructure for Thriving Cities

A TED-style talk on how community gardens contribute to food access, stronger neighborhoods, education, climate resilience, and healthier urban environments.

     Linda Appel Lipsius

     Founder | Executive Director

     The Urban Garden Project

1:30-2:15 

Panel: High Desert Gardening in the Time of Climate Change

A discussion on how heat, drought, water stress, and changing growing conditions are reshaping gardening in Colorado and what adaptation can look like.

- Moderator & Panelists TBC

BREAK

2:30-3:15

Panel: Strengthening the Community Garden Movement - Stakeholder Voices 

- Moderator:

     Jill Litt, PhD

     Professor, The University of Colorado

- Panelists:

     Nessa Mogharreban

     Executive Director, Denver Urban Gardens

     Michelle Graham Rodriguez

     Climate Resiliency Senior Specialist

     Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency (CASR) 

     City and County of Denver

     Chris Woodburn

     Sustainability Program Manager, Denver Public Schools

3:30-3:45

Reflection and Q&A

BREAK

4:00-6:00

Happy Hour & Poster Session

- easyDacha Live Gardening Tool Tab

- The UGP Thrive Certification Mini Intensive

☕️🫖🥕🍎🍪 Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided

🧭 The Posner Center is at 1031 33rd Street Denver, CO 80205