BGCI is once again participating in the Big Give Christmas Challenge, fundraising to support smaller botanic gardens to adopt sustainable practices. Sustainability can be defined as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’, meaning that in meeting our current needs, we don’t cause damage to the environment or deplete resources that we can’t renew.

Sustainability is encouraged at an international level via the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which were developed to recognise the inter-relationship between human development and the environmental, economic, social and political context in which it occurs. They are a call to action for all countries to promote prosperity whilst protecting the planet. Botanic Gardens, with their focus on understanding, conserving and sustainably using plant diversity have long been centres for plant conservation and many are experts in sustainable practices and environmental advocacy and are therefore in an excellent position to contribute to the achievement of the SDG’s.

Botanic gardens have a responsibility to practice what they preach, and if care for the environment is one of their key messages to the general public, then demonstrating environmentally sustainable practices in the way the organisation is run is essential. Botanic Gardens also have a global footfall of 500 million visitors per year and are therefore in an ideal position to influence public opinion and encourage wider engagement with sustainability issues. However, many smaller botanic gardens don’t have the expertise or infrastructure required to adopt sustainable practices and engage the public on the topic. Therefore, this project aims to support smaller botanic gardens to adopt sustainable practices.

Through BGCI’s Global Botanic Garden Fund, botanic gardens will be able to apply for grants of £1,000 – £2,500 to support the implementation of sustainability measures. Gardens can apply for grants to implement activities focused on water saving and recycling, energy saving, recycling and composting, sustainable food, urban greening, and the development of sustainability strategies, education initiatives, and outreach.

Help us to raise £10,000 from Tuesday 3rd December until Tuesday 10th December to complete this year’s challenge! All £10,000 will be doubled so with your help we could raise £20,000 to support our small botanic gardens to improve their sustainable activities and public engagement on the topic.

Double your impact, and help BGCI to support smaller botanic gardens to implement sustainable practices this Christmas.