Join us for Botanica’s Annual Meeting and Speaker Program on Saturday, October 10, 2015.
Our meeting will feature environmentalist and Louisville native, Ben Grumbles, Secretary of of the Environment for the state of Maryland. Ben’s topic will be The Dirt on Soil, Water and Climate, with introduction by Ted Smith, Chief of Civic Innovation at Louisville Metro Government.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
12:00 noon – 2:00 pm
on the site of the future gardens, corner of Frankfort Ave. and River Rd.
Tickets
Members: $5.00
Non-Members: $15.00
Tickets are required. Buy your tickets online
Lunch included in the ticket price. Parking assistance available on Frankfort Ave. Site access assistance available. “Sensible” shoes suggested.
The Dirt on Soil, Water and Climate
Healthy soil is key to a healthy environment. It is something everyone, from gardeners to farmers, regulators and politicians, can support. It’s also at the heart of strategies to clean water and cool the planet, healthy gardens and agriculture, and thriving humans and animals. Smart choices about managing soil, sediment and sludge will protect the environment and public health, too.
Ben Grumbles was born and raised in the Beargrass Creek watershed of Louisville. He worked in Congress on major environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act, the Farm Bill, and Superfund. As EPA’s Assistant Administrator from 2003-2008, he headed up their National Water Program, launching initiatives on green infrastructure, wetlands, stormwater, water efficiency, and climate change. From 2009-2010 he led the state of Arizona’s Department of Environmental Quality. From 2010-2014, he was President of the US Water Alliance, a nonprofit educational charity working on more holistic “one water” policies for the nation. He is currently serving Governor Larry Hogan and the people of Maryland as Secretary of the Environment, where the Chesapeake Bay, Climate Change, and composting receive considerable attention and support.
Ben attended: Kentucky Country Day School (’78); Wake Forest University, B.A. (english); Emory University Law School, J.D.; George Washington University School of Law, LL.M. (environmental law). He is a member, Water Science and Technology Board, National Academy of Sciences, 2011-. He received the William K. Reilly Environmental Leadership Award, Center for Environmental Policy, American University, 2015.