Blog #8

The Environment and Preservation

One part of my life that was well influenced by environmental preservation was the presence of indoor gardens or greenhouses in Chicago. Now, these sites were not considered the “environment” to the point at which they were large landscapes being protected and watched over by the government, but the acts of privet owners and volunteers to bring the rare, the natural and the beautiful into the lives of us urban folk. The Garfield Park conservatory is one of the most beautiful and complete greenhouses I have ever seen. The Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest and most stunning conservatories in the nation. Often referred to as "landscape art under glass," the Garfield Park Conservatory occupies approximately 4.5 acres inside and out, and includes ] thousands of plants that are grown each year for displays in City parks and spaces. Garfield Park Conservatory is located in Garfield Park — an 184-acre site located on Chicago's redeveloping Westside designed as a pleasure ground by William LeBaron Jenney — and is the oldest of the three great original Westside parks (Humboldt, Garfield, and Douglas). Their mission statement is that :

“The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, a non-profit organization, strengthens community through the unique combination of the Garfield Park Conservatory Campus, other botanical resources, and the engagement of community members. With its innovative programs, the Alliance enhances the environmental, social and economic vitality of Chicago’s West Side and encourages the larger community to explore the fundamental connection between plants and human life.”

Because the conservatory is located in such a devastated area in Chicago it is often looked over, yet it is somehow never ignored. The people that the site brings in often have to face and notice the area surrounding the conservatory, thus making it impossible to ignore. This space is not only open for educational purposes, art exhibitions, (like the best on I ever saw, the Chihuly glassworks exhibit!) parties and other events, but also just the regular patron who wants to experience nature from all corners of the globe. I have seen butterfly exhibits, plants I never would unless I traveled thousands of miles, and art that can only be appreciated in such a vast and creative environment. Like I said, this is not a spot of wilderness, but a carefully tended slice of nature nestled into the urban landscape opening up the ability to experience nature, art, history and science all at once, in one area. It is something worth investing time and money into, because it holds natural wonders and beauties inside glass that otherwise could be lost, or frankly, never discovered, by anyone but those who seek out botany as one of their life missions. Such organizations should be saved and supported both communally and governmentally, though it is somehow the responsibility of the people of Chicago to maintain and care for this apex of environmental preservation.