In some issues topics of sustainability have been feature articles and in every issue there is an article that focuses on a green topic . Recent issues contained the following articles :
2019 Vol . 1 : North Dell Meadows : A Landscape and Habitat Restoration Project , Spring 2019 by Dennis Collins
2020 Vol 1 : A New Vision for Indian Ridge by Anna Moir & Dennis Collins
About 40 groups elect to visit Mount Auburn each year on a guided tour . Of those the largest type of group is Garden Clubs . Many come year after year . Through these personalized tours with a knowledgeable member of our staff we can exchange ideas about native plants , water conservation , composting and more . The few school groups that come ( K – 12 and College classes ) also learn from our docents and staff about the Cemetery ’ s efforts to become more sustainable .
In 2019 ( pre-Covid-19 ) the Friends offered approximately 150 public programs , about half of them free of charge . Through these programs we connected with around 4,300 people . Some programs directly highlighted topics of sustainability including our wildlife walks , spring horticulture strolls , and greenhouse workshops . In every program we do , we take the opportunity to share all the facets of Mount Auburn so even on a program celebrating poetry , we may point out a recent planting project , or our Greenhouse and answer questions about trees , wildlife , landscape , etc . During the pandemic when on-site programs were not possible , we pivoted to virtual public programs . Of special note are our Biophilia and Climate Speaker Series , detailed below .
Biophilia Program
E . O . Wilson described biophilia as … “ the urge to affiliate with other forms of life .” Mount Auburn Cemetery has developed a Biophilia program to encourage public participation in events that celebrate these connections by utilizing Mount Auburn as a backdrop for shared experiences and new discoveries with the natural world .
Previous Biophilia events included :
• A Celebration of the Influence of E . O . Wilson : a storyteller event in which Dr . Wilson ’ s colleagues , students and friends shared stories of the impacts that his biology research and mentorship made on their own lives and careers .
• Mindfulness , Poetry and Sense of Place : a winter landscape walk & meditation session incorporating the poems of prominent Mount Auburn Cemetery “ resident ,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow .
• Biophilia Book Club : the reading and discussion of Urban Forests by Jill Jonnes .
2021 Biophilia Event :
• # OneWithNature : a crowd-sourced photography and writing program encouraging the community to share what Mount Auburn Cemetery means to them .
Mount Auburn Cemetery | Climate Action & Sustainability Plan 65