Sustainability Speaker Series: The Good, The Bad, and The… Others
Address
Native plants are incredibly important to maintaining and supporting natural ecosystems and providing important services like carbon sequestration and clean air to our community. Invasive plant species can disturb these natural systems and impact their benefits. However, not all non-natives can be designated as "invasive." In fact, most non-natives are not invasive – and we love and rely on many of them for their beauty, functionality, and flavor (think apples, peaches, and pears, mmm). Learn how to cultivate a harmonious landscape that may just include what’s already there.
Speaker Bio: Matthew Martin
After concentrating in natural resources at Essex Tech high school, Matthew earned his associates degree in horticulture from North Shore Community College. While in school, he had horticulture internships at Disney World and Harvard's Arnold Arboretum. For the last 13 years, he has been managing the buildings and grounds of Glen Magna Farms. There, Matthew's mission has been to restore the historic gardens as well as implement strategies to build resiliency into the landscape. Matthew also has a strong passion for using horticulture as a vehicle to educate the community about history, nature, and our place in nature. Recently, he has been educating the public about the value of native plants as co- host on The Native Plant Podcast.