Sustainable Sundays

Go Green with the Experts

Think Global. Act Local. We've seen these words everywhere — on buttons, posters, and bumper stickers — encouraging us to adopt smart habits in our personal lives, such as recycling and efficient energy use, that will help the planet as a whole.

Sustainable Sundays takes that familiar phrase and turns it into an engaging, creative day that shines light on a host of conservation issues and helps connect visitors with organizations dedicated to environmental causes.

We invite you and your family to take part in this stimulating monthly series, bringing together Museum scientists and guest researchers to weigh in on issues that affect us personally and globally.

A Forum for the Museum's Experts and Visitors

It's not just a lecture either. Sustainable Sundays is a forum for bringing Museum visitors together with experts to create a lively, constructive discussion on finding green, innovative local solutions to far-reaching global problems, from climate change and water conservation, to land use, to preserving our environment, and protecting Earth's biodiversity.

If knowledge is power, Sustainable Sundays is your key to turning that power into action. 

Coming up:

Urban Edibles

Sunday, May 27, 2012; 9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Natural History Museum (Grand Foyer, Level 1) 
Today is all about edibles! Meet the groups that are working locally to promote sustainable growing practices. Get tips from the Master Gardeners on how to grow your own organic food, take a tour of the Museum's Edible Garden, and plant an herb of your own to take home.

Meet our Partners: 
Caltech CCI Solar |  Children's Nature Institute | Community Services Unlimited | TreePeople  | Green Grounds | Homeboy Industries | Master Gardeners | Smart Gardening Program 

WORKSHOP: Urban Herbs!
Growing and Flavoring with Herbs 
Sunday, May 27, 2012; 1 pm - 3 pm 
Natural History Museum (Check-in at Dueling Dinos, Level 1)
Nourish your taste buds while exploring the world of herbs! Herbs are linked to cultures and traditions. Their aroma and flavor have captivated us through time.

In this workshop we will:
- Explore their rich history across cultures and some of their benefits
- Learn how to successfully grow them at home and in containers

Join us to smell, taste, and learn about these healthy and colorful plants. You'll leave inspired to use more herbs in your meals.

Cost: Members $10, Nonmembers $15 
For registration please contact (213)763-ED4U or educate@nhm.org.

Kids ROCK!

Sunday, June 10, 2012; 11 am - 5 pm
Hancock Park at the La Brea Tar Pits
Join as we end our Sustainable Sundays' season outdoors in Hancock Park!  The Children's Nature Institute and the Natural History Museum are co-hosting an eco-friendly festival and concert.  We want to inspire children and families to get outside to learn, discover, play, and care for our Earth.  Listen to child friendly musicians, watch the Natural History Museum's bug performers in action, meet live animals, and engage in fun art activities!  Healthy food trucks and vendors will serve up nutritious and delicious fare.  Free event.

Meet our Partners: 
BREATHE LA | Children's Nature Institute | Community Services Unlimited | TreePeople | National Park Service  

Past Events:

Dig Into Dirt

Sunday, January 29, 2012;  9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Grand Foyer, Level 1
Get a closer look at the precious resource right beneath our feet and learn about the science of soil with our experts!  Get your gardening and composting questions answered, try your hand at pottery, and meet some critters that call dirt their home! 

Workshop 1 pm - 3 pm: The Science of Soil with Master Gardener Vanessa Vobis 
Calling all naturalists and gardeners! Embark on a journey beginning 4.6 billion year ago during Earth's formation to learn about the history of soil. What are soil's origins? How is it regenerated? Who (or what) needs it and why should you care? What does soil mean to the people that grow our food? 

Members $10, Nonmembers $15. Call (213) 763-3433 or e-mail Karen Ewald or kewald@nhm.org to register.

Meet our Partners:
Children's Nature Institute | Community Services Unlimited |  National Park Service | TreePeople  | Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site | Green Grounds | Master Gardeners | Smart Gardening Program | BREATHE LA

Wild Locals

Sunday, February 26, 2012: 9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Grand Foyer, Level 1
Our scientists are continually learning new things about urban biodiversity in Los Angeles!  But with your help we can gather even more data, and you can learn about what lives in your own backyard. Come take part in our Spider Survey at the Museum today, and learn more about how you can get involved with our other Citizen Science programs!  Also, meet the experts that are hard at work at protecting our local wildlife and their habitats!  Celebrate International Year of the Bat with us we examine our own local bats!  

Workshop: If You Plant It, They Will Come! with Manager of Gardens Carol Bornstein 
1 pm - 3 pm
From lizards and butterflies to hummingbirds and froghoppers, attracting wildlife to your garden is easy and good for the environment too! Whether you’re designing your yard from the ground up, or just want some quick and easy tips to adapt the yard you already have, this workshop will give you the tools you need to make your yard a habitat for local wildlife.  Members $10, Nonmembers $15. Call (213) 763-3433 or e-mail Karen Ewald or kewald@nhm.org to register.

Spider Survey
12 pm and 2 pm
Join Entomologists Lila Higgins and Anna Holden to help survey what spiders live around the Natural History Museum!  Limited to 20 people.  First come, first served.  Please check-in at the Dueling Dinos.

Meet our Partners:
Children's Nature Institute | Community Services Unlimited | James Rojas| TreePeople | LA Zoo | US Fish and Wildlife Service

World Water Day LA

Sunday, March 25, 2012: 9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Natural History Museum (Grand Foyer, Level 1)
Join us as we celebrate our most precious natural resource – water!  Meet the organizations that are helping to protect Los Angeles’ sustainable water future and learn how you can become a voice for water by getting involved in your community. We’ll have a day full of fun activities and interactive displays for all ages.   

Workshop: EarthWorks hosted by TreePeople
1 pm - 4 pm
Learn how the Earth works to create a more sustainable environment right in your own backyard! Participants learn the “why” and “how” of low-impact, best management practices (BMPs) for their property and receive assessment tools and solutions to implement basic do-it-yourself solutions. A variety of incentives, membership discounts, and other resources will be provided. 

• Mapping water supply and needs

• Creating permeability

• Infiltration pits, berms, and swales

• Turf removal and mulching

• Rain gardens

Free with Museum Admission.  E-mail trainings@treepeople.org  to RSVP.  

On Saturday, March 24, join TreePeople at their location in Coldwater Canyon for WaterWorks. Come to one or both of these free workshops and receive everything you need to know to create a sustainable landscape. For more information please go here.

Meet our Partners:
Children's Nature Institute | Community Services Unlimited | Food & Water Watch | Heal the Bay | LA City Stormwater | LA Conservation Corps - LA River Keeper | Southern California Watershed Alliance | Santa Monica Baykeeper | TreePeople 

Outward Bound

Sunday, April 22, 2012; 9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Natural History Museum (Grand Foyer, Level 1) 
Celebrate Earth Day with us!  Living in the concrete jungle that we call home, it’s easy to forget Los Angeles has beautiful accessible green spaces. Today, discover the natural resources that are within reach and reconnect with the outdoors!  Meet Museum taxidermist Tim Bovard as he highlights our upcoming exhibits at NHM.

Behind-the-Scenes Tours:
12 pm & 3 pm
Get a sneak peak of our new North Campus with Citizen Science Manager Lila Higgins. First come, first served - each tour limited to 20 people max.

Meet our Partners:
Children's Nature Institute | Community Services Unlimited | TreePeople 

 For more information on Sustainable Sundays please contact Briana Burrows at (213) 763-3471 or bburrows@nhm.org.