[BSW] March 7 - The Persian Garden

Kathy Bilton kathy at fred.net
Fri Feb 24 12:28:54 CST 2017


(Having some trouble with the list - so\ -  sorry if you should receive 
two copies of this message.)

The next Botanical Society of Washington meeting is coming up, as in February, 
on the last possible date for a first Tuesday: the 7th at 7pm.

Time and date: March 7 at 7 pm
Location: VZ Conference Room (WG 33), National Museum of Natural History, 
Speaker: Steve Lonker
Flier for posting: http://botsoc.org/mar17.pdf

Topic:
"The Persian Garden: 2,500 Years of Producing Earthly Paradise in Extreme 
Climate Through Innovations in Sustainable Landscape Design"
Presented by Steve Lonker, Ph.D.

Bio:
Steve holds a B.S. (geology) from Franklin & Marshall College, M.S. (geology) 
from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Ph.D. (geology/chemistry) from 
Harvard University. After a post doc at the Carnegie Institution of 
Washington's Geophysical Lab, he spent the next 15 years overseas in academia 
at the Australian National University; conducted field, laboratory and 
geochemical modeling studies in New Zealand's and Iceland's geothermal systems; 
and explored for platinum deposits in southern Africa. In the mid-1990s, Steve 
returned to the USA and combined his interest in science and skills in Web/IT 
working in government agencies most recently at the National Science 
Foundation. Since retiring in 2012, Steve has kept busy as a docent in the 
Smithsonian National Museums of Natural History and American History and 
volunteer at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, among others. Avid 
naturalist, traveler, botanical art collector, and photographer with interests 
in habitat preservation, invasive species, and sustainable landscape design. 
This evening's talk was inspired by an October 2015 trip to Iran.

Abstract:
The Persian Gardens trace their roots to the 6th century B.C.E. during the 
reign of Cyrus the Great and span 2,500 years of technological innovations in 
sustainable landscape and building design, water management, and micro-climate 
modification in a harsh, arid climate. Always divided into four quadrants 
intersecting at a central pool, water plays a key role in irrigation and sacred 
geometry. The gardens symbolize the Zoroastrian view of paradise on earth, 
Eden, with four rivers and the four divisions of earth. Nine of these gardens 
have been elected to UNESCO’s World Heritage List under 'The Persian Garden.' 
These gardens offer one solution for creating sustainable green spaces in 
urbanized areas in arid and semi-arid climates through bioclimatic landscape 
and design approaches that mitigate heat islands, wind and dust storms, and air 
pollution through woody vegetation, manmade structures and water features.


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