This talk is about uncovering your land’s past stewards, its sense of place, the 3 ‘R’s of Bringing Forests Home, major native garden types of E. North America, design and sourcing of native plants, installation of gardens, getting help, becoming an ecosystem guide, and a lot about what (and who) will come when you build all of this! Beyond the how… this talk is about reconnecting for us and for the nature around us.

About Ben:

“My Journey includes a decade-long off-grid lifestyle in the 1990s, honing my problem-solving skills in crafting locally impactful yet globally relevant energy solutions (while sporting an over-sized and largely irrelevant facial beard). Over a decade dedicated to ecological restoration, revitalizing forests, prairies, and wetlands, provided me with a comprehensive understanding of environmental ecosystems.

As a consultant, I had the privilege of contributing to large-scale renewable energy projects, representing First Nation communities, and conducting a Traditional Medicinal Native Plant Inventory (the ‘make you want to cry for joy every day you show up for work’ kind of experience).

Transitioning this plant knowledge to urban settings, I cultivated over 250 native plant species at my home, creating a vibrant ecosystem within a village landscape. My recent initiative involved co-creating a groundbreaking 5,000 square foot “Nature Sense Ground” at a laboratory elementary school in Toronto.

Soon I will be launching an online training program called “Bringing Forests Home,” a program about contributing to cumulative change through improving urban ecology in your own yard” -Ben Porchuk

More info here: https://www.reforestlondon.ca/events/webinar-bringing-forests-home-a-fun-process-to-recover-urban-ecology/