Pop-Up Labs

The Sidewalk Plant Lab travels to new locations. In each location, our goal is for the people we meet to:

See plants: Notice a plant (or many plants!) that they didn’t before
Know plants: Learn something new about that plant, and some of the benefits it provides the city
Talk about plants: Share information about that plant with people near and far (we’ll help with that part. Actually with all of the parts.)

A pop-up lab can be anywhere outdoors, in a place dominated by human design (like a city, suburb, small town, farm, or industrial area) where there are plants growing. Don’t worry too much about that second part – we’ve found that it’s nearly impossible to find a spot where there AREN’T plants growing, whether it’s street trees, mosses, tiny weeds in the sidewalk cracks, or gardens. The pop-up labs offer multiple ways for people walking by to get involved:

Lab Walk-Through: Just walk right by – while noticing the plants nearby labeled with colorful signs, and perhaps catching the name of one or two.
Explorer: Explore the nearby area and find a new undiscovered, unnamed plant – then give it a name and make your mark!
Botanist: Continue your studies as a scientist by learning how to use new scientific tools, watching a demo, or checking out plant specimens at the pop-up lab.

When the day ends, our little patch of the city, suburb, or village will be alive with colorful nametags – the dozens of urban plants no longer so easily missed, as the street is turned into a miniature guided nature hike.

Want the pop-up lab at your event, school, or business? Email eedengate@gmail.com.