“Nice to See You”: Addressing Plant Awareness Disparity with Locally Specific Ecological and Cultural Plant Education

Plants form the basis of life on Earth. However, due to the phenomenon of plant awareness disparity, a self-perpetuating cycle whereby plants are overlooked on an individual and global level ensues. Lack of plant awareness leads to a lessened emphasis on plants in sustainability and conservation as well as biology education, resulting in negative impacts on biodiversity and food security. The severity of plant awareness disparity is dependent on cultural context, and Indigenous and/or traditional societies are less likely to experience plant awareness disparity because of they are typically more connected to plants for their everyday needs. Native plants are ecologically and culturally irreplaceable. Despite this, they are devalued in comparison to non-native plants. Through this project, I sought to address these issues by creating an accessible and permanent educational installation at Nesook’s Garden at the Pomona College Farm. I created a guidebook that highlights the ecological and cultural significance of seven native plants featured in the garden. The cultural focus of the guidebook was the plants’ importance to Gabrielino-Tongva culture. By installing signage for the Nesook’s Garden and hosting an event at the garden that engaged community members with the plants through creativity, this project sought to address plant awareness disparity and highlight the ecological and cultural significance of native plants on a local scale.