An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Take long walks or bike rides and just let your mind run unchecked — you’d be surprised what you come up with.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Kristin Faurest and Renee Frith.
Kristin Faurest, Ph.D., Director of Education at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont, Kentucky. She is a former Peace Corps volunteer, an affiliated lecturer with the International Masters of Landscape Architecture Program in Nurtingen-Geislingen, Germany, and a co-recipient of the 2018 American Public Gardens Association Award for Program Excellence. She is the author or co-author of several books including Community Built: Art, Construction, Preservation and Place (Routledge 2016).
Renee Frith, Director of Horticulture and Sustainable Landscapes at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont, Kentucky. She holds a BS in Horticulture from Auburn University College of Agriculture. She is an ISA Certified Arborist with 20 years of curatorial field experience in both private and public landscapes.
You can learn more about Bernheim at bernheim.org.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Kristin: I was a journalist originally, but the skills I acquired there (being able to master a lot of disparate information to tell a compelling story) have served me in every job. I have always loved gardens and natural spaces and have been drawn to them since I could walk. I didn’t consider it as a career path until the start of my 30s, after finishing a master’s in European History at Central European University in Budapest. I went on to get a doctorate in landscape architecture. After returning to the U.S. from Europe in 2016, I began a career in public gardens, starting with Portland Japanese Garden. I arrived here at Bernheim two years ago, and it’s just an extraordinary place with amazing people. It’s a place that offers endless new possibilities for making a positive impact in the world and connecting people with nature.
Renee: I was introduced to golf at a young age and enjoy the game to this day. While playing, I found myself in the woods a lot looking for my ball. This was my sign that I would grow up to love trees, but the connection wasn’t made until my sophomore year in college. I started out as a psychology major and quickly realized I would need my doctorate to best position myself in that profession. I would often cut through the Davis Arboretum to get from one class to another and felt at peace. Many of the same trees lined the golf course’s woods were also in the Arboretum. The light bulb went off in my head, and I realized that I had a unique chance to learn about nature, which I had taken for granted to that point. I changed my major to Horticulture that same day and have zero regrets.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Kristin: Aside from my work at Bernheim, in my modest side hustle as an instructor in a landscape architecture program, I’ve been very fortunate in being able to not just live abroad and travel to many countries (40 so far), but I’ve worked with master’s students from all over the world. As an advisor, I’ve worked with them on their master’s thesis. I’ve taught an Indian student whose work focused on redesigning the common spaces in Indian villages to promote healthy relationships between boys and girls and thus reduce incidences of sexual assault. I’ve taught a Jordanian student who developed a system for making the common spaces in Palestinian refugee camps engaging community spaces. And I’ve taught a Honduran student who sought to use landscape architecture solutions to reduce climate change vulnerability in Tegucigalpa. I think every culture and every country has incredible stories and lessons for us when it comes to how to take better care of this planet and its occupants. I’ve been doing a course for many years now called Language, Culture, Landscape, where the students do concept maps about the understanding of their home country’s landscape. It’s generated an astonishing body of original research that I’d love to turn into an interactive mapping project someday.
Renee: When I started my Horticulture career 20 years ago, I did so in the private sector. I worked in Florida and was in the business of landscape construction. The “tear it down to build it up” philosophy was and still is in high demand. That’s all I really knew about the world of Horticulture until I started visiting botanical gardens and arboreta in the late 2000s. Around that same time, I became an avid urban hiker. I’d pick a major U.S. city and spend days walking around exploring city parks and related greenspace. It’s been astonishing and very interesting to watch the perception change from heavy use of exotic species to whole city parks planted with native species. Some of my favorite inspirations are The High Line (NYC), Mt. Cuba Center (Hockessin, DE) and Belle Isle (Detroit, MI), to name a few.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
Kristin: Being curious and intrepid has always served me well. I’m pretty forthright about what I want to know, and I find most people, when confronted with that, respond kindly. I’ve also been passionate about doing what I love and what feels meaningful. That is, I’m aware, something of a luxury, but I’m deeply grateful for it. I also like challenging assumptions. The world is too full of the “but we’ve always done it this way!” mentality.
Renee: When your passion doubles as your profession, some say you never work a day in your life, or are you always working? In any event, I have three main philosophies that guide me on my journey. 1) Do what you say you are going to do. It seems simple enough, but this philosophy reminds me to save time for myself by not saying yes to every opportunity. 2) If a problem presents itself, be a problem solver. Getting in the habit of a solutions mindset keeps your mind in learning mode. 3) My Granny always tells me to “keep your mind sharp so that you won’t be a dull person.” She says doing really hard crossword puzzles is the best way to keep your mind sharp. She and I both keep a crossword puzzle book on the side table by our couch and work at least a puzzle a day.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
Kristin: I was invited to talk about our new Sensory Garden at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont, Kentucky. Bernheim is a pretty rad place, to begin with: it was founded in 1929 by a German Jewish immigrant who thought nature should be for everyone. That wasn’t conventional thinking at the time. And nearly a century later, we STILL have so much work to do to make inclusive, accessible, inviting outdoor environments and experiences for everyone of all ages and backgrounds.
The Sensory Garden was a collaborative project with Renee Frith, our Director of Horticulture and Sustainable Landscapes. We wanted to create an engaging, inclusive, accessible space for all to enjoy. Our jumping-off point was working with the autism spectrum disorder community, since then we’ve also brought in the blind and visually-impaired communities and organizations that work with people with Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities. The design process was about learning and listening. We don’t claim to know it all, and we believe in asking humble and curious questions and then listening carefully to the answers.
The Sensory Garden is part of a larger effort to diversify our outdoor spaces. We say we welcome everyone, but if we don’t create spaces and experiences that support that, we’re just being performative. Making nature accessible and enticing to all is a huge goal, but I consider it a lifetime work.
Renee: PREACH Kristin! I agree with everything she discussed.
How do you think this will change the world?
Kristin: We are learning more and more about how incredibly important the benefits of nature are for us — mental, physical, spiritual, and psychological. And beyond deep experiences in nature, we are also social creatures who need common spaces where we can interact. So many of our cities prioritize widening freeways over making communities more vibrant and livable places. We who work for nature-based organizations need to show examples of why prioritizing nature and beautiful spaces is critical for our communities to have a happy, healthy future. It doesn’t matter what your background is or if you’re in Brazil, Japan, Ohio, or Kenya; everyone needs nature and healthy communities.
Renee: During one of my urban hiking expeditions, I was visiting Brooklyn, NYC. The golden hour for great plant photos was quickly waning as dusk approached. I decided to call it a day and head back into Manhattan to go to one of my favorite pubs, MacDougal Street Ale House. As I headed to my car, I rounded a corner and saw the most prophetic quote spray-painted on the metal door of an older business. The quote read, “What will you leave behind?” I immediately snapped a photo, and it has been the home screen on my phone since 2009.
I tell this story because nature will outlive us all, and it’s what we contribute during our valuable time here that can make positive change. When designing new spaces and landscapes at Bernheim, we design with both nature and humans in mind. Our mission is clear — connecting people with nature. Creativity in the design process comes from creating spaces, like our Sensory Garden, that provides a sense of comfort, intrigue, and wonderment for all abilities.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
Renee: With most landscape projects, there will always be some plant loss. At Bernheim, that is primarily due to our plentiful wildlife populations, which we welcome. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, up pops the ah ha moment. This moment has already happened in our Sensory Garden. Lots of healthy buzz was happening around the project. I saw a local news story about a Cub Scout in a neighboring state that made Buddy Benches. These brightly colored benches had every color in the rainbow, were made of recycled plastic bottle caps, and served the purpose of providing a space for people who were feeling down, or for those who didn’t have a friend. The idea was that others would come, sit on the bench with you, and then you wouldn’t be alone. These were a perfect fit for Bernheim’s Sensory Garden. We ordered four benches and got them in place. Along comes June of this year, and while some asked if we got the benches in honor of Pride Month, a small handful of others made less inspirational comments. I was immediately reminded of Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
As a proud member of the LGBTQIA community, I never anticipated this correlation, but I’ll take it! Bernheim will continue to be a welcoming safe space, and I am so grateful to be part of an organization that prioritizes the value of diversity in nature and humans.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
Kristin: My colleague, Renee, was the driver of so much of this project as she led the planting plan and the labor that went into it. But I can say that for a long time, I’d been noticing the space that is now the Sensory Garden. It was called that before, but it just didn’t have an owner and was quite overgrown. I’d always walk by it and think because it already had beautiful “bones,” we could make it incredible with relatively little funding. The project gained more momentum when we received interest from the Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation. We really worked closely with our community partners to make this a creative, fun, adaptive space. It expresses two of Bernheim’s most important principles: sustainability and inclusion.
Renee: When you have a sign that reads “Sensory Garden,” but only the sense of sight is recognized, we knew something needed to change. Kristin and I started talking with the Education team about how to enhance programming. Kristin suggested we include Families for Effective Autism (FEAT) in the discussion. And like a snowball, we rolled along, engaging with partners from Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation, Dreams with Wings, Kosair Charities, and Crusade for Children, and we created a space that far exceeded the original shell of a Sensory Garden. It’s a simple formula for success: see something, say something, do something to make a difference.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
Krisin: It would be wonderful if we could scale up everything it took to make this project successful and take it to neighborhoods with no such wonders. That would mean funding for acquiring land and materials, funding for people to design and construction and maintenance, and community partners to help us get it right.
Renee: The world needs more landscape designers and architects with open minds and hearts. Developers should always have a line item in the budget for inclusive and accessible urban projects. Lots of inspiration and traction are happening now, and we hope Bernheim can serve as inspiration for renovating existing spaces that are innovative in the realm of inclusion and accessibility.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
Kristin: Persistence!
Kindness and good humor.
Openness to shifting the plan midstream.
Willingness to try something that doesn’t match conventional wisdom
Take long walks or bike rides and just let your mind run unchecked — you’d be surprised what you come up with.
Growth mindset: never answer a question with “I can’t because…” Say “That can happen if I have the following resources…”
Renee: Success Habits: 1) Show up five minutes early to everything. 2) Make yourself a financial and emotional annual budget and have monthly business meetings with yourself. 3) Invest in your future — spiritually, emotionally, and financially.
Success Mindsets: 1) Being empathetic doesn’t require you to carry other’s burdens. 2) The world is better with you in it and will go on without you. 3) It’s perfectly okay to say no in any situation.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Kristin: What if everyone, regardless of background and ability, could find a way to connect with nature and community? We would like to create nature-based spaces that respond to the physical, emotional and social needs of people from all backgrounds and abilities and support the ecosystem around them. We need to address the fact that there is serious inequity when it comes to the availability of nature and community-built spaces in our cities. We envision a society in which the availability and accessibility of nature is equitable, democratic and responsive to our communities needs.
Renee: What Kristin said!!!
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Bernheim’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernheimforest
Bernheim’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernheimforest/?hl=en
Bernheim’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BernheimForest
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
The Sensory Garden: Kristin Faurest & Renee Frith’s Big Idea That Might Change The World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
