Backyard Choices: Good, Better, Best
With Heather Liljengren
6:30 pm, Thursday 11/5
The Judy Black Memorial Park & Gardens
Join us for an evening with Heather Liljengren, field botanist, former NYC Parks Supervising Seed Collector/Field Taxonomist, and owner of LocalLand Consulting LLC, as we demystify native plants and rethink the landscapes we create. Learn how to better understand the ecology of your own backyard and make thoughtful choices that support healthier, more resilient habitats.
Established in 1992 in honor of Michael Harwood, a founding member of Washington Environmental Council, the Harwood Lecture Series brings expert speakers and thinkers to our local community to explore issues of sustainability and environmental awareness.
Past Harwood Lectures
2025
Jay Collins — “COP30: Takeaways from the Amazon”
2024
Jay Collins — “Takeaways from COP 29” in Baku Azerbaijan
Patrick Horan — “Sustainable Farming is vital to a Sustainable (New England) Community”
2023
Jay Collins — “Takeaways from COP 28: What Happened and Where do We Go From Here?”
Peter Becker & Seth Low — “Frederick Gunn School Green Initiatives and Sustainable Architecture”
2022
Jennifer Heaton-Jones, Executive Director HRRA — “Talking Trash: How to manage waste”
2019
Hugh Rogers — “Whose Water is it?”
2015
Dr. George Garland — "The Road to Paris and Beyond"
Reverend Canon Sally Bingham — "Amplifying Pope Francis' Encyclical on Caring for Our Common Home"
Laura Rissolo — "Habitat for Pollinating Insects"
2014
Nick Mancini — “Organic Gardening - Vegetables and Flowers"
2013
Dr. William H. Schlesinger — "Global Climate Change: Causes, Impacts and Things You Can Do"
2012
Alex Prud'homme — The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Freshwater in the Twenty-First Century
2011
Paul Tukey — Global Warming and Your Garden
2010
Bill McKibben — Climate Change
Jim Serach — Student Involvement in Environment
Carol Gracie
Author - Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast
Rose Hiskes
Diagnostician and Horticulturist - Asian Longhorn Beetle
2009
John Turenne
Executive Chef - Sustainable Food
2008
Peter Picone
Author, Lecturer - Native Plants for Wildlife
Mark Biedron
Founder, The Willow School - "LEED" School Construction
2007
John Maxwell
Managing Director, Parker Global Strategies
Keri Enright
Director, Smart Power - Alternative Energy: Global Issues & Local Action
2006
Donna Ellis
UConn Extension Program - Invasive Plant Control
Andrew Roraback
CT State Senator - WEC's 35th Anniversary
2005
Dr. Michael Klemens
Herpetologist - Biodiversity in CT
Robert Crelin
Author - Dark Skies : Light Pollution
2003
Richard Blumenthal
CT Attorney General - State Environmental Issues
2002
Michael Pollan
Author, Environmentalist - The Botany of Desire
2000
Dr. Warren Leon
Ex. Director, Sustainable Energy Association - The Consumers Guide to Effective Environmental Choices
1998
Russell Brenneman
President, Conn. Forest & Park Association
David Sutherland
Nature Conservancy
1997
Marcy Benstock
Ex. Director, Clean Air Campaign - What An Individual Can Do
1995
Dr. Barry Commoner
Author, Environmentalist - The State of the Environment & What We Can Do About It
1993
Jake Page
Editor, Natural History Magazine - Think Locally, Act Globally
1992
Madeleine Kunin
Governor of Vermont - A New Environmental Agenda