CHICAGO (April 7, 2025) – Educators, community leaders, parents, community gardeners, artists, and environmental advocates came together on Saturday, April 5, for the Green Teacher Gathering 2025, a transformative day of hands-on learning, networking, and inspiration focused on environmental education.
Hosted by the Green Teacher Network—a collaboration between Openlands, the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, Chicago Botanic Garden, and Cultivate Collective, this year’s gathering welcomed more than 250 guests and 15 speakers to the Academy for Global Citizenship on Chicago’s Southwest Side.
The day began with an opening dance in motion led by Danza Azteca Huehuecoyot, grounding guests with intention through ancestral movement, joy, and connection. The theme Cultivating Connections with Nature, echoed throughout the day in workshops designed to help participants deepen their relationship with the environment, understand the importance of nature, and highlight food, art, and music as powerful tools to drive a positive change in students.
Participants explored the importance of composting and soil health, learned about school garden planning, potential of mushrooms, Nature Play 101, the benefits of eating raw ingredients from nature, tasted fresh homemade kombucha, and danced to West African harvest rhythms.
“Whether through building vermicompost bins, analyzing school gardens plans, growing mushrooms, or creating art to inspire action, everyone walked away with tools to activate environmental change in their schools and communities,” Jessica Fong, director of education at Openlands.
Other sessions pushed beyond the classroom, offering educators tools to support neurodiverse students, create safe outdoor spaces for LGBTQIA+ communities, and workshops designed to approach environmental justice, climate resiliency, and the importance of empowering the next generation of environmental stewards to be a change in their own neighborhood.
“The Green Teacher Gathering was a huge success! We had plants, we had books, we had dance, and we cooked! It was great to have teachers and others coming together to network, learn and get excited about connecting people to nature in schools and communities,” shared Jacqui Ulrich, director of conservation and experiential programming at the Forest Preserves of Cook County. “The Forest Preserves was so pleased to be part of the planning and implementation, and truly appreciated working with our Green Teacher Network partners at Openlands, Garfield Park Conservatory and the Chicago Botanic Garden.”
Through the variety of sessions, the attendees played, built, reflected, and tasted their way through activities that nourished their minds, their spirits and collective visions for a just and sustainable tomorrow. The Green Teacher Gathering was not only a professional development event, but a vibrant reminder of what is possible when we learn, grow and share together.
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About Openlands
Founded in 1963, Openlands protects the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural habitats and wildlife, and help balance and enrich our lives. Openlands works across areas to advance nature-based solutions to climate change, improve the health and well-being of communities, and create a more verdant region for all. For more information, please visit www.openlands.org
About the Forest Preserves of Cook County
Don’t you sometimes just want to escape? Explore the natural beauty of Cook County for an hour, a day or even a night. When you’re surrounded by 70,000 acres of wild and wonderful there’s no better place to feel free.
