Created by the American Public Gardens Association, the Public Gardens Sustainability Index is an industry-specific tool with a structure that encompasses best practices for public gardens of all sizes, financial capacities, community demographics, and geographies. 

The Public Gardens Sustainability Index is a suite of Attributes intended to inspire public gardens to advance their own garden sustainability programs and operations to further the mission of their institution while connecting to local, national, and global sustainability efforts. The Index shares examples of how public gardens are contributing to best practices in Sustainability. 

In FY21, members of the Smithsonian Gardens (SG) Leadership Team, Green Team, and other SG staff formed working groups to examine SG’s policies, practices, and collections against four of these Attributes: 

  • Biodiversity and Conservation 
  • Employee Development and Accessibility
  • Engagement, Outreach, and Education
  • Materials Management 

The four working groups created color charts that evaluated SG’s progress towards best practices in these attributes, followed by recommendations for further action, supported by supplemental documents.