We will focus in this class on plant family patterns and what they indicate regarding identification and ethnobotanical application of exotic invasive plants for food, medicine and beauty. A big focus of the class will underpin the opportunities to employ these plants and effectively make use of a problem by turning it into a resource. We will take an in depth look at some of the prime exotic invasive plants occurring in the southeastern United States as well as a more general exotic invasive plant list of over 150 useful species from the region and unusual examples currently peculiar to Mtn Gardens. We will finish our time with a sampling of snacks and beverages embodying what Invasivorism looks like in an applied, delicious and efficient manner.
Time: 1 - 5 p.m.
Fee: Sliding Scale $25 - $75
Marc Williams
Ethnobiologist Marc Williams has studied the people, plant, mushroom and microbe interconnection intensively while learning to employ botanicals and other life forms for food, medicine, and beauty in a regenerative manner. His training includes a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies concentrating in Sustainable Agriculture with a minor in Business from Warren Wilson College and a Master’s degree in Appalachian Studies concentrating in Sustainable Development with a minor in Geography and Planning from Appalachian State University. He has spent over two decades working at a multitude of restaurants and various farms and has traveled throughout 31 countries in Central/North/South America and Europe as well as all 50 states of the USA. Marc has visited over 200 botanical gardens and research institutions during this process while taking tens of thousands of pictures of representative plants and other entities. He has taught hundreds of classes to thousands of students about the marvelous world of people and their interface with other organisms while working with over 100 organizations and particularly as a key contributor to the work of United Plant Savers, Plants and Healers International and online at the website www.botanyeveryday.com. Marc's greatest hope is that this effort may help improve our current challenging global ecological situation.