7_Career-Opportunities-in-the-Green-Industry
Exercise 9a Watershed and Erosion
Exercise 9b How Do Plants Impact Humans
Seed Your Future
Tennessee Governors School for the Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
What's Your "Plant Power"?
Career Opportunities in the Green Industry
Overview
Title image: "Pruning Victoria cruziana" by Amanda Spangler, CC BY 4.0
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Introduction
Lesson Objectives
Communicate a variety of career choices available in the green industry.
Explain why jobs in the green industry are important.
List jobs examples in several categories within the green industry.
Key Terms
green industry - comprised of wholesale nursery, greenhouse, and turfgrass sod growers; landscape service firms; retail firms, and marketing intermediaries
horticulture - the study of crops that require intense and constant care, from planting through delivery to the consumer
Introduction
Used with permission from "Why We Need Horticulturists" by Seed Your Future. Copyright © Seed Your Future.
Horticulture is the art, technology, business, education and science of plants. It is the food we eat, the landscapes we live and play in, the environments we thrive in. It is the business of managing and using what we grow, while maintaining the health of our soil, air, and water, and the well-being of our children, our communities, and our world. In short - it's all about plants!
Why We Need Horticulturists
Used with permission from "Why We Need Horticulturists" by Seed Your Future. Copyright © Seed Your Future.
To Fill Our Tables with Food That Is Safe and Nutritious
Growers plant our seeds and tend our plants, and plant propagators generate new plants from seeds, cuttings, and bulbs. Viticulturists tend our vines and grow our grapes, and enologists ensure the wine from the grapes is the best it can be. Plant inspectors and diagnosticians are on the lookout for plant diseases, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) specialists control damage by insects and other animals. Food scientists study food taste, quality, and preservation.
To Preserve Native Habitats and Lessen the Impact of Climate Change
Researchers study our impact on natural environments. Biologists and botanists explore our connections with the plants all around us, and arborists cultivate and care for the trees that clean our air. Natural lands managers protect and maintain our meadows, woodlands, and wetlands, and urban planners and foresters bring natural beauty, recreation, and clean water and air to our cities and towns.
To Imagine a Landscape...
Landscape architects, designers and contractors draw, map, and creatively plan outdoor spaces for homes, towns, and businesses. Interiorscape specialists create landscape magic indoors. Landscape estimators figure out how much a project will cost, and irrigation specialists nourish a landscape with water. Gardeners and garden center workers grow, tend, and sell all the plants that are needed.
...and Bring That Landscape to Life
Plant propagators create new plants, and greenhouse growers and nursery workers grow them to a usable size. Floriculturists tend to flowering plants, and technicians help with every necessary detail along the way.
To Tend the Landscapes That Welcome Us Home and Invite Us Outdoors to Play
Landscape maintenance specialists keep our landscapes healthy and lovely. Groundskeepers prune and mulch and water below, while arborists trim and tend the trees above. Lawn care specialists cut and nourish our yards, while sports turf managers keep the fields in play. Irrigation specialists water our landscapes in sustainable ways.
To Soothe and Delight with Bouquets of Flowers and Gatherings of Greens
Floriculturists dream up new varieties of flowers, and greenhouse growers bring them to life—along with old favorites. Florists arrange and display their floral designs in grand ways on once-in-a-lifetime days, or to just say hello with the ring of a doorbell and a simple bouquet. Horticultural Therapists nurture the well-being of our loved ones.
To Wonder, to Experiment, to Know Your World
Horticultural researchers and technicians study every aspect of plant life, and geneticists to solve the puzzle of a plant's heredity and DNA. Plant pathologists uncover the cause and treatment of plant diseases, and entomologists study insects—both pests and friends—who live in our gardens. Olericulturists grow and process our vegetables, and food scientists ensure that our harvests are tasty and safe. Educators teach all ages, from beginners to experts, about gardening and nutrition.
To Make the Future Come to Life
We need YOU.
Dig Deeper
To identify your “Plant Power”, visit the "We Are Bloom!" website.
Tennessee high school students can earn college credit in agriculture by participating in Tennessee's Governors School for the Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. To learn more about the program and how you can get involved, visit the TGSAS website.
For a comprehensive list of horticultural careers, complete with training / education needed, where to study, salary expectations, professional organizations and associations, and videos and testimonies, visit the careers page on the Seed Your Future website.
Unit 9 Lab Exercises
Exercise 9a: Watershed and Erosion
Students observe and analyze how different factors influence erosion and water flow in various environments. The activity focuses on understanding the impact of watersheds on soil erosion.
Exercise 9b: How Do Plants Impact Humans?
Students research and report the various ways plants influence human life, including their roles in food production, medicine, and the environment. This exercise highlights the importance of plants in sustaining human health and well-being.
Attribution
Used with permission from "Why We Need Horticulturists" by Seed Your Future. Copyright © Seed Your Future.
Title image: "Pruning Victoria cruziana" by Amanda Spangler, CC BY 4.0