One Book, One College

Mission & Vision  

[Native plants] are evolutionary marvels that translate local soils and physical landforms into the habitats that sustain all life. Over millennia the plants, insects, and wildlife native to our region have developed mutual relationships essential for their reproduction, food, and shelter. By conserving native plants in the wild and featuring them in designed spaces, we can nurture those biological relationships while protecting and enhancing the beauty of the landscape we call home.  

- Native Plant Trust  

One Book, One College (OBOC) was inspired to start a native pollinator garden after reading Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. Butler’s post-apocalyptic narrative hews closely to our current concerns regarding climate change, economic upheaval, and the threat of massive cultural shifts.  The novel’s themes of destruction and rebirth, the importance of community over the individual, and the acceptance of change and the need for resiliency, are holistically tied to the very nature of a garden. Our mission for the One Book, One College Pollinator Garden is to demonstrate the importance of our natural, native ecosystems through instructive gardening practices and moreover, the importance of literature in making connections to seemingly far-off worlds and the local community you live within.   

Project Description 

The IVCC OBOC committee aims to establish a sustainable pollinator garden that serves as habitat for pollinators and educates the community about the importance of pollinator conservation. The garden will be located in front of the CTC building and feature a diverse range of native plants specifically chosen to support local pollinator species. The garden will have plants tags and signage to educate the public about the benefits of supporting local pollinator species including: 

• Biodiversity Preservation: Pollinators play a crucial role in the ecosystem by facilitating plant reproduction. A public pollinator garden helps conserve local biodiversity by providing a safe haven and essential resources for pollinators, thereby supporting the health of local ecosystems.
• Educational Opportunities: The garden can be utilized as an outdoor classroom, supporting educational programs and workshops on the importance of pollinators, sustainable gardening practices, and environmental stewardship.  
• Community Wellbeing: The garden offers an aesthetically pleasing place for people to unwind and relax while observing the diversity of plants and the pollinators they support.

Project Site

Located to the left of IVCC's Main Entrance, directly in front of the CTC stairwell, the One Book, One College Native Pollinator Garden includes the following plants native to the upper Midwest and Illinois: