KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 July 22, 2020 \u2013 Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, staff members at the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Cooperative Extension were gearing up for a spring gardening festival, deploying Master Gardeners to public events to answer gardening questions, and scheduling presentations around the state about numerous gardening topics. Spring and summer are their busiest seasons by far.<\/p>\n
When the virus forced the state into lockdown and residents were told to stay home, the organization shifted its tactics and tried to figure out how to continue its offerings online. And it has been more successful than they could have imagined.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pandemic \u2013 and the fact that everyone was staying home \u2013 triggered tremendous interest in growing food, many of whom had never done so before,\u201d said Kate Venturini, outreach program administrator for Cooperative Extension. \u201cWe wanted to make sure people still had access to our science-based resources, so we turned to online programming.\u201d<\/p>\n
From May through July, nearly two dozen presentations were offered online via the WebEx platform on such topics as landscape design, planning a vegetable garden, container gardening, composting, and easy lawncare. More than 3,000 people attended the programs live \u2013 far more than would ordinarily have attended similar programs in person \u2013 and many more have watched them after the presentations were archived on YouTube.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we started building our gardening-related webinar schedule, we realized that we should integrate other topics Cooperative Extension programs address, not just gardening,\u201d Venturini said. \u201cWe\u2019re now planning programs about solar energy, energy markets, cooking with fresh fruits and vegetables, youth engagement in science, tick safety and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
So far, the programs have been a rousing success. Ninety-seven % of the 500 people who completed an evaluation of one of the seminars indicated that they had learned something new, and 96% said they planned to take action or do something differently as a result of what they had learned.<\/p>\n
\u201cA light bulb went off for us. Why weren\u2019t we doing this all along?\u201d Venturini asked. \u201cSo we\u2019re planning to continue offering these programs online going forward, even after the pandemic is over. It\u2019s so much easier to bring people together this way and to bring in experts from outside our immediate area. We\u2019ve got science behind us, and we want to make it accessible to all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upcoming online seminars are as follows:<\/p>\n
July 24: Totally Tomatoes
\nJuly 31: Food and Animal Science for Youth: Live 4-H Activity Demonstrations<\/p>\n
August 7: Tree Fruits in Rhode Island
\nAugust 14:\u00a0Valuing Siting Options for Commercial-Scale Solar Energy in Rhode Island<\/p>\n
August 21: Food Preservation FAQ’s
\nAugust 28:\u00a0Family Friendly Fruit and Veggie Recipes<\/p>\n