VIRTUAL HERBALISM CONFERENCE - DAY 5
Ethnobotany: The Story of Plants and People with Dr. Susan Leopold
Ethnobotany tells the living story of plants and people. In this conversation, Dr. Susan Leopold, Executive Director of United Plant Savers and lifelong plant conservationist, explores how culture, language, and place shape our relationships with plants. Drawing on decades of ethnobotanical and conservation work, this session examines ethical stewardship, honoring Indigenous plant knowledge, protecting at-risk medicinal species, and cultivating a future rooted in reciprocity, responsibility, and care for the lands and plants that sustain us.
Discussion Highlights:
- Origins of ethnobotany and the methods used to document plant knowledge and cultural use
- Language, name, and story as vessels for transmitting plant knowledge across generations
- Regional plant traditions shaping conservation and herbal practice
- Ethical stewardship of at-risk plants at the intersection of culture, commerce, and conservation
- Climate change impacts on plants and their habitats and adaptive strategies for protection
- Practical shifts home apothecaries can make to support plant biodiversity
- Botanical sanctuaries as living ethnobotanical classrooms
Susan Leopold is an ethnobotanist and conservation biologist known for her work in the fields of plant conservation, sustainable agriculture, and ethnobotany.
She is the Executive Director of the United Plant Savers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their habitat. Leopold is an advocate for ethical wildcrafting practices, community-based conservation initiatives, and the preservation of traditional plant knowledge.
About Dr. Susan Leopold:
Find Susan:
- on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitedplantsavers
- at https://unitedplantsavers.org/
- contributing 50% off a United Plant Savers membership to the 2026 Herbalism Conference VIP Pass Ticket!
- contributing to the Rooted Routines Course and Turmeric Speaker Film, exclusive upgrades in the 2026 Herbalism Conference VIP Pass Ticket!
7:00 PM EST: Closing Ceremony
NEXT WEBINAR:
Session Premieres Friday, Feb. 20 at 5:00 pm EST
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Virtual Herbalism Conference: Live Access
OPENING CEREMONY: FEBRUARY 15
DAY 1: FEBRUARY 16
DAY 2: FEBRUARY 17
DAY 3: FEBRUARY 18
- 3:00 PM EST: Medicinal Mushrooms in Current and Traditional Healing Modalities with Jasper Degenaars
DAY 4: FEBRUARY 19
DAY 5: FEBRUARY 20
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