About Michael Holland
Expert freelance nature educator and author, Michael Holland FLS is on a mission to educate and inspire people from all walks of life about the powerful world of plants and the vital role they play in our daily lives.
EDUCATION & CAREER
Michael studied Ecology at Lancaster University and Oregon State University and is a keen photographer, wildlife gardener and all-round composting nerd!
He is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Education Committee and The Garden Media Guild; he’s a Fellow of both the Linnean Society of London and the London Environmental Educators’ Forum (LEEF). Joining 149 others, Michael is one of the Rangers for the London National Park City.
Michael enjoyed a 25-year career at the eminent Chelsea Physic Garden in London, latterly as Head of Education for over 17 years. He has taught tens of thousands of people, aged 2 to 92, about the natural world and is passionate about continuing to do so in numerous ways.
Michael has spoken at a number of global conferences - one highlight being invited to talk at a botanical garden in Japan.
He has appeared on a number of television and radio shows and podcasts about plants and history (including Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, Channel 5’s ‘The Thames: Britain’s Great River’ series with Tony Robinson and Mr Plant Geek’s Plant-Based Podcast to name a few).
Amongst other things, Michael has delivered a herb-planting master class for the team at Jo Malone London for their Herb Garden perfumes cologne collection.
THE SHELF LIFE PROJECT
Devised in 2003 whilst at Chelsea Physic Garden, Michael’s Shelf Life project is about growing plants from their corresponding packaging. Think wheat from a toaster, lemons from a curd jar, coffee beans from a packet of ground coffee and potatoes from a crisp packet.
Michael’s ‘light-bulb’ moment for Shelf Life came when looking at Hovis bread tins in the window of a Chelsea antique shop and thinking that they’d make great containers. Shelf Life won a Silver-Gilt Award at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2004 and lives on today, having taken it to prominent conferences in the UK, South Africa and America and Michael regularly runs educational workshops, talks and demonstrations at schools and festivals.
Shelf Life was labelled by Head of Interpretation, Sharon Willoughby at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as “the most effective piece of plant-based interpretation.”
Michael says, “When working with school groups, many were very surprised that their meals may have come from plants. I usually start with the question, ‘Did anyone eat any plants for breakfast?’ Often, the response is laughter and disbelief. However, when I fetch the box of Weetabix with wheat growing out of it, a tin of coffee powder containing Coffea arabica, tomatoes in a ketchup bottle and mint in a toothpaste tube, the penny starts to drop.”
UPBRINGING & ASPIRATIONS
By running thousands of educational workshops at Chelsea Physic Garden, Michael observed first-hand a significant lack of awareness, particularly in young people, about the role of plants in the world we live in, and their many roles in our daily lives. It was this that inspired him to write his book – a project that has been five years in the making.
Michael says, “I was really lucky to be brought up in North London, close to woods and nature with parents who were very encouraging of my interest in plants, ponds and worms. They grew the majority of their fruit and vegetables which were all part of my daily diet. For my 8th birthday, they bought me a copy of The Pip Book by Keith Mossman, showing me how to grow seeds from the kitchen into beautiful houseplants. The airing cupboard was never the same again …and my life’s passion for plants began!”
“Above all, this is my hobby. It’s really important to me to switch people on to the plant world, so that they know where things come from and how important plants are to the world we live in. Growing plants is fun, too! It teaches patience, persistence and a great life lesson that not everything works first time.”
“ I take a cross-curricular approach across the STEAM subjects when I talk to young people, as there are so many ways to connect people via plants.”
“I hope to inspire more young people to enjoy nature a bit more at home, or to consider different directions for their future careers. For parents, plants are a great way to spend fun, quality time with their children.”
TALKING POINTS
Michael is available now for interviews, comment/quotes and engaging, practical demonstrations:
I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast – hints and tips, and fun-filled activities and experiments from the book, why he wrote it and what he hopes it will do to engage young people and their families.
The declining number of young people today engaging with nature – the lack of education, awareness and understanding of the plant world and the impact that this has on them now, in the future and for society overall.
Think globally, act locally – Michael can inspire people of all ages to get started. He has lots of hints, tips, ideas and resource recommendations for complete novices to those who want to do more.
Ethnobotany/Cultural botany – the science of the use of plants for food, clothing, shelter, fuel, transport, sport, art, medicine, folklore, traditions and more.
Visual demonstrations – Michael has a number of lively demonstrations on how to grow your own plants, including the Shelf Life project, plant survival and some surprising uses of plants in our daily lives.
