Learning at the 2026 Atlanta Science Festival
Ms. Green Jeans did not get the memo
Over the weekend, I sat in a room with about twenty other science-lovers. I was at a session of the 2026 Atlanta Science Festival learning about hydroponic gardening.
Our speaker’s introduction was completely normal and welcoming. But then he said something that, I must admit, caused me to lean back and lose my eager smile.
“Today, during our hands-on session, you’ll get very dirty. Hope you got the memo to wear old clothes! We’re growing plants, after all. Every single thing you’re wearing will probably be covered with dirt by the time we finish.”
The room got quiet and still. Parents glanced at their children, still tidy at 10 a.m. on a Sunday.
I looked down at what I wore. I was Ms. Green Jeans today in new overall shorts, an outfit not too long, not too short, just right for me. I’d pictured myself getting a lot of wear out of these overalls in the coming warm months, but the fabric is tough and pretty dark, I reasoned. It will be fine if I work in the dirt today.
Because, by this point in my life, I’ve learned a little something about acceptance.
Ahhhhhhh. Then it hit me. His little joke. He was just joshing.
“Hydroponic plants grow without soil,” he said with a big grin.
After that we all relaxed again and spent a few hours learning how hydroponic systems work by using nutrient-rich water and full-spectrum lights along with careful monitoring and know-how. No dirt required! The systems are smart, designed so gardeners can grow plants and vegetables indoors year-round. I have a small system I’m trying out at home.
The session was just one of more than 100 events planned during a two-week period each March by the festival organizers. That day, I was proud to walk away with my own small hydroponic growing system, complete with a few purple basil seeds germinating inside a cup. I hope.
Also, I left bright and clean, so that’s good too. I even managed to get some new contacts for my 2026 nature-people collection project.
And that, as it turns out, was one reason I attended that morning. Yes, I wanted to learn about hydroponic gardening, but I’m also on a mission this year: to meet the people who are behind the science and nature efforts happening in our state. I want to tell their stories.
My inspiration came mostly from my four years of work writing The Everyday Scientist, my newsletter about community science and citizen science in Georgia. But, I was also motivated after reading The Tree Collectors, Amy Stewart’s book about people around the world who love trees and devote much of their time and energy to tree-related projects.
After reading it, I thought: I love knowing these people exist on the planet at the same time I do.
That thought led to a few questions:
Should I do something like that for Georgia? Should I play Terry Gross (Fresh Air!) or Amy Poehler (Good Hang!), but be myself of course, and write up a series of articles for my Substack? Would that be inspiring to others, I wondered?
I keep notebooks. Writers and readers do that.
Recently, I had some hesitations about the project mainly a fear of failure, I suppose. One morning, I sat down and flipped back through my notebook to see what I had been thinking when I’d dreamed up this idea earlier.
I saw where I’d written down a few lines from Oliver Burkeman, author of another book I like a lot, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Burkeman writes about how short a lifetime really is and how we shouldn’t get so bent out of shape trying to do everything perfectly.
Fragments from my notes:
“There’s this idea that someone else has the best method for mastering the art of being a great human. It’s not true. I have to accept that I’m already close to being my best.”
“Take the thing you like least about yourself. What if that thing is always going to be with you? Hadn’t you ought to just get on with it?”
“As a human being with a finite life—only about 4,000 weeks—we have to get comfortable with the fact that life can’t be mastered.”
So I reread those notes and thought of acceptance.
And, just like that, the project continues. So far this year, I have interviewed Darling Nogh, an inspiring student and mushroom guy. I have a few others in the pipeline coming soon.
Do you know any young or mid-career environmentalists in Georgia I should talk with? I’m looking for the names of people who are helping power the future of Georgia’s landscapes and natural world.
I try to get out and take walks with experts as much as possible. Lately, I’ve been eyeing the lineup at the Elachee Nature Center in Gainesville, Ga. I may have to don my green overalls and take a field trip up there for one of those Wild Women sessions!
So early on a Sunday without enough iced covfefe, that joke would have thrown me, too! I’d love to learn more about hydroponic gardening, since my raised bed outside doesn’t get quite enough sun to do much with the seeds I’ve tried planting in it before. I will have to keep this festival in mind for next year!
Another great post. With promises of more to come!!!