Joplin Butterfly Garden and Overlook

05/17/2021

As we approach the 10th anniversary of the Joplin Tornado, our hearts go out to the entire Joplin-Duquesne community and most especially to those who lost friends and family. We hope that the Butterfly Garden and Overlook has brought a little peace and comfort to all. And that the "Volunteer Tribute", adjacent, serves as a long-lasting reminder of the "Miracle of the Human Spirit"; How so many people from across the planet came help in a community's time of need, and the resilience and strength of the greater Joplin-Duquesne community.

01/06/2021

Eden Village https://edenvillageusa.org/springfield-mo/ is working toward opening a Route 66 themed campground to provide temporary shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness, until they can build enough permanent, tiny home Eden Villages. Here is a link to a fundraiser that will pay for a nights stay in one of the teardrop-style campers. You can help by sharing the link on your social media, or purchasing one of their cool t-shirts on the link. I appreciate you all! https://stores.inksoft.com/eden_village_-_revive_66_campgr/shop/home

05/24/2019

If you are connected to persons in involved in directing recovery efforts from one of the recent tornadoes, or any natural disaster, please share the attached FREE publication about disaster recovery. It has case studies, lessons learned and good practices for disaster recovery. BTW, page 44 is the case study on the Butterfly Garden and the Volunteer Tribute.

Restoring and growing the Twin Cities' community forests in times of change; An interview with Karen Zumach, Tree Trust, St. Louis Park, Minnesota

05/01/2018

I am looking forward to seeing the spring flowers at the Butterfly Garden & Overlook. Can. Not. Wait. :0)

01/31/2018

https://www.thenatureofcities.com/2018/01/27/architecture-liberal-arts-whole-school-approach-education-serving-communities/

Inspiring students to contribute in an impactful manner to their community and society while developing the professional skills needed for their major (architecture) has been my passion for the past nineteen years. The goal all those years ago was to create and execute unique educational challenges,...

05/22/2017

A short documentary was created about the Butterfly Garden & Overlook. Go here to see the 7 minute film: http://natureeffect.org/joplin/

How does a community rebuild itself after unmitigated devastation? How does it find solace? Restore hope? See how Joplin—a city ravaged by an EF5 tornado, the worst in over a century—transformed itself through nature. This is the nature effect—see it in action.

04/06/2017

Here is an article in The Nature of Cities about the incredible spirit of the people of Joplin, SW Missouri and the world.

https://www.thenatureofcities.com/2017/04/05/response-recovery-deadliest-us-tornado-century/

05/19/2016

Our thoughts and well wishes are with you, Joplin, as the 5th anniversary of the tornado approaches. -Your friends from Drury University Design-Build

05/03/2016

And they get to help people heal by designing and building beautiful things like the Butterfly Garden & Overlook
http://www.archdaily.com/786671/wallethub-ranks-architecture-10th-best-entry-level-job-out-of-109-professions

Architects are famously cynical about the long hours and over-education required for what can be a thankless career. But in a recent study conducted...

11/13/2015

And the winner for best lighting is...The Butterfly Garden & Overlook! Thank you IES Kansas City http://www.ieskc.org/ for this honor. HUGE thank you to Lighting Solutions Group Inc. http://www.ltgsolutions.com/ our partner in the project. What a great collaboration and learning experience for our students at Drury University. http://www.drury.edu/ So proud of our diverse, trans-disciplinary team from Drury, Cornell University, The USDA Forest Service, Forest ReLeaf of MO and our dear friends at Joplin Parks & Recreation who put their hearts and souls in the project. All of this was possible because the good folks at the TKF Foundation believed in us. http://naturesacred.org/

07/09/2015

Students from Crowder College and Drury University are teaming up to build a house inspired by the Joplin tornado and response. The solar powered home will be entered into Solar Decathlon competit...