Green Thumb Lectures

When COVID hit, Athens - Clarke County Extension re-structured the monthly gardening programming (now called Green Thumb Lectures) into online programs, offered via Zoom. The online Green Thumb Lectures were recorded and made available on the UGA Extension YouTube channel. Between the live, online presentations and the YouTube views, Athens-Clarke County Extension presented programming to over 1,700 members of the public in the six months following COVID safety restrictions. The online Green Thumb Lectures had six times the reach of the Green Thumb Lectures that were offered, in-person, in the six months preceding COVID. A combination of presenter practice sessions, controlled audience participation and the addition of moderators, who help facilitate audience questions, resulted in a maintained level of excellent program quality. Seventy-five percent of surveyed participants reported an excellent overall experience. Multiple participants even expressed a desire for Green Thumb Lectures to continue to be offered online, after it becomes safe to meet in person again.

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