on behalf of plant conservation. The garden is a partner in the Seeds of Success project, a branch of the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The goal is to collect 10,000 seeds from each of 1,500 native species of the Midwest for conservation and restoration efforts. The garden is also a partner in the Plants of Concern initiative to monitor rare species in Northeastern Illinois. The garden is a member of Chicago Wilderness, a consortium of 200 local institutions dedicated to preserving and restoring Chicago's natural areas, as well as the Center for Plant Conservation, a group of 30 other botanic gardens and arboreta committed to conserving rare plants from their regions. Education Degree programs offered at the School of the Chicago Botanic Garden: L.E.A.P. Ph.D. Program – Landscapes, Ecological and Anthropogenic Processes (LEAP) is a Ph.D. program offered by the University of Illinois at Chicago in partnership with the Chicago Botanic Garden. University of Chicago Committee on Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. Program University of Illinois Chicago Ecology & Evolution Group Ph.D. Program Certificate programs offered at the School of the Chicago Botanic Garden: Photography Horticultural Therapy Midwest Gardening Professional Gardener Garden Design Botanical Arts Healthcare Garden Design Ornamental Plant Materials Other educational programs available at the garden include the Green Youth Farm, the Windy City Harvest, and the Cook County Sheriff's Vocational Rehabilitation Impact Center. World Environment Day (2008) In 2008, the Chicago Botanic Garden was chosen by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the North American host for World Environment Day with the theme "CO2—Kick the Habit!: Towards a Low Carbon Economy". Over 30 nonprofit, academic, cultural, and environmental organizations participated in the "Knowledge and Action Marketplace" on the garden's Esplanade. Displays and representatives discussed products to help green homes, local carpools, volunteer and community conservation programs, classes on green gardening, the use of CFL light bulbs, vehicles that run on used vegetable oil, and appliances that pop popcorn using solar energy. Organizations participating in the event included: the Center for Neighborhood Technology, offering car-sharing information CNT Energy, working with ComEd to provide information about Watt Spot, a program to assist homeowners who want to pay market price for electricity Northern Illinois Energy Project, who provided free CFL bulbs Chicago Wilderness and Openlands, who provided information about local conservation and restoration programs Horrigan Urban Forest Products, who highlighted the best uses for