Plant for a Change is dedicated to mobilizing an accessible conservation workforce. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, they provide seeds, plants, and sustainable steward consultations in their community. Their team includes people with and without Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD).
Nathan Fields, Co-Founder of Plant for a Change, met Jason Van Wulven eight years ago. Nathan was earning his master’s degree at Vanderbilt University, and Jason was a student in Vanderbilt’s Next Steps, a four-year program for students with intellectual disabilities.
After Jason was hired at Plant for a Change, the farm’s income tripled, and seed production quadrupled. In a News Channel 5 interview, Nathan notes Jason’s laser focus and his ability to fill seed packets “like hot cakes”. Jason says his favorite part of the job is using the seed packet filling machine.
Nathan explains, “There just aren’t a lot of opportunities like this for people with and without disabilities to work side by side. Of the 20% of people with I/DD who are working, around 80% are in sheltered workshops where they’re only working alongside people with disabilities. What Plant for a Change is really passionate about…is that people with and without disabilities benefit from [spending time with] one another…We’re learning together.”
Watch the full News Channel 5 segment here.
Seeds and Plants
Within a given ecosystem, keystone plants support the greatest number of wildlife species. These are the plants Plant for a Change seeks to put in the hands of gardeners. They sell seeds that are regionally sourced within two ecoregions: Eastern temperate forests (Ecoregion 8) and Mediterranean California (Ecoregion 11). You can find available seed packets and purchase online at their website.
Plant for a Change also sells seedling plugs seasonally.
Consultations
Plant for a Change provides the following consultation services:
- Free SustainABLE consultations
- Harvesting seeds
- Planting native plants
- Weekly or monthly conservation work
- One-time conservation work
Networking and Stewardship
Plant For a Change is creating a network of seed farmers in North America. They grow native plants on land cherished for generations by communities of Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, Chickasaw, Koasati, Quapaw, Shawnee, Euchee, and other tribes that knew Tennessee as home before the Indian removal act of 1830.
They are honored to partner with Indigenous Nations in protecting and preserving North America’s cultural and ecological communities, so that future generations of people, plants, and pollinators may flourish. They encourage others to find the original keepers of their land at native-land.ca & continue their legacy.
Learn more
Learn more about Plant for a Change on their website, and follow their work on Instagram.