METRO BLOOMS

We offer low-cost DIY workshops on sustainable actions home gardeners can take to make their yards more resilient. Workshops cover site planning, raingardens, protecting pollinators, native planting and more. These workshops help to change landscaping norms to support practices that protect the environment especially during a time of climate change and pollinator decline.

We conduct our work using an equitable engagement framework and intentionally reach out to partner with underserved communities on environmental improvement projects. We work to ensure that community members are meaningfully involved in decision-making and in implementation, and that the benefits of the work stay in the community. Specific projects include: working with affordable housing communities to redesign their outdoor spaces for resilience and better quality of outdoor living; working with small businesses to implement resilient practices in stormwater and pollinator protection in targeted commercial corridors; engaging with residents in underserved neighborhoods on replanting boulevards with pollinator-friendly raingardens.

We coordinate this public/private partnership of local government agencies, landscape contractors, native plant nurseries and others promoting native plants, raingardens, shoreline stabilization projects and turf alternatives to reduce runoff and improve water quality. This partnership works to inform behavior change and bridge the gap between knowledge and action.

We teach youths, young adults and landscape professionals how to properly care for raingardens, native plant gardens, and other vegetated best management practices in stormwater. These are highly-sought skills in the green economy and provide another mechanism for us to ensure the communities we work with benefit economically from our work.