Pittsford, NY
Mixed Wood Plains · 7 native species · 180 sq ft
Certified 2026-05-12 · example
RhizomeLearn.Plant.Act.
Join Rhizome→Rhizome Restoration is a student-led movement reclaiming our ecosystems—one native garden, one backyard, and one community at a time.
Free to use · where school clubs and individual contributors document their impact
Running a school ecology or gardening club? See how Rhizome works for clubs
The honest case
Why native plants matter
Any plant can be green. What makes native plants different is coevolution: they and the insects, birds, fungi, soils, and weather of this region shaped each other over thousands of years. That fit is why they support more life with less water, less fertilizer, and less maintenance than plants brought in from somewhere else.
01
Cleaner air
Because native plants coevolved with local climate and soil, they tend to grow deep, resilient root systems and dense foliage that filter dust, absorb carbon, and shade the ground around them — often without the constant mowing, watering, or chemicals a lawn needs.
02
Cleaner water
Deep, coevolved native roots open channels in the soil that soak up stormwater before it becomes runoff. That slows erosion and traps fertilizer, road salt, and sediment before they reach creeks, rivers, and drinking water supplies.
03
Healthier food systems
Many of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts we eat rely on insect pollination. Native plants feed the wild bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that local farms and gardens depend on — because those insects evolved alongside the plants that feed them.
04
Wildlife and pollinators
Native plants are the food source local butterflies, bees, and birds evolved with. A single native oak or milkweed patch can support species that non-native ornamentals often cannot feed at the right life stage.
05
Stronger local ecosystems
Native plants fit into their regional ecosystem — soil fungi, insects, weather, and all. Each garden is a stepping stone that can reconnect fragmented habitat into corridors where a whole local ecosystem functions again.
From the EcoRestoration Alliance
06Earth's air conditioners are breaking down
Forests, soils, wetlands, and ocean life form a living climate-control system, moving water, seeding clouds, and shading land. The EcoRestoration Alliance's whitepaper Cooling Climate Quickly quantifies this blind spot in climate policy.
Especially relevant in fire-prone regions
07
Wildfire risk reduction
Native plants retain more moisture, even during drought, making them less likely to dry out and ignite than invasive grasses like cheatgrass. In fire-prone regions, native landscaping is increasingly recognized as a practical risk reduction strategy.
08
Flood and storm resilience
Native root systems reach 10 to 15 feet deep compared to 2 to 3 inches for conventional lawn grass. Those deep roots absorb extreme rainfall far faster than turf, reducing surface flooding and protecting property during severe storms.
09
Lower costs, less work
Native plants require less synthetic fertilizer, water, and mowing. Americans spend an estimated 40 billion dollars per year on lawn care. The long term savings are real and measurable.
Underground. Connected. Unstoppable.
A rhizome spreads underground, connecting plants and rebuilding ecosystems invisibly. That is what this movement does. Small efforts, spreading, connecting, growing into something much bigger.
Students in one club, then ten, then a region.
Why students and clubs join
What Rhizome helps you build
Rhizome turns native-plant work into documented impact. You get the science, the project ideas, and the tools to track and present what you and your club actually accomplished — free, and open to anyone.
Learn
Build real knowledge, with a credential to show for it
Self-paced native plant and ecosystem courses written for high schoolers. Pass a level at 80% and earn an ERA co-certified certificate with your name on it.
See the courses
Take Action
Find a project that fits your school and community
Browse a library of tested projects — planting, teaching, advocacy, seed exchanges, nursery partnerships — or design your own. Nobody starts from a blank page.
Explore project ideas
Document Your Impact
Turn your work into measurable results
Track knowledge certifications, plantings, projects and club impact. Your photos and your badges become a proven record of your accomplishments.
See your recordEarn Recognition
Submit optional work and get it reviewed
Send in the documentation for anything you organized. A person reviews every submission, and approved work earns a badge naming what you accomplished.
See the badges
Grow Your Club
Organize members, set goals, show progress
Rosters, shared progress, and a public club profile — plus a press release generator so students can explain what the club accomplished to local media.
See how clubs workRecommended · fully optional
Certification, co-certified by the EcoRestoration Alliance
Everything on Rhizome is optional. We highly recommend every new member start with the Seed Level, then keep going through the higher levels to grow into a real native plant expert and earn the Rhizome and ERA co-certification along the way. Certifying a garden and documenting your projects are recommended next steps, not requirements.
Sample club record
75
Native plants logged
95
Volunteer hours tracked
8
Documented projects
9
Certified members
Example of what an active club can build in its first year.
Every certified garden is real habitat.
Coneflower, bluestem, goldenrod — planted where they belong.
From the Plant section
What certified gardens look like
These are examples of what certified gardens look like on Rhizome. Real member gardens will appear here as the community grows.
Town and region only. Rhizome never displays an exact planting location.
Ann Arbor, MI
Mixed Wood Plains · 5 native species · 120 sq ft
Certified 2026-05-03 · example
Asheville, NC
Southeastern USA Plains · 9 native species · 300 sq ft
Certified 2026-04-28 · example
From the Act section
What recognized initiatives look like
These are examples of the kinds of initiatives Rhizome members take. Real approved initiatives will appear here as members submit and get recognized.
Habitat BuilderPittsford, NY
Milkweed strip along the bus loop
Mendon HS Rhizome Club
Rhizome LeaderAnn Arbor, MI
Native plant unit added to 7th grade science
Individual member
Project OrganizerAsheville, NC
Seed exchange with 38 neighbors
Buncombe Youth Restoration
Citizen ScientistIowa City, IA
Six-week pollinator visit study
Individual member
Live national impact
The movement, in numbers
Live totals from approved records
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Certified gardens
0
Members
0
Ecoregions represented
0
Clubs participating
Loading the national map…
Town / region level only — exact addresses are never shown
Loading certified gardens…
Garden and Environmental Clubs and Youth Organizations
Clubs make this work at scale
A club is a group of members at the same school or organization. Everything a member certifies or gets recognized for rolls up to the club profile — and club recognition is cumulative, never a competitive ranking. Every club that keeps showing up earns visible progress.
- Club leaders see a member roster, progress overview, and pending evidence to review.
- A public club profile shows certified members, certified gardens, and a moderated garden gallery — town and state only.
- Once a club has one certified member and one certified garden, the press release generator unlocks so students can tell their own story to local media.
Club recognition milestones
- 1Rooted1 certified member + 1 certified garden
- 2Spreading3 certified members + 1 certified garden
- 3Established5 certified members + 3 certified gardens
- 4Keystone10 certified members + 5 certified gardens + 3 approved initiatives
Cumulative over time. Clubs are never ranked against each other.
Join the movement
Create an account, join or start a club at your school, and take the Seed Level. Your first certified plant can be in the ground this month.