Optional recognized activities
Act — optional projects, recognized after review
Optional · everything on Rhizome is
These activities are flexible and community-based: complete a project your own way, submit a story with photographs or other proof, send it to Rhizome for review, and earn a badge once it's approved. We also recommend working through the Learn levels — starting with Seed — to deepen your knowledge and earn Rhizome and ERA co-certification.
Optional activity library
Ideas, not requirements
45 of 45 actions
Teach Younger Students
Prepare and deliver a presentation or lesson about native plants to at least five people.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 3-5 hours
Partner with a Local Nursery
Find a nursery, garden center, or plant sale near you that sells true native species. Visit or call, ask which of their plants are native to your ecoregion, and record what you learn.
- Ages
- 13+
- Time
- 1-3 hours
Write to a Local Official
Research one local landscaping or native planting issue and send a thoughtful letter requesting a specific action.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 2-4 hours
Attend a Public Meeting
Attend a school board, parks, environmental, or local government meeting related to landscaping or habitat.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 2-3 hours
Organize a Seed or Plant Exchange
Plan and run an exchange with at least five participants swapping native seeds or plants.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 3-6 weeks
Present to a Garden Club or Community Group
Deliver a live presentation about native planting to an established community organization.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 5-8 hours
Complete a Habitat Restoration Project
Participate in an approved planting or invasive species removal project with a recognized organization.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 4+ hours
Conduct a Backyard Observation Study
Design and run a simple observational study on a native planting - pollinator visits, plant survival, water absorption, or a similar measurable variable.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 4+ weeks
Curriculum Outreach to a Teacher
Arrange for a teacher to incorporate native plant content into a class.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 2-4 weeks
Nursery Partner Level 2: Make Them a Rhizome Partner
Build on your Level 1 scouting: meet with the nursery, explain Rhizome, and establish a formal partnership including stocking or labeling more natives, hosting a Rhizome table, offering a member discount, or donating plants to certified projects.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- Several weeks
Expand an Existing Native Garden
Add new species or new square footage to a native garden you or your club already planted, and document the growth over time.
- Ages
- 13+
- Time
- 1-2 weekends
Create a Native Garden on School Grounds
Get permission from your school, choose a site, and install a native planting that the school will maintain.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 4-8 weeks
Build a Pollinator Corridor
Coordinate native plantings across multiple neighboring properties so pollinators can move between habitat patches.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-3 months
Document a Lawn to Native Transformation
Convert a lawn or ornamental bed to native planting and document the full before, during, and after story.
- Ages
- 13+
- Time
- 1 season
Create and Distribute Native Plant Educational Materials
Design a flyer, field guide, or handout about natives in your ecoregion and get it into people's hands.
- Ages
- 13+
- Time
- 3-6 hours
Run a Native Plant ID Workshop
Lead a hands-on workshop teaching people how to identify plants native to your ecoregion.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 4-6 hours
Lead a School Assembly or Event
Organize and headline a school-wide assembly, club fair booth, or event focused on native restoration.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 3-6 weeks
Become a Rhizome Educator
Complete Rhizome educator certification so you can deliver formal presentations on behalf of Rhizome.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- Several weeks
Mentor a Younger Rhizome Member
Guide a newer member through Learn certification or their first garden, meeting regularly and tracking their progress.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-3 months
Arrange a Field Trip to a Restoration Site
Work with a teacher and a restoration site to bring a class out to see native habitat work in person.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 4-8 weeks
Design a Native Plant Curriculum Unit
Build a full unit with lessons, activities, and assessment that a teacher can actually run, ideally aligned to your state science standards.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-2 months
Sell Native Seeds or Plants in Your Community
Grow, collect, or source ethically obtained native seeds or plants and sell them locally, on your own or through a nursery partner.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 2-6 weeks
Host a Native Plant Table at a Community Event
Set up a Rhizome table at a farmers market, fair, or school event with plants, seeds, or information.
- Ages
- 13+
- Time
- 1-2 days
Start a Native Seed Library
Create a seed library at your school or public library where people can take and return native seed.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 1-2 months
Secure a Seed Company Discount for Members
Approach a native seed company and negotiate a discount code or affiliate arrangement for Rhizome members.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-2 months
Partner With a Landscape Company
Convince a landscaping company or landscape architect to include native plantings in the designs they sell to clients.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-3 months
Testify at a Town Council or County Meeting
Prepare remarks and speak on the public record about native planting at a council or legislature meeting.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 2-4 weeks
Propose a Native Planting Ordinance
Research existing local code and submit a formal written proposal for a native planting ordinance or policy change.
- Ages
- 16+
- Time
- 1-3 months
Get a Native Planting Policy Adopted
Follow an advocacy campaign through to a real outcome: a passed ordinance, adopted requirement, or new municipal native planting standard.
- Ages
- 16+
- Time
- 3+ months
Change an HOA Rule That Blocks Natives
Work with a homeowners association to revise landscaping rules that prohibit or discourage native plantings.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-3 months
Lobby a Builder or Developer
Pitch a home builder or developer on using native plantings in the landscaping plans for new construction.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-2 months
Present to a School Board
Ask for time on a school board agenda and make the case for native plant education or native landscaping on district grounds.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 3-6 weeks
Build an Advocacy Toolkit for Other Clubs
Package what worked in your campaign including letter templates, talking points, data, and meeting scripts so other Rhizome clubs can reuse it.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-2 months
Plant With a Senior Community
Partner with an assisted living facility, retirement community, or senior center to plan and install a native garden on their property.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 2-6 weeks
Run an Intergenerational Garden Program
Pair students with experienced older gardeners to exchange knowledge and help them transition beds to native species.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-3 months
Organize a Community Native Plant Day
Bring neighbors together for a single-day shared planting project in your community.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-2 months
Distribute a Local Press Release
Use the Rhizome press release generator to write up a club accomplishment and send it to local outlets.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 3-5 hours
Get a Story Published
Land published coverage of Rhizome work in a school paper, local newspaper, or regional or national outlet.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 2-6 weeks
Run a Chapter's Public Presence
Create and consistently maintain a public account or page documenting your chapter's native garden work over time.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- Ongoing, 3+ months
Found a Rhizome Chapter
Start a Rhizome club at your school or integrate Rhizome into an existing environmental club.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- 1-2 months
Serve as a Chapter Officer
Hold an officer role such as president, project lead, or outreach chair for a full term in a Rhizome chapter.
- Ages
- 14+
- Time
- One school year
Recruit New Rhizome Schools
Reach out to nearby schools and help them start and onboard their own Rhizome chapters.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 1-3 months
Lead a Regional Rhizome Network
Connect multiple chapters into a functioning regional network with shared projects and regular communication.
- Ages
- 16+
- Time
- 6+ months
Organize a Regional Rhizome Summit
Plan and host a gathering where multiple chapters meet to share work, train, and plan joint projects.
- Ages
- 16+
- Time
- 3-6 months
Advocate for Native Fire-Resistant Landscaping
Research your community's fire mitigation guidelines and advocate for native landscaping requirements or incentives through your HOA, city council, or local fire department.
- Ages
- 15+
- Time
- 2-4 weeks
Invent the project only your town needs.
Every action counts, and every action is optional.
Propose your own action
Did you do something that isn't on this list?
Submit it here. All proposals are reviewed before recognition is awarded — please don't assume approval before submitting. Original, approved initiatives can earn the Idea Innovator badge.
Submission status workflow
Every submission — library action or self-proposed — follows the same path.
Review, not automation
No badge is awarded automatically after an evidence upload. A Rhizome administrator, approved teacher, or approved club leader reads every submission. Recognition is based on genuine effort and impact.
See all badges and their requirements →Your submissions
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