In the midst of the devastation caused by the Eaton fire, the Upper School Permaculture class decided to help support efforts to replant affected areas in Altadena. Using their extensive knowledge of California native plants, the Permaculture class gathered native seeds that they had collected over the years and sent them to the Altadena Seed Library, where they will be germinated and planted to rebuild burnt land.
Mr. Mick Lorusso, STEAMWork Design Studio Coordinator and Permaculture Teacher, found out about the Altadena Seed Library through social media. “I’m connected with a lot of the composters in my neighborhood. They directed me to a social media post and the address [of the Altadena Seed Library]…A lot of links were coming to us at the same time, all within 24 hours.”
Mr. David Prince, Upper School Art and Permaculture Teacher, spoke about how taking part of this project is another step towards recovering California’s ecosystem. “One of our goals is to propagate,” he said. “It is to grow our native plants so that we can [not only] grow them in the garden but also to give them out and extend the reach of native plants right here.”
When the Permaculture class began to organize and label all the seed packages, the efforts gave students an opportunity to participate in the hopeful rebuilding of their community. Some Permaculture students, such as Josephine S. ’27, had been collecting seeds since the summer before the school year. What was once a regular hobby became an initiative to donate these seeds to help replant wildlife. “It allows us to find a lot of empathy, and it allows us to [discover] that it doesn’t take much to help people—and helping the community doesn’t take [as many] resources as you think,” she said.
Talking about their participation, sophomore Miyari V.-W., a Permaculture student, said, “I think that it’s genuinely such a beautiful idea.”
Spyglass Design Team Members Grace F. ’27 and Lauren L. ’27 drew stylized, sprouting seeds on the envelope. “It was an amazing experience, and I’m so glad to be part of it. I hope the people who received our packets will enjoy our thoughtful drawings,” said Grace.
After the seeds are delivered, the Altadena Seed Library will germinate them in a controlled environment and then plant the plants when they are healthy enough to survive in the wild on their own. This way, the plants are less likely to be washed away or damaged in the case of rain.
Replanting native seeds is an important part of fire prevention. Large fires are often exacerbated by invasive species, such as palm trees and eucalyptus. “If you’ve seen some videos of these trees that look like blow torches [when they burn], that’s because they aren’t native to this region, so they burn really easily,” said Mr. Lorusso.
When invasive species are planted in someone’s backyard, they are highly likely to spread to the wilderness via pollinators and animals. For example, Kikuyu grass, a common grass choice in lawns, are classified as weeds in many regions in the United States.
Encouraging individuals to grow native plants is one way to rebuild after the fires. “Shifting your landscaping towards native landscaping is really important, and it helps conserve water as well,” said Mr. Lorusso. “That’s one huge benefit of planting native plants, and, of course, they’re not going to be as flammable as some of the more invasive species.”
Sophomore Nadine M. hopes that this project will influence the community to be more optimistic about their ability to restore wildlife. “I think it would really help people in the community [to] grow their own plants and rebuild the nature around them,” Nadine said. The effort to help the environment can start right in someone’s backyard. “And if people are growing those kinds of plants in their yards, they can also donate to efforts like these. When there are fires, people will have seeds to share,” said Mr. Lorusso.
Not only will sending these seeds to the Altadena Seed Library be beneficial to California’s ecosystem, but the plants will provide the greater community hope and peace of mind. “Reintroducing the native plant life into California is great, and I think it also is going to help the community rebuild, because plants can be very symbolic of regrowth…So much good can come out of this, and it can help Pasadena start again,” said Miyari.
