Seeds

Ecoschool: in 2023, Seeds provided over 93,500 student-contact hours of academic and cultural enrichment activities at 13 partner schools in rural northwest Michigan serving over 900 unique students. With a focus on place-based learning in safe and inspiring social- emotional-learning spaces, Seeds programs prioritize hands-on and outdoor activities that develop leadership, life skills, and resilience and include daily academic enrichment, stem subjects, nutrition and culinary arts instruction, arts and culture, and whole-family activities. Students are predominantly from underserved communities with high rates of poverty.

Ecostrategies: Seeds continues a tradition of offering professional analysis, assistance with target setting around 'green goals', and planning for resource management to a variety of local governments and community institutions. In 2023, Seeds continued serving as green team facilitator to the city of traverse city, and convening a 10-county movement to divert 33% of organic wastes from landfills across nwmi, preventing waste, improving soils, & collaborating with our communities and with carbon. Ecostrategies helped Seeds prioritize and document over 210mtco2e of greenhouse gas emissions reductions resulting in a net-positive organizational climate impact (scope 1).

Ecocorps: in 2023, Seeds employed 37 members who earned 1,650 hours of professional development and also improved 25 miles of trail, enhanced 210 acres in 21 parks, delivered over 8,500 pounds of donated produce, and composted over 3.4 tons of food waste. Crew members in this green collar career exploration program serve their community while gaining valuable work experience, skills training, professional development, and leadership. Their experiences include historic preservation, parkland management, sustainable trail design, habitat restoration, reforestation, small-scale agriculture, light construction, and more.