A Positive Protest In Your Own Backyard
Show care for the environment, support unity, and affect change right from your own home.
Post photos of your garden on Instagram with the hashtag:
#PlantTheWall
How Do I Participate?
Three simple steps you can do right now.
(or when you get home later)
1
Start Planting
Get some seeds or starter plants, find some soil, and start planting. If you already have a garden going, congrats (and skip to Step 2)!
2
Post Your Photos
Post photos of your gardening efforts using the hashtag #PlantTheWall. If you post on Instagram, we’ll display your photos right here!
3
Tell Somebody About It
Email, text, snap, slack, DM, or even talk to someone you know about your planting efforts. The more that get involved the better!
The Latest Photos
Use the hashtag #plantthewall on Instagram and your photos will appear in the gallery below
What Does “Plant the Wall” Mean?
It’s a concept to help folks make a local impact on the planet as well as a statement about what we value as a country.
It’s the anti-“Build the Wall” message.
How Does It Work?
Plant any living thing — vegetables, a tree, flowers — that can provide food, create shade or beauty, and suck up some CO2.
Grow something in your backyard, on your deck, a windowsill, or in your kitchen.
Whether you’re already doing it or just starting, share that experience with others (online or even in person!)
Create living “walls” (of any size) that make the earth a better place to live.
How Does It Help?
During a time when it’s easy to feel helpless, it creates a reminder that we can always affect what’s around us.
If the environment is being de-prioritized, let’s re-emphasize its value and beauty.
If we believe building walls to keep people out are wasteful and wrong, let’s find creative ways to protest and keep the conversation top of mind.
The concept is meant to create a way to make a positive impact that anyone can participate in, share, and feel good about.
How Did This Get Started?
Hi, my name is Clay. I grew up in Michigan and now live in Los Angeles with my amazing wife and 8-year-old son. I’m an entrepreneur and strategist and co-founded a small strategy consultancy here in LA.
Outside of normal voting duties, I have no strong connection to politics. In fact, historically I’ve mostly stayed away from politics.
But like a lot of people, I’ve now found myself being unable to escape an ever-growing concern for what’s happening in our country. Following the news has bordered on obsession. I’ve also become a dedicated listener to a few political podcasts (shoutout to Crooked Media) to try and stay informed.
And while I do feel more informed, I’ve had this recurring feeling that I should do more.
There are of course lots of outlets now for people to get involved. I’m proud to say that my family marched in the women’s march in LA, and I’ve sent faxes using the awesome ResistBot app. And my wife has made phone calls to our representatives. All things we had never done before.
And people should absolutely keep doing all of things. They’ve had an incredible impact.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe I could also contribute something unique. Something that would put my own skills, experience, and point-of-view to use. Something that mixed my background in digital and strategy, and my love of nature and the outdoors.
So, this concept and website were my attempt to merge all of those elements into something cohesive that could hopefully make an impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you really think planting a garden and sharing pictures can have any impact on what’s happening in our country right now?
I’ve asked myself that same thing (you know, because I wrote all of this). The answer is, I don’t know yet.
But here are some things I do believe:
- A lot of little actions can add up to something meaningful (again, see all the marches, town halls, and general activism happening right now)
- Making our voices heard through all available means and channels is important — social media has been incredibly powerful for showing unity in countless moments in the past year.
- When you’re feeling helpless or a lack of control, any way to take positive action is good for your mental health.
- If our social feeds can be balanced with positive images of people planting and growing plants, vegetables, and flowers it could instill some much needed positivity and will make all the other news more tolerable.
Are you a big activist type?
No, I’m not an expert on the environment, gardening, or political activism. I’m just a normal guy looking to contribute in some meaningful way.
What gardening tips can you provide to help me get started?
Um, well like I said I’m not exactly an expert in gardening (yet!), so my help will be pretty limited in this regard. I’m hoping that if people get involved there will be some true experts that can help provide real tips and insights on how to get the most out of your effort. If that happens I’ll gladly add their insights to this website.
What I can say is that I’m a big believer in taking action even when you don’t know all the answers. It’s better to do a little something even if it’s not perfect and learn from that experience. If you sit back and wait until the perfect moment or when you know “enough”, then you’ll likely never get much done. That’s a general life philosophy for me, but definitely applies here.
Should we be using extra water on plants when we’re still dealing with drought conditions (like in California)?
Yes, you should of course be responsible with water use. But there are ways to get creative. One great tip is to capture your shower/bath “warm-up” water (i.e. the water that runs while you’re waiting for the water to get warm.
Catch that water in a watering can and use it for watering. No extra water wasted. Bam.
Is there a giant corporation secretly behind this, like that time when Pepsi tried to create “unity” with Kendall Jenner in a wig?
That’s a very timely question that probably won’t be relevant even a week from now.
But no — no corporation. Just me.
If you asked that because you thought the website was so professional and awesome it must have millions of dollars behind it, thanks!