Profile

The Plant Exchange is an Oakland-based 501(c)(3) organization, a community, and a mission driven family that encourages resource sharing, reuse, recycling, and organic living. Our mission is to promote green practices, beautify and enrich urban… The Plant Exchange is an Oakland-based 501(c)(3) organization, a community, and a mission driven family that encourages resource sharing, reuse, recycling, and organic living. Our mission is to promote green practices, beautify and enrich urban neighborhoods, and support Oakland's underserved community with education about urban farming and environmental justice.
The Plant Exchange has a multi-faceted approach that centers around:
1. Reducing urban bio-waste through recycling and replanting green materials.
2. Educating community members about plants, sustainable gardening, and environmental issues.
3. Beautifying neglected neighborhoods and increasing the urban green canopy.
The Plant Exchange began in October 2007 in a residential front garden. It was a tremendous success, and each following year the Plant Exchange grew, attracting close to 1,000 attendees who exchange over 3,500 gardening items at each event. By 2015, we were able to secure a more permanent home, and moved into a warehouse and offices on Lincoln Ave in Oakland.
In 2018, the Plant Exchange launched the Giving Green to Great Nonprofits program, facilitating plant and organic material donations to community-serving organizations around the Bay Area.
The Plant Exchange now hosts several events throughout the year and operates several mission-driven programs, engaging more than 250 volunteers who provide over 1400 service hours to support the Plant Exchange's mission.
The idea was born out of a passion for community, to help strengthen neighborhood relationships, and keep usable greenery and used gardening items out of landfill. We hosted our first plant exchange in 2007 in a residential front yard with 75 people. Our events grew rapidly to include gardeners, landscapers, urban farmers, and professionals in the horticulture industry from all nine Bay Area counties. Our annual event now attracts over 1500 residents and community members and continues to grow.
Our latest programs- Giving Green to Great Nonprofits and our Youth Gardening and Urban Farming Skills Education Program- directly engage the community from within. We are not only able to reach individual community members and their families, we work in conjuction with other non-profits to expand our reach and bring benefits to other surrounding communities.