Our Mission
GROW is a non-profit organization working to expand the conversation about sustainability, with special attention to urban land stewardship. Our vision for the future of urban land stewardship is an integrated “whole system” approach where micro-ecosystems are restored, native wildlife recovers and thrives, and urban residents can connect with nature in profound ways. In 2017 GROW entered into a land-use partnership with Metro Nashville Parks Department. We accepted stewardship of a parcel of public land within Two Rivers Regional Park with a few simple goals:
increase use of the park space by engaging the public with our project
engage community volunteers to help clean up the parcel and strengthen ecological diversity
foster a renewed sense of stewardship in the community through various programs, events, and volunteer projects
inspire a love of nature in the youth of our city so that they, in turn, will become adults who invest in the conservation of public lands
Our project site is over ten acres large, containing multiple micro-ecosystems (grassland/meadow, wetland, woodland, and aquatic to name a few!) We are working towards tying all of this space together with permaculture farming methods for land management. This means that all areas of the project site will eventually become part of a larger, thriving, ecosystem; Nashville’s first sustainable ‘food forest’ park.
““...even the insects in my path are not loafers, but have their special errands””
What We've Achieved So Far
In 2018 alone, we planted over 700 trees on the property and engaged over 3,000 hours of volunteerism (largely related to invasive plant control and agroforestry).
In 2019 we held a Permaculture Action Day in collaboration with Deep Tropics and Permaculture Action Network where hundreds of volunteers gathered for a day of workshops, music, food, and community.
In 2020 we rescued over 500 oak trees for reforestation efforts around Tennessee after the devastating March tornado.