Why The Plant Initiative?

Giovanni Aloi is an author, educator, and curator specializing in the representation of nature and the environment in art. He has made substantial contributions to the academic fields of animal and plant studies through his own books as well as Antennae: The Journal of Nature in Visual Culture which he has founded in 2007. Aloi teaches modern and contemporary art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Walter Furness is a doctoral candidate in Geography at Texas State University. His current research examines the politics of human-yeast interactions across laboratory spaces. He also enjoys nurturing plants and microbes at home, cohabitating with succulents, herbs, sourdough, kombucha, and other ferments.

Britt Gangeness lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. She credits free play in the woods and a mother who loved to garden for teaching her to love plants. She works on environmental education projects at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and goes swimming in Minnesota lakes with her two kids as much as possible.

Mya Hummel is a graphic designer, illustrator, and nature advocate. Traditionally trained as a scientific illustrator, she has a rich history in science and art education. Her passion is rooted in conservation awareness, and she works to create visually compelling illustrations to share the importance of the natural world. She feels most herself when romping through the woods and you will likely find her painting among the wildflowers.

My connection with plants has been a lifelong pursuit and includes both outdoor gardening and a houseful of potted plants which spend their summers outside and their winters inside (because I live in Minnesota). As a successful gardener, it's important to listen and carefully observe plants' happiness. I believe all living things deserve respect, compassion, and equal rights.

Paul has degrees in biology, agronomy, and marketing and has most recently been studying in the Department of Geography, Environment & Society at the University of Minnesota. He has served as executive director of Cottonwood Foundation since 1992. Paul has a strong commitment to increasing respectful treatment of plants and is interested in plant ethics, plant rights and plant liberation.

Laura Pustarfi, Ph.D., is a scholar and writer focusing on trees in the Western philosophical tradition. She completed her doctoral work in Philosophy and Religion with a focus on Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion at the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2019.  She currently works as the Associate Director for the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research Certificate Program at CIIS. 

August Stolba coined the term Design Ecology to describe his interdisciplinary study of the anthropogenic factors that affect climate change at The Evergreen State College. Since returning to his home state of Iowa, he has dedicated himself to ecological education, sustainable food systems and native landscape restoration. August currently works as Land Care and Holistic Ecology Coordinator at Prairiewoods Ecospirituality Center in Hiawatha, Iowa.

Lora Wedge is a community leader and educator with a background in social change work and a M.A. in Consciousness and Transformative Studies. She teaches as adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota Duluth and works in the nonprofit sector where she is devoted to helping individuals and society remember our reciprocal relationship with the earth.