Hey kiddo! So, there are some people who are really worried about the planet and how we treat it. They want to make sure that we all work together to take care of the earth and all the living things on it. One of these people, Donna Haraway, wrote a book called Staying with the Trouble Making Kin in the Chthulucene. In her book, she talks about how we need to think about the earth and all the living things on it like we are all part of a big family. She even came up with a special word, Chthulucene, to describe this new way of thinking.

Vertical gardens are like walls covered in plants that are really good for the environment. They make our spaces look pretty and help us use rainwater in a smart way. Rainwater goes through a maze of plants and soil, just like a marble goes through a maze in a game. The design of the garden is important to make sure the plants get enough water. The plants grow bigger and their roots make a network that helps them get even more water. It's like a big puzzle that the rainwater has to solve to get to all the plants. The more the plants grow, the more rainwater they can collect and use.

Some people in a place called Los Angeles have really big walls made of bushes to keep their homes private. But in a different place called Austin, some smart people made a new way to have privacy and make the environment better too! They made vertical gardens called VertiFlow, which are like big cylinders made of old cans that hold water for plants to grow on. These gardens are not expensive like the big walls in LA and they also help clean the air and make less noise. People in Austin can even help make their own gardens and learn about taking care of the environment.

In 2025, a lot of people came to Austin, Texas from South America. They came because things were not good in their own countries and they wanted to find a better life. The people in Austin were very kind and welcoming to the newcomers. They let them stay in a big park called Zilker Park. But the park didn't stay the same. It changed a lot! The people who lived there made it into a place where everyone could live together and share things. They made new houses and gardens and even a big kitchen where they cooked food for everyone.

The Wick-ed VertiFlow system can make lots of different things! You can make a tall tower for plants to climb on, a pretty wall for your garden, or even a bridge for people to walk across. They can also make a cool spiral shape or an overhead structure for shade. The VertiFlow system can connect at any point, so you can make all kinds of cool shapes!

ReLeaf is a super cool project that helps the environment by turning garbage into useful things! They want everyone to be able to benefit from this and not just a few people who have all the power. It's like a big group of people working together to make the world a better place. And the best part is that you can be a part of it too!

Have you ever seen a bird in your backyard? They are really cool and help our environment. There are special things called bird feeders that we can put outside to invite more birds to hang out with us. They help make our backyard pretty and fun to watch. But there is a new kind of bird feeder that is even better! It's called a vertical garden and it's made just for birds. It has lots of different plants that birds like to eat and play in. It even has a place for them to drink and take a bath!

ReLeaf is a company that likes to make cities look more like nature. They do this by making gardens that go up high on buildings. Now they want to learn more about something called "fungi". Fungi are tiny living things that help plants grow big and strong. ReLeaf wants to use fungi in their gardens to make the plants even healthier. They also want to teach people about how important fungi are for our planet. Fungi can even help us clean up our garbage! ReLeaf is trying to be really good at taking care of the earth and making sure everything stays healthy and happy.

There is a group called ReLeaf that is really good at making waste into something useful. They take things that people don't need anymore and turn them into beautiful gardens! These gardens are very tall and can be seen from far away. They make the city look really pretty and help the environment. ReLeaf also makes sure that everyone who helps them gets rewarded for their hard work. They want everyone to be happy and work together to make the city a better place. ReLeaf is like a treasure map that helps us find new and exciting places in the city.