August 25, 2026

Real progress, and big environmental changes, can start with just one seed — here’s proof

Photo: Emily Brady

To protect biodiversity and support youth leadership, the St. Albert Public Library in Alberta used funding from our A.P.E. Fund for its new “One Seed, One Community” project.

Through the project, 20 Girl Guides learned how native plants help keep local ecosystems alive. They also planted 250 native plants, and they ran an engaging — and extremely popular — seed exchange, handing out more than 380 seed packets.

By helping build this free community seed bank, these young leaders have created a lasting resource for the community to grow, save, and share native seeds for many years to come.

As the project was carried out, the mindsets of some of the young leaders shifted, too. Some of them used to be disgusted by backyard creatures, like bats and wasps.

But once they were able to learn more about how vital these creatures are for pollination, that disgust quickly turned into interest — and an intense desire to protect them. “I never liked wasps before, but now I know they have an important job and I’ll try to look after them,” one of the students involved in the project said.

Through this project, these Girl Guides directly reached 20 people and will indirectly impact nearly 680 residents across St. Albert — proving that real progress, and big environmental changes, can start with just one seed.