I realize I had never taken the opportunity to introduce myself. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of you over the last few yrs via #PlantSwaps, #HowtoMakeaPlantLoveYou book tour, and volunteering, but for the most part, the majority of us only ‘know’ each other in the digital space. I guess my name is a place to start: I’m Summer Rayne Oakes. Yes, that’s on my birth certificate. My parents are pretty cool, and I’ve totally embraced the essence of the name. I’ve loved being outdoors since I was a kid growing up in NE PA. I drew & painted almost every day since I could hold a pencil or paintbrush…until I was about 16. Most of my artwork captured elements of nature; and I had extensive collections of pressed plants, spore prints, bird feathers, and other natural wonders in shoeboxes below my bed. I knew very early on that I wanted to take a creative approach to connecting people to their environment. At 13 I decided I wanted to go to @cornelluniversity and study ecology and environmental sciences. Visiting that campus at an early age made my heart sing, and it really helped me become goal-oriented. I applied early decision, got in, and paid for my own way through college through a lot of scholarships, loans, many jobs and work-study & research positions—a very formative experience for me! I never thought I would move to NYC, but early on, I got a crazy idea to begin meeting people where they were at with their own relationship to nature. I moved outside my comfort zone & explored the bounds of what “sustainability” meant in the fashion industry. Most people who follow me here will likely know me for the plants I grow, but my first big “impact” was in that world, helping popularize concepts of sustainability in an industry, which was largely devoid of those principles. I then brought much of what I learned into food systems after that—working on local, sustainably sourced food access in the city, and then 3 yrs ago, the world homed in on my personal relationship w/ plants. I embraced that. Now I spend my days bringing people closer to plants by bringing them closer to them, while still staying true to my North Star. It’s lovely to meet you. (at Williamsburg, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B600ftpFK5O/?igshid=fh6i6hx1fp0j
