Blue Thumb—Planting for Clean Water® is the education program of Metro Blooms, and a statewide partnership of local and tribal governments, non-profit organizations and private companies helping Minnesotans plant for pollinators and clean water. We support clean water and native plant stewardship through accessible resources, workshops, and a statewide partnership network. Sign-up for the Metro Blooms newsletter to keep up with our work, and meet staff on Metro Blooms’ website.
Blue Thumb engages with communities and shares accessible knowledge and resources to protect our environment and create a more sustainable future. We lead the way in changing landscaping norms among professionals, property owners, and renters. We aspire to clean water resources supported by beautiful and sustainable landscapes that minimize runoff and create native habitat in our communities.
Blue Thumb began in 2006 as an outreach program of the Rice Creek Watershed District (located in Blaine, Minnesota) to help its cities meet mandated water quality goals set forth in the Clean Water Act. By 2015, Blue Thumb had expanded far beyond the bounds of any one watershed, and the program was transferred to Metro Blooms.
56% of Minnesota’s lakes and rivers that we all enjoy and depend on are impaired. The EPA defines runoff as the nation’s number one threat to the water quality of our lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands. Blue Thumb strives to offer resources so the public understands how runoff from their property impacts our clean water or how they can make a difference. Learn more.
Blue Thumb is actively engaged in an ongoing and intentional effort to create a multi-level equity framework for our leadership, our partners, and our broader community. In our mission to protect pollinators and clean water, we strive to create a community of different backgrounds, understandings, and knowledge towards environmental sustainability. The following goals were developed by Blue Thumb’s Environmental Justice Hub, a network of environmental professionals and community members that focused on building understanding and accountability in the co-creation of just, inclusive, and equitable communities.
Growing Green Hearts, Blue Thumb, and Rice Creek Watershed District connect people, plants, and place in this video. Learn about native plants and their role in the Minnesota ecosystem.
Blue Thumb is an educational program of Metro Blooms, a Minneapolis-based non-profit that partners with communities to create resilient landscapes and foster clean watersheds, embracing the values of equity and inclusion to solve environmental challenges.
