Inspiring Conversations with Jade Cagalawan of Plants for the People

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Cagalawan.

Hi Jade, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up with my grandma and my uncle gardening, so I was always surrounded by lush flowers and trees bountiful with fruits. I never knew or understood “how it all worked”, and so I believed for a long time that because I had no knowledge of gardening, that I just didn’t have a green thumb. Obviously, I’ve since proved myself wrong.

When the pandemic began, I decided to start subscribing to the Succulent Studios box since I heard that succulents are supposed to be easy to care for. Most of the plants I got from them have since died except for my Aloe – but it allowed me to expand my horizons and look at different plants. In September, Filipino Migrant Center was fundraising money for their gala, and I decided to sell plants – both ones that I had and bought from local nurseries to help raise some funds. I ended up raising about $140 – not bad for my first fundraiser. Since then, people have asked me when I was going to be selling plants again. I was even a part of Kei’s Halika Market this past November. I’ve since opened up an online shop and have been putting together plant arrangements for friends.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have definitely had my fair share of struggles. I’ve received a lot of support for sure. But, I’ve been considering either going into the direction of a fiscal sponsorship or for-profit so that I’m not using a lot of my own money to run this. Plants for the People as a whole is ran on a volunteer basis – from the donated plants to the running of the popups and deliveries to the help I receive from others. It’s not sustainable, and to be honest it is taking a lot out of me to run this while also working a full-time job. I then decided to open an online shop so that I could provide better quality plants and provide a more diverse selection. But, opening up an online shop also comes with its own challenges. I’m still figuring out where Plants for the People sits in this world, and it seems like it does better on a local scale. What’s exciting though is seeing how many people are hearing about it and how they like its mission. I’ve met a lot of amazing people in the plant community as well – seriously the nicest community I’ve ever met.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Plants for the People, LBC believes that in order to care for the earth we must care for each other. Of local sales, 80% of proceeds goes to an organization of choice – currently, they go to the Suitcase Joe Foundation, supporting its Skid Row residents. Currently, I’m actually rethinking through strategies of how it’s going to move forward – but I do have an online shop and am currently taking orders local to Long Beach for succulent arrangements. I’d say that what sets this business apart from others is that it looks at plants as a microcosm of the issues that exist within our community. Meaning that everything is connected to each other – in order to care for the earth what must we do? We need to maybe change our diet, recycle, use more sustainable supplies. But what does sustainable living mean? Who can afford to sustainably live? And as we ask ourselves these questions, we start to realize and understand that it’s not just the earth that needs attention and “saving”, it’s the people in which we reside within our communities. So I sell plants with the idea that not only am I making people happy with a cute little cactus or cuttings from a golden pothos, but it’s to spread awareness or these organizations and probably help add cleaner air to your apartment, lol.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’m on Instagram as @plantsforthepeople.lbc and my shop is www.plantsforthepeople.shop (although the online shop will be closed temporarily – feel free to sign up for the newsletter though so that you can be notified of its reopening.) If you’d like to collaborate or have any questions for me, my email is [email protected]. And if you know anyone who’s open to go in on a fiscal sponsorship, please let me know! I’d love to be able to continue what I do without going the for-profit route.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.plantsforthepeople.shop
• Instagram: plantsforthepeople.lbc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantsforthepeople.lbc