There is a traditional Iroquois teaching about Three Sisters—corn, squash, and beans—that rely on each other to grow strong and healthy:

• Corn provides a stalk for the beans to climb.
• Squash covers the ground to keep the weeds away and the soil in place.
• Beans restore nutrients to the soil.

Western science calls this farming method “multiple intercropping,” and has proven it to be an effective way to manage resources because it uses less land, water, and energy. Both perspectives teach us that nature itself offers many solutions for using the land and its resources in a sustainable way. How is land used in your area?

Wondering if a job working with plant life is for you? If the majority of these statements apply to you, you could be headed for a job working with plants, trees, and agriculture.

• I want to help protect the land for future generations—where we hunt, fish, and collect traditional foods and medicines.
• I love being outside and seeing if I can identify different trees, plants or flowers.
• I’m interested in all kinds of plant life, from orchids to corn to oak trees. I enjoy learning how these living organisms survive changes in the environment.
• I like exploring different parts of the environment where I live, whether it’s hiking, canoeing or kayaking. I’d love to be able to explore all parts of Canada, too.
• I want to help my community come up with a plan for looking after our forests, fields, and wild places. It’s important to be part of protecting the environment and to help make a better future for me and for generations to come.
• I want to learn from my Elders how different plants are used to create traditional medicines and traditional foods.
  

If you’re working towards a plant-related job, get started right now. Here are some things you can do:

Explore your interest:

• Shadow someone working an environment-related job like a botanist, forester, agricultural technician, forest fire fighter or tree planter.
  For more information on job-shadowing, see the tip sheet on Gaining Related Experience in the Career Journey.
• Learn more about the native plants in your area. Sign out a wildflower guide from the library or go on a wildflower walk with a local naturalists group to discover what grows in your community.
• Go to the library and research how to build and maintain a compost pile, so that you can recycle household organic material into nutrient rich soil.
• Check out the North American Native Plant Society’s website (www.nanps.org) or read Toronto author Lorraine Johnson’s books, Grow Wild and 100 Easy to Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens.
• Contact the Canadian Botanical Association / L’Association Botanique du Canada (www.uoguelph.ca/botany/cba)
  

Show your personal commitment to planning and building a better future:

• Make “green” choices a habit in your day-to-day life: use recycled paper; collect rainwater to water your flowers; send e-greetings instead of paper cards; and don’t use “throw-away” items like paper plates and plastic cutlery.
• Create a habitat in your garden. Nursery-propagated native plants are becoming more widely available through nurseries and garden centres across Canada. When grown in the right conditions, they require little maintenance, are resistant to pests and disease, and help attract butterflies and other wildlife to your yard. Make sure you don’t plant invasive species that may spread into nearby natural areas, and avoid plants that have been dug from the wild.
• Get some people together and develop a tree-planting project as a community service, Scout, neighbourhood or block project. Create a timeline with objectives and try to meet them.
• Build a compost pile in your backyard. Organic compost and mulch make good fertilizer for your garden and reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers.

Start developing the experience and knowledge required for a plant-related job:

• Look for jobs with local timber or logging companies as well as nurseries, garden centres or greenhouses. Learn about the plants grown there, their origins, and what kind of care they require.
• Look for summer jobs or volunteer positions at national or provincial parks, aquariums or zoos. Find out from people in the field what concerns need to be addressed and what you can do to protect the environment.
• Develop your outdoor skills through Standard and Wilderness First Aid, orienteering programs, GPS (Global Positioning Systems) use, and regular camping trips.