What happens when you get twelve nonprofits in a room together? You can actually make a difference.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation held its annual National Partner Network Conference with twelve of our environmental partners in Tampa Bay last week. This event gave our partners exactly what was needed: the space to step away from our screens and deepen our personal connections to build an even stronger coalition.

We explored Tampa Bay through the work of Tampa Bay Watch (TBW), our hosts for the conference. Their restoration programs serve as an excellent example of the environmental progress that’s possible. At sites like Rock Ponds and Cockroach Bay – named by Spanish explorers for the horseshoe crabs, or “cockroaches of the sea” – we saw real-world proof that nature bounces back with enough time, care and commitment.

Lasting impact, however, comes from creating a system that not only repairs damage from the past but also teaches the next generation to become stewards for their local ecosystems. TBW’s Discovery Center and Bay Grasses in Classes give us working models for the years ahead.

In the later panels and breakout sessions, conversations got honest. We spoke frankly about the frustrations that we all face: misunderstandings regarding environmental change, short-term funding cycles and the scale of the problems ahead.