SPROUT's mission is to develop the use of plants and plant material for environmental sustainability purposes, through the development of new techniques, new plants, and new propagation methods.

SPROUT will sponsor research in this emerging field throughout Oregon, engaging in partnerships with practitioners and researchers. SPROUT will provide outreach on research results and will actively work to integrate research efforts with public policy and business development.

Vision

SPROUT’s larger purpose is to make Oregon an international center for the research and development of plants to solve environmental challenges. By building upon Oregon's international reputation as an environmental leader and by advancing knowledge and encouraging new investment in innovative plant technologies, SPROut can play a critical role both in Oregon’s economy and in protecting our environment. SPROut will actively link research to environmental practice, public and professional education, public policy-making, and new business opportunities.

SPROut will build on its headquarters' location at The Oregon Garden to create effective outreach strategies for linking the scientific, environmental, and business communities. Through its website; publications; workshops; conferences; professional development courses; community college, undergraduate, and graduate curricula; Extension programs; and interactions with visitors to The Oregon Garden, SPROut will be a clearinghouse of information on the active use of plants for environmental purposes.

Strategic Plan

A strategic plan was adopted by the Research Council in May, 2004 and addresses the following major areas:

1. The most appropriate research “niche” for SPROUT
2. The nature of the research partnerships
3. Choosing and funding research partnerships
4. Outreach targets and methods

 SPROUT is focused on integrating the efforts of scientists, practitioners, educators, and policy makers to identify problems, create solutions utilizing plant material, and make the solutions available for implementation. SPROUT begins by “putting plants to work”- utilizing the structural and physiological capabilities of plants to accomplish tasks in the environment. Through subsequent research and development of new techniques or new plant material, SPROUT can open up business opportunities for these new products/ services and become an important engine for sustainable economic growth. As the business opportunities are expanded, the new techniques/ plant material become more readily available to practitioners who are managing our natural resources. The increased use of these environmental plant solutions, by professionals and homeowners, will suggest or direct curriculum and policy changes that will enhance our large-scale environmental management abilities. In a whole systems approach such as this, there is no single ‘end result’ but instead a cycling of perpetual results that create a sustainable bridge between economic and environmental growth. Don’t forget the original hero here - the green plant.