Clare Cardoza

Clare has been drawn to animals, the outdoors, gardening, and everything nature includes for as long as she can remember. Animal Planet was the show she always asked to watch, and she would take the home video camera outside to record bugs in the backyard and make her own little documentaries. Her mom has had a love-filled garden her whole life, and it still thrives in SLO County. Her dad took the family tent camping a few times a year and taught her how to abalone dive. Her older sister never cared for bugs or spiders and would scream for Clare to take them away (which she gladly did).

Before joining Planting Justice, she worked in corporate retail. She felt like she was contributing to waste and the worst parts of capitalism, and it didn’t feel good. In her first few months at PJ, she saw the mission in full action. This organization puts action behind its words, cares for the community and its staff, educates anyone who’s interested, and empowers people impacted by incarceration. She’s so thankful and proud to say she works here.