Next Generation: Kedar Narayan

Creative Conservation

Delaney McPherson
Conservation
Mar 31, 2023

WHEN KEDAR NARAYAN was 9 years old, he became fascinated with pollinator gardening. His passion inspired him to create Pollinator for a Pet, an app (no longer available) that made gardening accessible with games, sample garden layouts and native plant lists. In 2017, Narayan was recognized as a Pollinator Youth Ambassador by the National Pollinator Garden Network and NWF for his efforts to encourage others to support the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge™.

Narayan, now 14, still strives to inspire conservation in fun and innovative ways. In 2021, he attended the Chicago Toy and Game Fair to debut the prototype of a board game he invented about collecting plants to build a pollinator garden. At the fair, Narayan got feedback on his game and is now working with mentors to create version 2.

Though he’s not sure what he wants to be in the future, he’s currently attending high school while pursuing an associate degree in manufacturing and nanotechnology from a community college. He also has an idea to create an online forum where people can share gardening ideas. And at his family’s home in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, he’s excited to design and install a Certified Wildlife Habitat®—and even expand his expertise past his own lawn.

“I have this little vision,” says Narayan. “I’m not sure how to make it a reality yet, but I want to create lots of beautiful pollinator gardens all over the neighborhood.”