It seemed like the rain would never end; each weekend, a new storm rolled in. Just a few years ago we had been dreaming of an end to the drought, but throughout California, rivers broke their banks and flooded into the streets. As a student at Santa Barbara City College, we were not spared from the downpour; classes were canceled and roads were closed due to the floods. And unfortunately for future citizens of California, this is a problem that will only worsen as the years march on. California will continue to face rapidly increasing flood risks as climate change fuels stronger storms and heavier rainfall. Scientists from the University of California Los Angeles estimate that damage costs and deaths as a result of flooding could double and even quadruple in some areas of the state. Along with the important tasks of flood management such as maintaining levees and dams, an older solution could assist in quelling the floods. Rather than implementing new infrastructure, we can literally go back to our roots - by utilizing the natural resource of native plants. Native plants can be surprisingly impactful when it comes to flood management and reduction. A patch of native grasses may look innocuous, but these plants have developed root systems that improve the soil’s ability to retain water and therefore reduce floods. Additionally, deep root systems prevent erosion - an issue that showcases itself in California, with houses and roads tumbling into the ocean. As well as being a viable part of the solution to flooding, native plants are integral to their endemic ecosystems; they promote necessary biodiversity and are much more low-cost and low-maintenance than the non-native plants usually planted in urban or suburban areas. As a botany student with a passion for fighting climate change and environmental collapse, I believe that in protecting our natural world, the tools we need to move in the right direction are already available to us. In my education and career, I want to work for solutions that allow us to care for our ecosystems as well as ourselves. As we work towards healing the many ways in which we have damaged our planet through the process of global warming, it is essential for us to realize that we are not separate from nature, and that the only way to live sustainably is to embrace and care for nature and humanity as a unified whole.