Miridae Living Labs is a Sacramento-based non-profit organization dedicated to using native plants and arthropods as tools for education, research, and community engagement. We believe that learning through hands-on interactions with plants and arthropods is an accessible and effective way to interest kids (and adults!) in STEM. Our research aims to develop best practices for the landscaping industry and restoring native biodiversity in human-dominated areas. We use small native garden patches as research plots to monitor urban insect diversity in the Sacramento area and use citizen science projects to empower communities to collect ecological data. Our diverse group of ecologists, entomologists, educators, and designers exists to make science exciting, accessible, and inclusive.