On Tuesday, the day after Labor Day, a group of activists gathered near a plant nursery in Leicester, North Carolina, to deliver a petition to Costa Farms, the world’s largest grower of indoor houseplants. Organized by WeCount, a worker-led labor and human rights group, the demonstration was part of a larger, multi-state effort targeting nurseries in five U.S. cities where Costa Farms operates. The activists aimed to draw attention to the working conditions of nursery employees, particularly the risks posed by extreme heat. Among the leaders of the group was Oscar Rozo, an Episcopal clergy member and advocate for Spanish-speaking immigrants in Western North Carolina. Rozo emphasized that the nursery industry has long been a part of Asheville’s economy and that the activists are local residents. During the demonstration, workers at the nursery appeared curious but remained at a distance as the activists gathered in the hallways. Oscar Londoño, co-executive director of WeCount, called the action historic, noting that similar protests had taken place earlier in the day at a Costa Farms nursery in Apotheke, Florida. WeCount has been advocating for outdoor workers since 2021, focusing on protections from extreme heat. Previous efforts in Miami-Dade County were disrupted in 2024 when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis passed a law preventing local governments from setting their own heat standards. WeCount’s current campaign, called "Planting Justice," seeks to engage corporations like Costa Farms and raise consumer awareness about the human cost of growing houseplants. The campaign is inspired by the Fair Food Program, a model that has successfully improved labor conditions for farmworkers by securing additional protections, such as access to electrolyte beverages or supplements year-round. Londoño highlighted that heat is the deadliest form of extreme weather, and official counts of heat-related deaths in the U.S. likely understate the problem. Efforts to create a federal heat standard have stalled, and agricultural workers, including plant nursery workers, are excluded from federal collective bargaining protections under the National Labor Relations Act. These workers are more than 35 times more likely to die from heat-related causes than workers in other industries. Costa Farms claims its workplace protections meet or exceed proposed OSHA heat safety rules, but workers have reported issues with water quality, lack of shade, and insufficient breaks. Many of the workers are on H2-A visas or undocumented, limiting their ability to seek legal recourse.