diff --git a/env_manager/env_manager/src/env_manager.cpp b/env_manager/env_manager/src/env_manager.cpp
index ca53bd9..e6755bf 100644
--- a/env_manager/env_manager/src/env_manager.cpp
+++ b/env_manager/env_manager/src/env_manager.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 #include "env_manager/env_manager.hpp"
 #include "nlohmann/json.hpp"
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <env_manager_interfaces/srv/detail/start_env__struct.hpp>
+#include <functional>
+#include <mutex>
 #include <string>
 
 static constexpr const char *ENV_INTERFACE_BASE_CLASS_NAMESPACE =
@@ -44,10 +48,33 @@ void EnvManager::initServices() {
           std::bind(&EnvManager::configureEnv_cb, this, _1, _2));
   m_unload_env_srv = create_service<env_manager_interfaces::srv::UnloadEnv>(
       "~/unload_env", std::bind(&EnvManager::unloadEnv_cb, this, _1, _2));
+  m_start_env_srv = create_service<env_manager_interfaces::srv::StartEnv>(
+      "~/start_env", std::bind(&EnvManager::startEnv_cb, this, _1, _2));
 }
 
 rclcpp::Node::SharedPtr EnvManager::getNode() { return m_node; }
 
+void EnvManager::startEnv_cb(
+    const env_manager_interfaces::srv::StartEnv::Request::SharedPtr request,
+    env_manager_interfaces::srv::StartEnv::Response::SharedPtr response) {
+
+  std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(m_env_mutex);
+
+  auto it = std::find_if(
+      m_active_envs.begin(), m_active_envs.end(),
+      [&request](const EnvSpec &env) { return env.name == request->name; });
+
+  if (it != m_active_envs.end()) {
+    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Unloading existing environment '%s'", request->name.c_str());
+    unloadEnv(request->name);
+  }
+
+  auto loadedEnv = loadEnv(request->name, request->type);
+  response->ok = (loadedEnv.get() != nullptr &&
+                  configureEnv(request->name) == EnvStateReturnType::SUCCESS)
+                     ? true
+                     : false;
+}
 void EnvManager::loadEnv_cb(
     const env_manager_interfaces::srv::LoadEnv::Request::SharedPtr request,
     env_manager_interfaces::srv::LoadEnv::Response::SharedPtr response) {
@@ -128,6 +155,7 @@ EnvStateReturnType EnvManager::unloadEnv(const std::string &env_name) {
       [&env_name](const EnvSpec &env) { return env.name == env_name; });
 
   if (it != m_active_envs.end()) {
+    it->env_ptr->getNode()->deactivate();
     it->env_ptr->getNode()->cleanup();
     m_executor->remove_node(it->env_ptr->getNode()->get_node_base_interface());
     m_active_envs.erase(it);