Northeast Student Food and Farm Conference

The Dichotomy of Food Recovery Network and Strengthening Our System

Lauren Karwacki, Jen Parsons, and Shreya Suresh // Lafayette College // RISC 262

The national organization of Food Recovery Network (FRN) is dedicated to addressing the global concerns of food waste and food insecurity at a local level. The organization has over 200 chapters around the United States, one of which is found at Lafayette College. Co-directors of the Lafayette chapter will present an overview of their FRN system in Easton, including the unique challenge of navigating toward a future where excess food waste (and the need for donation) no longer exist. Audience members will engage in discussion related to starting a chapter, increasing engagement of volunteers, and navigating challenges. This session will be a collaborative space to gain new insight into the realm of food waste and food insecurity, open to people with any interests.

Anti-Colonial Regenerative Agriculture at LaFarm: An Independent Study

Olivia Simione // Lafayette College // RISC 362

Surrounding LaFarm, Lafayette’s 3-acre diversified vegetable farm, are 110 acres of industrial agricultural fields owned by Lafayette and leased to a farmer who alternates between monocultures of soybeans and corn. As Lafayette develops rapidly, this land is continually converted into sports arenas and parking lots. Olivia Simione ’26 desired to go in the opposite direction, hoping to improve soil health and assert the importance of sustainable agriculture. This presentation will follow the evolution of her independent study. Hear about her challenges of getting access to land, designing a syllabus, and continually adapting to new understandings of what regenerative agriculture is. Bring your insights, questions, and ideas to engage in discussion!

Closing the Loop: Solar-powered Vermicomposter

Lindsey Turner // Swarthmore College // RISC 260

Swarthmore College has a robust partnership with a commercial composter, but what if that waste was utilized on campus and enlisted the help of earthworms? For our thesis, we constructed a solar-powered and sensor monitored vermicomposter that converts dining hall waste into compost for our campus garden. This presentation will share our experience designing, constructing, and maintaining the bin and electronic monitoring system. It will also highlight the differences between vermicomposting compared to traditional composting. There will be an open discussion for sharing ideas about starting your own composter, vermicomposter, or solar-powered system.

Urban Gardens: Resilience, Networks, and Havens

Alejandro Sanoja // Temple University // RISC 360

In urban environments where horizontal space is limited, healthy soil is sparse, and materials are at a premium, community gardens are a beacon of light for communities. The real purpose of community gardens is not to feed everyone, it is to help make communities more robust and resilient. This presentation, which surrounds the purpose of urban community gardens, will include an overview of their capability to feed people, community compost networks, educational potential, and a Philadelphia garden spotlight.

Seeding Strength: The 116th Initiative & Mutual Aid — Building Collective Community Care on College Campuses 

Bria Dominici & Sekna Bazzi // Barnard College // RISC 262

Mutual aid has long served as a grassroots response to systemic inequities, yet its role on college campuses is often overlooked. The 116th Initiative, a student-led mutual aid network at Barnard College, has redistributed nearly $175,000 in direct aid to students and tripled its community engagement in just one year. That funding goes directly into establishing social safety nets for students experiencing medical issues, food & housing insecurity, or tuition payment issues. This presentation will explore how mutual aid can foster collective care in higher education institutions, highlighting the Initiative’s successes, challenges, and evolving strategies. Attendees will gain insights into building sustainable, student-centered aid networks and reimagining resource distribution on their own campuses. 

What is a seed?

Zoe Vittori-Koch and Julián Donas Milstein // Bard College // RISC 362

Bard supports seed saving work through multiple initiatives that engage student farmers and other groups on campus and in the local community. This work fosters meaningful relationships with the land and opens spaces for discussions about social justice and indigenous issues while considering the history and current realities of the land and food systems. We seek to share this work with the conference community in hopes that together we can deepen our understanding of what a “seed” can be. 

BUT ALSO! 

Land Acts: How Land Influences Literature, Law, History, and Our Lives 

Tony Tomljanovich, Noam Raich, Olivia Simione // Lafayette College // RISC 362

The course “Land Acts,” taught by Professor Kyle Keeler (EVST, Lafayette College), looks at the way we understand land through Native American literature, ontology, and storytelling. Alongside weekly readings and class discussions, the class is collaborating with the college farm and Delaware nation to plant, cultivate, and donate traditional crops. This presentation will be led by three students who will discuss the origins of the class, the material we cover, and how we employ embodied practice on and with LaFarm. 

Introduction to Simple Hydroponics

Dean Fenton // Three Rivers Community College // RISC 260

How can we live sustainably and keep our pockets from hurting? Simple hydroponics! Simple hydroponics is not only a way to introduce sustainable living in your home or apartment, it is also a way to introduce new gardeners to gardening. Hydroponics offers easy and early success with no weeding and easy watering so you can grow your own food and build your own mini home. But how much money do you need? Join us for a quick look at how you can live sustainably and help your bottom line.

Review of Psychology Literature on The Importance of Food 

Will Jaeger // Temple University // RISC 360

This presentation will be a review of Psychology Literature on the importance of food, behavioral correlates of ultra-processed foods, and the benefits of food sovereignty. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about Temple Community garden’s mission and its importance to Temple’s community and the Philadelphia area. The presentation will also include an overview and discussion of north Philadelphia’s healthy and culturally relevant food resources.

Environmental Leadership and Sustainable Living:

Audrey Weisenberger // Lafayette College // RISC 262

Sustainability on college campuses has as much to do with campus-wide initiatives as it does with individual living habits. Eco-reps is a Lafayette initiative that gives students the opportunity to be peer leaders in their campus living communities. Eco Reps educate residents and help foster sustainable habits and life-long behavior change in Lafayette’s living communities that also contribute to our campus sustainability priorities and 2035 carbon neutrality and waste commitments. This presentation will include an overview of the eco-reps initiative, the impact that programs like this can have on sustainability on college campuses, and how this can be implemented outside of Lafayette. It will also include an eco-friendly craft activity participants can take home with them!

Monocacy Farm Project: Agroecological Community Carework 

Eli Stogsdill and Shelby Carr // Monocacy Farm Project // RISC 362

In this RoundRobin presentation, participants will learn more about Monocacy Farm Project, a local non-profit educational farm which produces primarily for the emergency food system. Participants will have the opportunity to hear more about Monocacy Farm Project’s mission of food access, education, sustainability, and land stewardship; gain insight into the various agroecological and agroforestry projects the farm maintains; and learn more about opportunities for both student and community collaboration. We hope that participants will leave with a better understanding of the importance of agroecology and the need for greater support of our local food economies and emergency food systems. 

Going Rogue: Guerrilla Gardening as Guerrilla Theater

Courtney Ryan // Assistant Professor of Theater, Lafayette College // RISC 260

Guerilla gardening is the act of gardening on land which the gardeners don’t have the legal rights to cultivate. This presentation and discussion will focus on the practice of guerrilla gardening (sometimes defined as planting on private property without permission) as both a performance and an act (sometimes!) of environmental justice. It asks when and where guerilla gardening can be most effective. There will be a 25 minute presentation with the opportunity for 20 minutes of questions, comments, and discussion for participants. Attendees will be asked to consider when and where guerilla gardening is an effective political, horticultural, or performance strategy and when it is not.

What Is the Value of Composting on Small College Campuses?

Jacqueline Britton // Lafayette College // RISC 360

This presentation explores the costs and benefits of composting initiatives at small liberal arts colleges (<300 people) through a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of two case studies, with a focus on conducting quantitative research via a contingent valuation survey. As campuses nationwide seek solutions to the growing challenge of food waste, which makes up nearly a quarter of landfill content, composting has emerged as a promising strategy for sustainable waste management. By incorporating both market and non-market values, this work addresses a gap in existing research and highlights composting as a potentially self-sustaining model for environmental stewardship. The presentation also outlines practical recommendations for institutions considering similar initiatives, emphasizing the importance of long-term planning and integrated sustainability strategies beyond composting alone.