Second TFS Cohort: 2024 Summer Experiences

Where were you for your internship this summer?
I worked remotely from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

What organization did you work for?
I worked for the ClimateWorks Foundation.

What were your responsibilities?
As part of the 2024 Yale Environmental Fellows Program cohort, I engaged in the New Horizons in Conservation Convening at Washington, D.C., weekly professional development seminars, and a 12-week internship. For my internship, I worked alongside the talented Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) team at ClimateWorks Foundation. My main project was to support the fourth year of ClimateWorks’ Justice and Equity Collaborative Learning Pilot Fund. This $4 million fund prioritizes solutions at the intersection of climate change and social justice that are locally led and/or based in the Geopolitical South. I practiced trust-based philanthropy and learned about innovative climate solutions that benefit people and the planet. 

Are there any awards or other fellowships you received this summer?

• Les Dames d’Escoffier International Food Policy and Advocacy Legacy Award: In June 2024 I spent an immersive week in Washington, D.C. Through one-on-one meetings and site tours, I connected with food systems leaders in organizations, such as the National Young Farmers Coalition, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and DC Central Kitchen – to name a few.
• Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) Student Scholarship to support my attendance to the 2024 MAEOE Conference.
• North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) William B. Stapp Scholarship to support my attendance to the 2024 NAAEE Conference.
• SEAS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Fellowship (received December 2024).

CAPSTONE PROJECT

1) What’s your capstone project about? What are you trying to accomplish?  

The capstone project is title: “Nurturing Roots of Justice: Integrating Equity and Environmental Stewardship into Michigan’s Food System Education”

In the U.S. and the state of Michigan, there are no requirements for K-12 education on food systems or agriculture. Instead, the existing food-related curriculum is often limited to minimal health and nutrition education, which fails to recognize the diverse political, social, cultural, ecological, and environmental elements of food systems.

The “Nurturing Roots of Justice” project is bridging the gap in Michigan food systems education to promote critical and systems thinking among students. In partnership with the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative and Michigan State University Extension’s Community Food Systems team, Nurturing Roots of Justice is an 18-month Master’s graduate capstone project led by three University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability students (Sami Maldonado, Lashaun Jackson, and Justin Thompson).

K-12 educators are vital changemakers in creating a more equitable and sustainable future. To ensure K-12 educators have the confidence and resources to advance place-based food systems education, the project’s primary deliverable is a public online resource hub featuring over 200 lesson plans, activities, and other resources on food systems and agriculture. In addition to food systems, the resources were selected and developed to draw attention to place-based education (i.e. Michigan food and agriculture) and environmental justice. 

2) What organization are you partnering with to do your capstone on? 

• Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (Discovering PLACE)
• Michigan State University Extension (Community Food Systems Team)

3) If it’s a group project, who else is in your capstone project group?

Lashaun Jackson (SEAS) and Justin Thompson (SEAS)

Summer experience summary:

Over the summer of 2024, my two team members (Lashaun Jackson and Justin Thompson) and I coordinated and facilitated a two-day training for K-12 educators held in Flint, Michigan. The central topics of the training included Defining/Identifying a Food System, Food Systems and the Environment, Food Systems and Climate Change, Environmental Justice and Food Justice, Identifying Inequities in the Food System, Food Systems Advocacy and Grassroots Movements, and Community Engagement. I specifically led activities on environmental justice, food waste, food chain workers, and climate anxiety. It was amazing to see the enthusiasm from educators in cultivating food systems literacy. The website and resource hub will be finalized in April 2025. 

Where were you for your internship this summer?
Detroit, Michigan

What organization did you work for?
I had the opportunity to lead the Water Consortium as part of my internship, a role that allowed me to engage deeply with the complexities of water access and urban farming in Detroit. The Water Consortium is a coalition of farmers, environmental justice advocates and city officials dedicated to providing equitable access to Detroit land stewards.

What were your responsibilities?
During my internship, I organized and conducted four critical meetings that shaped the direction of our work. These meetings not only provided a platform for collaborative problem-solving but also highlighted the challenges and opportunities within the realm of water access for urban farms.

Summer experience summary:
The first meeting, held on May 28th, 2024, focused on the installation of the wash box system at Sanctuary Farms. This meeting underscored the communication and scheduling issues with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) and the need to navigate organizational politics to push forward water access initiatives. The discussion led to the creation of a resolution document on water access for farmers and community gardeners, which was circulated for final approval. The meeting also emphasized the importance of alternative routes, such as fire hydrant and wash box projects, in addressing water access challenges.

The second meeting, held on June 27th, 2024, explored the potential for a water delivery program for urban farms, leveraging the Detroit Fire Department’s (DFD) resources. The group discussed using fire truck reserve tanks to fill water totes at farms as a viable alternative to directly accessing fire hydrants. This meeting highlighted the logistical challenges of coordinating schedules, determining fee structures, and navigating DWSD’s permitting processes. Despite these hurdles, the consortium agreed to develop a pilot program and continue discussions on the Wabash box system as another potential solution.

The third meeting, held on July 11th 2024, centered on debriefing the installation process and discussing the continuation of the partnership with DWSD. The demand for reliable water access for urban farms and gardens in Detroit was a key topic, as was the capacity of DWSD to install water access systems. This meeting led to the agreement of DWSD to install wabash water systems at urban farms in the City of Detroit at the pace of once a month and an agreement to streamline the process by coordinating closely with Keep Growing Detroit, which had secured grant funding to support these projects. The consortium also committed to working on farm applications and prioritizing installation sites, ensuring that the process was both efficient and equitable. This will be transformative in providing water access to urban farms around the City of Detroit.

The final meeting, which was on August 16th, 2024, reflected on the progress made by the water consortium grant, which had exceeded some initial goals. However, the timeline was extended to gather more survey data from farmers. This meeting highlighted the interest in establishing permanent relationships between local farms and fire departments for water tote filling, as well as the challenges of workforce development for specialized contractors like plumbers and irrigation experts. The group agreed to start with a pilot program connecting a few farms with specific firehouses and emphasized the importance of proper training for fire departments to prevent issues like contamination.

LESSONS LEARNED

Leading the Water Consortium provided me with invaluable experience in managing complex projects that involve multiple stakeholders, each with their own interests and priorities. The internship reinforced the importance of clear communication, strategic planning, and adaptability in the face of challenges. It also deepened my understanding of the critical role that water access plays in the sustainability and growth of urban farming initiatives.

One of the most significant lessons I learned was the importance of patience and persistence when working with large organizations like DWSD and DFD. Navigating the bureaucratic processes and organizational politics required a strategic approach, as well as the ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders. This experience has equipped me with the skills and knowledge to continue advocating for sustainable and equitable water access solutions in urban environments.

NEXT STEPS

I plan to continue leading the Water Consortium beyond my internship. My goal is to develop policies and a governance model that will establish permanent members, who will hold elected positions on the board with defined term limits and responsibilities. This structure will ensure the continuity and sustainability of the consortium’s work long after my tenure. I am committed to building a solid foundation for the consortium so that when the time comes for me to step down, the organization will continue to thrive and advance its mission.

What organization did you work for?
I was a Geospatial Data Analyst Intern for the International Rice Research Institute (remote).

What were your responsibilities?
I was assigned to develop rice phenology maps for Can Tho Province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta to assess methane emissions and support the adoption of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) practices for emission reduction.

Summer experience summary:

During my internship, I set out to gain hands-on experience in the technical aspects of promoting sustainable agriculture—and that’s exactly what I achieved! I worked mainly in R to develop rice phenology maps using remote sensing data for Can Tho Province of Vietnam. I collaborated with staff at IRRI’s Varanasi office to understand the impact of methane emissions from rice cultivation. Through this project, I deepened my knowledge of how current rice-growing practices contribute to methane emissions, the role of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) in reducing them, and IRRI’s efforts to promote AWD adoption.

Where were you for your internship this summer?
Detroit, Michigan

What organization did you work for?
MSU Extension Detroit Partnership for Food Learning and Innovation (DPFLI)

What were your responsibilities?

• Farm hand for DPFLI in managing the food forest and annual cropping areas
• Co-production of research with DPFLI entailing soil sampling, cost and shipping

Summer experience summary:
Spending twelve weeks farming, working, and researching with the Detroit Partnership for Food Learning and Innovation (DPFLI) was a pleasure. During this time, I delved deeper into the ecology of its food forest by establishing a soil health baseline for different sections, which I then compared with older, well-developed perennial fruit orchards in Detroit. My knowledge of fruit and nut tree production grew tremendously because of the guidance from Stathis and Naim. They provided me with deep insights into the care and needs of young trees to ensure they can be successfully established in the landscape.

The community around DPFLI is abundant and vibrant, as evidenced by the involvement of curious neighbors, school groups volunteering, and a variety of MSU Extension programs held at the site. I had the opportunity to engage in numerous activities with DPFLI, including leading tours and volunteer stations, preparing for woodfire pizza making, and attending events such as the Urban Agriculture Conference and the Great Lakes Leadership Academy. Naim and Stathis are exceptional mentors, and their commitment to DPFLI is truly inspiring. They fostered a free and open work environment that not only made for a rewarding summer internship but also allowed me to continue my master’s practicum with them.

Were there any awards or other fellowships you received this summer?

• Rackham Graduate Research Grant
• Marshall Weinberg Internship

CAPSTONE PROJECT

1) What’s your capstone project about? What are you trying to accomplish?
The MSU Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning, and Innovation (DPFLI) is the first urban agriculture extension site dedicated to connecting its residents to its edible landscape while collaborating in research to support the best urban farmers’ resiliency. Since its inception six years ago, DPFLI has developed a continuous relationship with growing food for the neighborhood food pantry, continuing innovative research projects around urban soil management, and perennial fruit and nut trees education. Given the longstanding history of urban growers throughout Detroit, DPFLI deemed it important that with their site they approach urban agriculture through a different lens, by cultivating a food forest. On the site currently reside 52 native fruit and nut trees with the oldest trees planted in 2020.

The food forest is very young and has yet to establish its multistorey distinction but has great potential to show other growers in Detroit the ecological benefit and production that can come from such agricultural management. Although DPFLI aims to have a high species diversity in its food forest, orchards in Detroit, Detroit Farm and Cider and People of Palmer Park Orchard, only 3-4 species/cultivars have established a high yield and production success. Implementing trees within urban areas has been studied to improve air quality, sequester carbon, and mitigate stormwater accumulation but less is known of how trees in anthropogenic soils ensure the health and ecology of the system. DPFLI is motivated to increase urban forestry and allow perennial fruit and nut trees to be among the species that should be considered.

The objective of this project will be to develop a baseline of soil health indicators across the perennial and annual management zones at the DPFLI and compare their young perennial food forest to that of established orchards, Detroit Farm and Cider and People of Palmer Park Orchard, in the city of Detroit. My role involves designing a soil sampling strategy, budgeting for analysis costs, and synthesizing and sharing results with the site participants. Insights gained will allow for a better understanding of future agroecological management decisions for urban ecology soil health. Throughout the project, my work will be under the guidance of the DPFLI Director, Naim Edwards, with scholarly input from SEAS faculty members, Dr. Ivette Perfecto, and Dr. Jennifer Blesh’s Soil Ecology Lab. This oversight ensures the scientific integrity of the soil health baseline project contributing significantly to documenting the ecological evolution that is by bringing farming practices to urban spaces. From the research project, we hypothesize that perennial growing spaces, in the form of food forests and urban orchards, could allow for lower bulk density, higher microbial biomass, and potential for carbon storage through assessing soil organic matter (SOM) fractionation of particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral associated organic matter (MAOM).

1) Where were you for your internship this summer? 
Detroit, Michigan

2) What organization did you work for? 
Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD)

3) What were your responsibilities?
Over the course of my summer internship, I researched how the community development sector, both in Detroit and across the country, can play a key role in advancing spatial reparations goals. By working at a hyper-local or neighborhood level, community development practitioners are uniquely positioned to repair and transform systemic inequities in the built environment. My final output was a report called Afro-Indigenous Spatial Futures in Community Development which weaves the principles and practices of Afrofuturism and Indigenous Land Sovereignty to build upon the community development sector’s current framework for racial equity. This report envisions and articulates a culture shift where every player in the sector is part of an ecosystem of transformation, with care at its heart. 

Summer experience summary:
My summer experience with CDAD was deeply fulfilling because of the incredible people and supportive team culture. Angela Carlberg, CDAD’s Director of Ecosystem Building, was an incredible mentor and supervisor throughout my summer internship. Our conversations shaped the scope and depth of my summer research project, and they guided me in adding a food and land sovereignty lens to my work. In addition to my research, I attended CDAD’s monthly membership meetings, system building committee meetings, and Policy Summit where I had the chance to meet local non-profit leaders in the neighborhood planning, housing justice, and economic development sectors. 

Were there any awards or other fellowships you received this summer?
Brademas Fellowship from the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.

1) Where were you for your internship this summer? 
Ann Arbor (Working mostly remotely)

2) What organization did you work for? 
Farm to Program Team at Michigan Department of Education

3) What were your responsibilities?
Piloting the Farm to Program’s new 10 Cents a Meal taste-testing guide. I also helped to generate content for their newsletter and other resources (including nutrition info and fun facts about featured produce).

Summer experience summary:
During my internship I was able to learn about the public school food system. I met people in various positions with a range of responsibilities within MDE. I organized and executed a taste test at a STEM summer camp in Detroit where I prepared tzatziki and ginger sesame cucumber salad and had the kids and adults vote on their favorite recipe. I also helped generate content for their newsletter and other resources. I think the experience was incredibly rewarding and valuable.