From Friends to Farmers: Building Community, Careers, and a More Sustainable Future
A Shared Vision for Change
When Ethan and Zach met through the UC Davis Plant Futures chapter, they shared a vision of creating a space where students from all disciplines could come together to build a more sustainable future through food.
With support from a UC Davis grant, they established a student growing plot that became a hands-on community space for collaboration, experimentation, and leadership.
Activating the Community Around Food:
The Community Garden Plot was created with the goals of building community around healthy food, increasing access to nutritious food for members and students across campus, and equipping individuals with the education and skills required to work toward their own food sovereignty. The primary objective was to create a space that was uniquely theirs—a place for the club to gather, grow food, share skills, and care for the land. These are all core components of UC Davis Plant Futures’ mission.
Partnering with the Davis Food Co-op, Ethan and Zach and their team transformed their harvests into plant-based, farm-to-table dinners that connected students, local farmers, and community members.
Turning Learning Into Leadership
Over time, their work became a model for what student-led food systems change can look like. They helped peers explore careers in sustainability, agriculture, and food innovation, showing that food is not only a climate solution but also a pathway to meaningful, purpose-driven work.
Through the Plant Futures network, both secured internships with Barron Creek Farm, where they gained direct experience in sustainable farming and community engagement. Those experiences deepened their understanding of how to turn ideas into impact.
Leading the Way in San Diego
Now, Ethan and Zach are taking the next step as full-time managers of a new community-based farm with Barron Creek Farm in North County, San Diego. Their goal is to create a growing space that blends education, workforce development, and accessible, plant-rich meals. They plan to work closely with nearby Plant Futures chapters to bring students into every part of the process, from growing food to building local partnerships.
We were also excited to see Ethan and Zach share their story at San Diego’s Inaugural Climate Week during the session “How to Engage Youth for Community-Based Food Systems Transformation.” Their message about building change through community and collaboration reflects the very heart of what Plant Futures stands for.
A Blueprint for the Future
In less than two years, Ethan and Zach turned a campus idea into a thriving, community-based initiative. Their journey is a powerful example of what can happen when students are given mentorship, resources, and a network that believes in their leadership. It represents the potential of Plant Futures to help young people apply their talents, collaborate across disciplines, and launch meaningful careers in sustainability, food systems, and social impact.
More Than a Club
Plant Futures chapters are more than student clubs. They are spaces for social entrepreneurship where students learn by doing, form lifelong friendships, shift campus culture toward plant-rich living, and prepare for careers that make a positive impact on people and the planet.
Ethan and Zach’s story reminds us that real change begins when students are empowered to lead. Through Plant Futures, those seeds of leadership can grow into a movement that strengthens communities and builds a more sustainable future.
