Summer 2026 Chapter Collective
Earth Month Events
During Earth Week, our chapters held over 40 events, with almost 20 on Earth Day
(a new record for Plant Futures). These events reached over 1000 students across around 30 campuses. The Earth Week celebrations were highlighted by our partnerships with Fruit Riot, Cocojune, and Flackers.
Plantchella
We loved seeing our University of Oregon chapter leaders host the farm music festival Plantchella. The event was packed and featured fully plant-based food in partnership with Impossible Foods, Fruit Riot, Rollin Greens, and more!
“Plant Futures [Oregon] hosted Plantchella at the Urban Farm last month and we still can’t stop talking about it. Thanks @fruitriotand @rollingreensfor the free merch! Thanks @impossiblefor the vegan meat for our chili 🌶️. Also all the awesome UO clubs that came out @plantclub_uo@ospirgstudentsand @uo_ssc! See you all next year 😜“
- Plant Futures Oregon
Compassion and Community in Colorado
We were so excited to see our University of Kansas, University of Denver, Colorado School of Mines, and Colorado College meet up and tour the Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary!
Farm Party
Our Colorado College Chapter closed out the year with their second “Farty” on the campus farm. The event featured over 150 students, farm tours, local bands, and a fully plant-based menu.
UCLA Spring Chapter Career Mentorship Program
On May 28th, seven students from our UCLA chapter presented their five-month-long projects as a part of the Career & Mentorship Program. They covered price parity in the plant-based sector, the connection between fast fashion and food system degradation, a short documentary on South Asian health in relation to being introduced to the SAD in college, a social media campaign about options at the dining hall, a synthesis of working with plant-based brands and shifting attitudes around plant-based eating, a cookbook gearing towards simplicity and affordability for the average college student, and a blog about nutrition and justice in our healthcare system.
Congrats to the Class of 2026!
As the school year winds down, we wanted to take a moment to appreciate our amazing graduating leaders. Being able to serve these amazing leaders is the greatest gift of my career. It’s extremely bittersweet, but I could not be more proud of this inspiring group of leaders who will continue to improve our food system for all.
I hope you enjoy reflecting on the joy, creativity, and connection our class of 2026 grew.
We can’t wait to watch them evolve in the next chapters of their journey!
Words From the Class of 2026
“Plant Futures has provided me with a space at UCLA to hone my creativity and passion for sustainable food systems. Over the last three years, I have had the privilege of hosting dozens of events, reaching thousands of individuals and scaling impact beyond what I could have imagined when I first founded the organization. I can confidently say that our chapter has cultivated a unique, inclusive space to address pressing issues within our food systems and emphasize the importance of plant-forward culture shifts in how we think about food. I'm incredibly proud of everything I have accomplished, and I will always be grateful to Plant Futures for developing me into a strong leader and solidifying that this work is not just a passion, but a career focus. Thank you to my UCLA Plant Futures family! I can't wait to see where you take the work I started”.
- Sarahjeet Dosanjh, UCLA
“Plant Futures empowered me to make my voice louder on campus and connect to my local food system in Winston Salem. I was able to meet and befriend not only like-minded peers, but staff, faculty and community members outside of Wake Forest through the events I hosted through my chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of my time leading Plant Futures and know that the joyful angle to sustainability will continue to resonate with people at Wake Forest”
- Jordan Rill, Wake Forest
“Plant Futures has been one of the most meaningful parts of my experience at UW. Through the community, I was able to connect with students, professionals, and organizations that are passionate about sustainability and creating positive change. It expanded my understanding of what sustainability can look like across different fields and showed me how important collaboration is in addressing complex environmental challenges.
More importantly, Plant Futures gave me a sense of belonging and inspired me to think more critically and creatively about the issues facing our communities. The relationships, conversations, and opportunities I gained through Plant Futures have helped shape both my personal growth and my future goals. I am incredibly grateful to have been part of such a supportive and inspiring community”.
- Rosa Nguyen, University of Washington
“Relaunching the Plant Futures chapter this year was a very fulfilling responsibility and a great way to wrap up my time at UW. With so many environmental clubs already on campus, we got to be creative about what we wanted this chapter to look like and how we could make it stand out while still keeping the strong sense of community that Plant Futures is known for. We decided to focus on sustainability careers, and being involved behind the scenes gave me the chance to connect with students, professors, and professionals who taught me so much about what's possible in this field. It was especially rewarding to help build something I had missed during my own time at UW, and I’m grateful for all the support and encouragement we received from the Plant Futures staff along the way”
- Laura Biassio, University of Washington
“Starting a Plant Futures chapter at UO has taught me tons of new skills in leadership and community building. Organizing live music events and connecting with students passionate about a sustainable food system has shown me just how positively people respond to climate-driven culture change. Through effort and togetherness, I’ve learned there is always a way to build community for a plant-centered future”
- Sophie Gonsier, University of Oregon
“When I first saw the text message: "Hey! Would you want to start a chapter of this club with me? Here's the link to their website, let me know!" -- I never thought it would have led me to where I am today. I am incredibly grateful for the community that the Plant Futures network has provided me, the opportunities it has given me to make a difference at my campus, and the lessons I have learned about leadership and collaboration throughout the past two years. I have had a blast growing our chapter here at UCSB, and I am excited to be passing it off to the next group of stoked students! I am so thankful for all that this experience has taught me, and I can't wait to see what it becomes after I'm gone”
- Morgan Downes, UC Santa Barbara
"Plant Futures was the animal rights advocacy group I was not expecting this year. The inclusive approach we had with students, faculty, and staff this past year has opened up long-overdue conversations around food and having high expectations for ourselves as an influential institution in higher education. Thankfully, I can leave CC knowing that students are continuing to fight for a better future through food system-change, and they are doing it by bringing people together, not driving them apart"
- Noah Furuseth, Colorado College
“It was the absolute highlight of my college experience to bring PF to UCLA, build out the community there, and help with the network's growth. Very sad that my time as a chapter leader has ended, but incredibly stoked for the future of the chapter at UCLA and the rest of the network. Incredibly honored to be among the badass people of the PF class of 2026. Hope to see y’all at the Eco Dome soon”
- Jeremy Martinez, UCLA
“Throughout my time at SDSU, I can confidently say that my time at Plant Futures has been a highlight. Building a community of plant-based food lovers on campus has been such an honor, and I’ve met so many amazing likeminded people from it. As someone with goals to become a food policy professional, Plant Futures has given me so much experience and taught me to just go for the things that I believe in. I am so grateful for this experience and couldn’t be where I am today without it!”
- Gianna Benedetto, SDSU
