Winter Chapter Collective
Dear Planty People,
As winter begins to wind down and spring approaches, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the close of the 2025 school year, the start of a new calendar year, and the momentum this community has already built. This past winter laid a strong foundation, with UCLA hosting its second Sustainable Food Futures Fair and KU launching its innovative Rock Chalk Cookoff competition.
Looking ahead, with our first chapter launching in India and more than 40 events already held in January, we’re energized to see this community continue to grow in 2026. It was also a gift to begin the year in Denver with our Colorado leaders, setting the tone for the season ahead.
Over 140 student-led events in January and February!
Opening UCLA Career Fair
UCLA’s second Sustainable Food Futures Fair took place on November 13th, featuring over 20 companies and attracting more than 100 attendees. The redesigned format included a mentorship roundtable, a career fair, and a networking mixer sponsored by Beyond Meat.
The event also marked the launch of our Career and Mentorship Program (CMP), which will continue through 2026. The CMP is our cornerstone career accelerating program that works to take students of all backgrounds to help support them into careers across the food system, climate, and social impact.
We are very proud of our team’s efforts in organizing the fair and the positive impact it had on the students and companies involved.
“My advice to students looking to grow their food system and climate networks: just send that message, to that company or that professional you find interesting. You’d be surprised how much can come from simply reaching out as a genuinely interested student”.
-Jeremy Martinez
Kansas Rock Chock Cook Off
This year’s KU Plant Futures chapter brought an incredible vision to life with a live, plant-rich cooking series powered by local, seasonal produce and the creative energy that makes this community so special.
Huge thank you to Ravi and Lily for dreaming up this idea over the summer and bringing it to the stage with the excitement of a full-on cooking show.
Grateful for our entire KU chapter, our amazing student participants, and all of the event sponsors who made this possible.
From vendors to judges to student chef teams, everyone helped create a space where food, climate, and community came together in the best way.
We are so proud of what the KU chapter cultivated and the momentum students are building for a more sustainable food future.
Wake Forest
This semester, I have had the honor of putting together 2 Farm to Farrell Markets with Plant Futures here at Wake Forest University School of Business. Through this project, we hope to forge a deeper connection between Wake’s students and the food they nourish themselves with by featuring the farmers behind some of the local goods of Winston-Salem.
From the novel flavors of twists on kimchi and sauerkraut to festive candles made from locally harvested beeswax, Farm to Farrell has hosted more than 15 different vendors in its time here at Wake and looks forward to hosting more in the future. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next event for your chance to try delicious foods and other goodies from all over Winston-Salem.
A special thanks to Marin Peale and Ashley Wilcox for helping to make these events possible. I cannot wait to share what we are cooking up for next semester!
Fruit Riot/PlantsGiving Highlights
Get to Know:
more from January and February:
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Welcoming APU: first India Plant Future’s chapter
“Our ultimate vision is to build a vibrant community where students show up
voluntarily, not just to learn, but to actively participate in the movement. We
believe in creating a chapter that speaks more through community building,
friendship, and events, not just boring academic lectures. We are looking
forward to engaging students in conversations about sustainability, climate,
food justice, and health through hands-on experiences like workshops and
food tastings that make plant-based food systems accessible and relevant.
“We are excited to build a space that brings together students from different
disciplines to think about food as more than just sustenance, but rather as a
system connected to health, culture, and the environment. We want to help
build a community where students feel supported and empowered, where
the shift toward plant-centric food feels normal, not isolating. None of this is
individual effort; this chapter is emerging through shared conversations,
different experiences, and collective intent”.
Launching Soon
We are excited to welcome new chapters at:
1) University of Waterloo
2) Davidson College
3) University of South Florida
4) Washington University St. Louis
5) Worcester Polytechnic Institute
6) University of Rhode Island
7) Yale
Welcoming Claudia
With an extensive background in food systems education and regional policy, we are so excited to welcome Claudia Liffton to our Plant Futures team. She has been busy laying the ground work in supporting our chapter leaders' university procurement and dining hall work.
Stay Tuned
This March we are excited to partner with Impossible Foods for our Flavor Madness Recipe Cook-off
In similar fashion to March Madness, our chapters will go head to head for who can create the most tasty meals powered by plants! Your votes mater as all will be able to vote on who moves on in the big dance.
