Course Overview
Foundations of a Plant-Centered Future offers an accessible, interdisciplinary introduction to plant-centered food systems through a systems-thinking lens. Drawing from expertise in nutrition, public health, environmental science, and community leadership, the course invites students on a journey of connection between self, systems, and solutions.
Through interactive live sessions, reflective activities, and guest speakers, students build the voice, language, and confidence they’ll use as emerging changemakers. The course is an exercise in social entrepreneurship, self-discovery, and community organizing, laying the groundwork for lifelong, purpose-driven engagement in shaping a better food future.
By the end of the course, students will:
Understand how food intersects with multiple disciplines and scales of impact
Build confidence and community as ethical, systems-minded leaders
Articulate their personal “why”
for joining the plant-centered movement
Develop an Institutional Change Proposal rooted in local impact
Course Values
This course is guided by three core values that frame learning as both inner and systemic transformation:
Systems Entrepreneurship
Connecting personal, public, and planetary health with animal welfare, diversity, and equity.
Ethical
Leadership
Merging activism and entrepreneurship to benefit a broad and diverse range of stakeholders
Creative Transformation
Reimagining commerce, education, and community engagement as acts of cultural and ecological stewardship.
Students are challenged to examine inequities in current food systems and apply design thinking, innovation, and agency to build regenerative alternatives.