Nourishing Minds, Sustaining Futures Summit: Food, Nature, and Wellness for a Resilient World

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Sam Kincaid

A group of people by a compost pile.

Students of Shabazz High School learn about composting from urban organic farmer Robert Pierce, second from left, who runs Half the 40 Acres farm in Fitchburg.

media release: Teachers, childcare professionals, parents, community members, and state, regional and local organizations are invited to gather on the ancestral Ho-Chunk land at Madison East High School, 2222 East Washington Ave, Madison, for a day of engaging learning at the intersection of environmental education, food justice and local agriculture from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 18.

ECO Madison (Every Child Outside Madison) and REAP Food Group are co-hosting the Nourishing Minds, Sustaining Futures Summit: Food, Nature, and Wellness for a Resilient World. Now in its third year, the Summit (formerly the Madison Area Green and Healthy Schools Summit: Embracing Nature Connection and Outdoor Learning for ALL) will feature student-led projects, nationally recognized voices on food justice, and hands-on indoor and outdoor learning opportunities, exploring how equitable food systems, sustainability and school-based initiatives can work together to create greener, healthier learning environments. Participants will also have opportunities to connect with each other and more than community organizations.

The Summit will allow East High School staff to showcase their beautiful school, nearby parks, food justice and culinary opportunities in collaboration with REAP, and demonstrate how these are interconnected with nature education and outdoor learning opportunities. Keynote speakers include 40 Acres & A Mule Project founder and chef Adrian Lipscombe and Madison Public Library’s 2024 Naturalist-in-Residence and farmer Alex Booker.

Over the last two years, REAP Food Group, alongside educators at East High, Capital High, and Shabazz High, have connected students to food justice initiatives led by leaders in the local food system. This summit collaboration will build on these efforts and will feature 19 sessions, including pedagogy and current science that reflect this year’s Summit theme. Other workshops and session presentations include: poetry, biking, climate justice, energy, hands-on hydroponics, outdoor learning practices spanning from preschool through high school, climate adaptation, school gardens and more.

The goals of the Summit are to connect with and elevate the work of educators and community organizations; explore resources and ideas to support outdoor learning, food justice and local agriculture; and engage in nature connection and outdoor learning.

The community is invited to attend the Summit, with advance online and same-day in-person registration from 8:30-9 a.m. Wednesday, June 18. Registration is $30 per person (or $40 after June 1) and includes a one-year membership to the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education (new or lapsed members only). MMSD educators can also earn 0.5 Professional Advancement Credits.

Summit sessions will be located inside East High School, the greenhouse and outside at nearby Tenney and Demetral Parks. Morning coffee and snacks are free while they last, and lunch will be available for purchase from local restaurants. Carry-in water bottles and food are allowed, and bug repellent and sunscreen are recommended.

The Nourishing Minds, Sustaining Futures Summit: Food, Nature, and Wellness for a Resilient World is sponsored in part by a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture with additional support from Forage Kitchen, Madison Metropolitan School District, Madison East High School, Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, Rutabaga Paddlesports, Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education and Willy Street Co-op.

Register and learn more about the Summit, presenters, exhibitors and sponsors at www.ecomadison.org.

About the Keynote Speakers

Adrian Lipscombe, a proud native Texan, skillfully wove her Southern upbringing, Midwest ingredients, and African American culinary heritage to create a unique culinary experience at Uptowne Café in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She advocates passionately for fostering connections between local farmers and ranchers with chefs, promoting opportunities for everyone. As one of the few Black restaurant owners in the La Crosse area, Lipscombe’s vision gave birth to the 40 Acres Project, aimed at preserving the legacy of Black agriculture and foodways by acquiring Black-owned land. She is ardently advocating for food sovereignty within all communities. She is also a Culinary Diplomat to the White House and State Department, and a PhD candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Texas at Austin.

Alex Booker is a Madison native who enjoys building a community through the land. In addition to coordinating the Black Excellence life readiness cooking series, he grows culturally significant crops at Firm Footing farm that he uses in culinary and herbalism workshops. Alex is also a part of the ASE cooperative that honors the troubled connection Black Americans have to the land. His overall goal is to help people get reconnected to their food systems and the land.

About the Co-Hosts

ECO (Every Child Outside) Madison, formerly called Madison Area Green & Healthy Schools, is affiliated with Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin. Past summits have been held at Wingra School (2023) and Lake View Elementary School (2024). Past keynote speakers include Principal Nou Vang-Vue, Lake View Elementary School (2023-2024); Chris Kilgour, Color in the Outdoors (2023); and Dexter Patterson, BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin (2024). The Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, serves as the fiscal agent for this event. Sponsorships and donations may be tax deductible.

REAP Food Group Inc. is a nonprofit community service organization with a mission to transform communities, economies and lives through the power of good food. We are committed to efforts that strengthen food security and build local food infrastructure, support small and mid-sized Wisconsin farms, connect rural and urban communities, and ensure that equitable power and inclusive voices shape access to good food across Wisconsin. REAP envisions a vibrant and just food system where all people have access to good food, grown well. Specifically, REAP aims to:

build the next generation of healthy eaters through youth education,

educate and connect local and sustainable farmers and everyone from institutional to individual buyers,

strengthen and amplify community-led solutions to food system challenges,

educate consumers so they can be advocates for actions and policies that support an equitable, just and environmentally sustainable food system, and

celebrate with community around good food.