Building Regenerative and Resilient Communities

A new initiative that focuses on innovation and imagination for systems design in our future communities involving but not limited to soil regeneration, food sovereignty, social justice, economic equity, renewable energy systems, and new community governance structures that encourage full citizen participation. We currently oversee the Purple Carrot Farm on the Bennington College campus, a process-driven and experimental approach to small scale regenerative agriculture. Produce is sold to the College's Dining Services to be incorporated into the meals prepared for the Dining Hall to feed the student body.

The Purple Carrot Farm is a 1.2-acre no-till farm dedicated to long-term soil health, biodiversity, and creative experimentation. The farm incorporates diverse cover-cropping strategies, natural mulching practices, on-site beekeeping with two active hives, and the establishment of perennial hedgerows to support pollinators and enhance ecological resilience. Together, these practices position the Purple Carrot Farm as a model for resilient, community-centered food production and land stewardship—replacing extractive industrial agriculture with a reciprocal, regenerative approach rooted in care for the land, community, and future generations.

The mission of the Purple Carrot Farm is to feed the campus community by supplying fresh produce to the college dining hall. With a student body of just over 700 students, the campus is uniquely positioned to make an outsized impact on its dining program by incorporating organic, locally grown produce with zero plastic waste from packaging and no greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. In addition to serving the campus, the farm is a main produce vendor at the Bennington Community Market, a newly established farmers market launched in 2025. Each year, the farm also hosts a harvest party that celebrates abundance and community, featuring food grown on the farm and prepared by students and farm manager Kelie, shared freely with the broader community.