2021 Regenerate Speakers

Weaving Water, Land, and People

Roberto Meza

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While a grad student at MIT in the Art, Culture, and Technology program, Roberto was inspired by student projects addressing food production in urban landscapes. His career quickly transitioned from the arts to agriculture, with a focus on food access. After a hiatus working on farms and observing problems in our food systems, Roberto moved to Colorado with childhood friend Dave Demerling, and they started their own farm. On a mission to cultivate, heal, and transform communities with access to fresh food, Roberto cofounded Emerald Gardens in 2017. Using passive solar greenhouse design Emerald Gardens grows, harvests, and distributes microgreens and edible flowers year-round to restaurants, grocery stores, food pantries, and individual residents in the Denver/Boulder area. They currently occupy 35 acres in Bennett, Colorado, and operate sustainably using geothermal and passive-solar energy. In 2020, Roberto co-founded the East Denver Food Hub, which works to create an equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system that meets the needs of communities and rural food producers. In partnership with Front Range producers, High Plains Food Co-op, Bondadosa, and nonprofits, the EDFH promotes equity and inclusion in our food system and expands access to fresh and ethically-produced food. Roberto is a member of the Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council, a board member of the National Young Farmers Coalition, and on the leadership team for Mile High Farmers.

Plenary Panel

Community Resilience in Agriculture During Uncertain Times

 

Marianna Zavala

Marianna Zavala

Apprentice, TomKat Ranch
Shalini Karra

Shalini Karra

Team Member, Brown's Ranch
Zachary Angelini

Zachary Angelini

Environmental Stewardship Manager at Timberland
Jim Kleinschmit

Jim Kleinschmit

Founder/CEO, Other Half Processing Co-Founder, Regeneration Farms LLC
Twila Cassadore

Twila Cassadore

Oohenunpa, Nueta, and Hidatsa, Stanford Undergrad
Alex Pulwicki

Alex Pulwicki

Coordinator and Trainer
Matthew Raiford

Matthew Raiford

Farmer, Chef
James O’Donnell

James O’Donnell

Program Manager, Grassfed Alliance
Amanda Lucier

Amanda Lucier

Good Meat Breakdown
Celine Kagan

Celine Kagan

The Good Meat Project
Mary Berry

Mary Berry

Executive Director, The Berry Center
Jovan Sage

Jovan Sage

Herbalist, Doula, Food Alchemist, Founder of Sage's Larder
Elsie DuBray

Elsie DuBray

Oohenunpa, Nueta, and Hidatsa, Stanford Undergrad
Ailish Kress

Ailish Kress

Leads Ecosystem Building and Land Management, Armonia
Sanjay Rawal

Sanjay Rawal

Director, Gather
Rosie Kissel

Rosie Kissel

Leads Ecosystem Building and Land Management, Armonia
Camas Davis

Camas Davis

Executive Director, Good Meat Project Founder/Owner Portland Meat Collective
Susan Beal

Susan Beal

Holistic Veterinarian
Kate Clyatt

Kate Clyatt

Rancher, Mannix Brothers Ranch and Drought technician, Blackfoot Challenge
Holly Zink

Holly Zink

General Manager Sunnyside Meats, Inc.
Ariel Aaronson-Eves

Ariel Aaronson-Eves

Ministerial Candidate, Unitarian Universalist
Eric Karbowski

Eric Karbowski

Behavioral Health Educator, Michigan State University Extension
Kelsey Ducheneaux

Kelsey Ducheneaux

Natural Resources Director, Intertribal Agriculture Council
Cynthia Naha

Cynthia Naha

Director of Natural Resources Department, Hopi Tribe
Aubrey Streit Krug

Aubrey Streit Krug

Director of Ecosphere Studies, The Land Institute
Rebecca Thistlethwaite

Rebecca Thistlethwaite

Director, Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network, Oregon State University
Olivia Tincani

Olivia Tincani

Educator & Consultant, Olivia Tincani & Co
Ben Gotschall

Ben Gotschall

Owner, Holt Creek Jerseys Dairy Manager, Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment
Katie Belle Miller

Katie Belle Miller

Owner/Market Manager, SOCO Virtual Farmers Market Owner/Operator, Heritage Belle Farms
Vandana Shiva

Vandana Shiva

Founder, Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Natural Resource Policy, Physicist, Social Activist, Author
Joe Maxwell

Joe Maxwell

Co-founder, Family Farm Action Alliance Former Lieutenant Governor of the state of Missouri Farmer
Julie Sullivan

Julie Sullivan

Owner, Co-manager San Juan Ranch, San Juan Land & Livestock LLC Quivira NAP Mentor Training and Support
George Whitten

George Whitten

Owner, Co-manager San Juan Ranch, San Juan Land & Livestock LLC Board President, Sweet Grass Cooperative
Eva Stricker

Eva Stricker

Director of Carbon Ranch Initiative Research Assistant Professor, UNM
Sarah Baxendell

Sarah Baxendell

Director of Finance, Regen Network
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin

President-CEO, Regenerative Agriculture Alliance
John Boyd

John Boyd

Founder and President, National Black Farmers Association
Rodrigo Sierra-Corona

Rodrigo Sierra-Corona

Director of Stewardship, Santa Lucia Conservancy
Valerie Small

Valerie Small

National Program Director, Trees, Water, & People and Affiliate Faculty, Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University
Gillian Sanbrook

Gillian Sanbrook

Grass Fed Beef Cattle Finisher, Bibbaringa
Roberto Meza

Roberto Meza

Cofounder and Farmer, Emerald Gardens Director of Operations, East Denver Food Hub
Zach Ducheneaux

Zach Ducheneaux

Executive Director, Intertribal Agriculture Council
A-dae Romero-Briones

A-dae Romero-Briones

Cochiti-Kiowa, Director of the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Program, First Nations Development Institute
Darrell Oswald

Darrell Oswald

Menoken Farm Manager, Burleigh County Soil Conservation District
Marshall Johnson

Marshall Johnson

Vice President, National Audubon Society
Chris Mehus

Chris Mehus

Programs Director, Western Sustainability Exchange
Bryan Van Stippen

Bryan Van Stippen

Program Director, National Indian Carbon Coalition
Loren Poncia

Loren Poncia

Rancher and Co-Owner, Stemple Creek Ranch
LaKisha Odom

LaKisha Odom

Scientific Program Director, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
Kathryn Bedell

Kathryn Bedell

Owner, Roan Creek Ranch