Project Dates: January 2025-April 2026
Client: Sanctuary Farms and Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (DBCFSN)
SEAS Advisor: shakara tyler, Lecturer in Environmental Justice and Food Systems
SEAS Students: Mateo Garcia (MS, Ecosystem Science & Management; Geospatial Data Sciences; Sustainable Systems), Natalie Nieman (MS, Ecosystem Science & Management), Mollie Stadlin (MS, Environmental Justice), Bionca Stewart (MS, Environmental Justice; Sustainability & Development)
About the Client
Sanctuary Farms (SF), founded in 2021, practices deep ecology—using organic cultivation, composting, and community partnerships to heal relationships between people, food, and the environment. SF advances reparative land justice by promoting equitable access to sustainable food systems and green spaces. The Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (DBCFSN) builds self-reliance, food security, and justice in Detroit’s Black community through urban agriculture, policy advocacy, cooperative economics, and youth engagement. DBCFSN works to ensure all Detroit residents have access to healthy food and dignity within the food system.
About the Project
Through the Detroit Community Compost Collective Pilot (DCCCP), a coalition of 7 Detroit-
based food, waste, and environmental justice organizations working to advance
local organics diversion through policy and practice by launching a comprehensive food waste
collection and community composting program in the City of Detroit, the student team
aligned their project efforts to support various aspects of making this program a success.
Project activities included recruiting and onboarding up to 100 community composters and 100 backyard composters, engaging six urban farms in the pilot program, co-developing composting curricula for participants, conducting compost policy research across multiple levels of government, and evaluating compost quality and greenhouse gas reduction potential using scientific data analysis tools. The team also explored the connections between community composting and environmental justice, developing educational resources that highlight the social, ecological, and climate benefits of accessible composting practices.
The project culminated in a multimodal report designed to support more enabling compost policies in Detroit while strengthening compost production and quality across urban farms in historically underserved neighborhoods. By combining scientific research with community-driven solutions, the project advances equitable, regenerative materials management and contributes to a stronger circular economy in Detroit.
Read the final report here.