Nurturing Roots of Justice: Integrating Equity and Environmental Stewardship into Michigan’s Food System Education

Michigan
Project Description

About the Project

In a transformative, 16-month partnership, students at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (Lashaun Jackson, Sami Maldonado, and Justin Thompson) partnered with the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative and Michigan State University Extension's Community Food Systems Team, forming the Nurturing Roots of Justice project. The goal of the Nurturing Roots of Justice project is to advance Michigan place-based K-12 food systems education underscored by climate change and environmental justice, guided by the objectives to 1) identify and mitigate the barriers to implementing food systems education in Michigan K-12 classrooms and 2) develop a public Nurturing Roots of Justice Website offering a Resource Hub (containing over 300 lesson plans, activities, and other resources) and MI Food Stories Facilitator Guide to equip educators with the tools and confidence to lead food systems education in their classrooms. The Faciliator Guide complements Michigan State University Extension’s MI Food Stories, a free online course designed for all food consumers in Michigan to learn the story of the foods they eat and explore their role in the food system. 

Key Project Deliverables

  • Nurturing Roots of Justice Website with background information on the pillars of the project: Place-based Education, Michigan Food Systems, Critical Food Literacy, and Environmental Justice for elementary, middle, and high school educators of all school subjects
  • Resource Hub compiling over 300 lesson plans, activities, videos, and other resources for elementary, middle, and high school educators of all school subjects
  • MI Food Stories Facilitator Guide with 43 pages of discussion prompts, activities, and resources for elementary, middle, and high school educators
  • 160-page report detailing the project's background research, methods, deliverables, and recommendations for the clients

As of April 2025, the Nurturing Roots of Justice Website has over 830 views and 300 active users. Through the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative network of educators, the team expects Nurturing Roots of Justice to reach 600 students in the coming year. 

Year
2025
Project Status
In Progress
Client Organization
Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative and Michigan State University Extension
Students Involved

Lashaun Jackson, Sami Maldonado, Justin Thompson

SEAS Faculty Advisor
M'Lis Bartlett
Final Report
Nurturing Roots of Justice Report (University of Michigan Library)

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Nurturing Roots of Justice Gallery

Group photo of University of Michigan students, clients, and six K-12 educators at the Michigan Educator Training
Two-day Michigan Food Systems Education Training for K-12 Educators in Flint, MI (July 2024)
School for Environment and Sustainability student points to a presentation slide on the impacts of climate change in agriculture in front of an audience of K-12 educators and project team members
Michigan Food Systems Education Training: Presentation on the Impacts of Climate Change in Agriculture and Food Systems (July 2024)
Two educators stand with sticky notes and pens to add food systems concepts to a large piece of paper; they are mapping the processes and people for a Michigan restaurant
Michigan Food Systems Education Training: Educators Create Local Food Systems Maps (July 2024)
School for Environment and Sustainability students stand in front of a presentation screen at the educator focus group
Lashaun Jackson, Justin Thompson, and Sami Maldonado Host an Educator Focus Group in Flint, MI (January 2025)
Venn diagram with four intersecting circles and the text Place-based Education, Michigan Food Systems, Critical Food Literacy, and Environmental Justice
Venn Diagram of the Nurturing Roots of Justice Project Pillars
Concept map with branches of Environmental Justice with the text Water Justice, Food Justice, Energy Justice, Climate Justice, Economic Justice, Housing Justice, Education Justice, and Transportation/Transit Justice
Concept Map of Environmental Justice