Forum for Undergraduate Environmental Leadership (FUEL)

Applications for the 2026 FUEL program will open on 9/14, and will be due on 9/24.

The FUEL program, provided by the Woods Institute for the Environment of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, seeks to provide a real world primer for undergraduate students on critical issues of environmental concern, by opening up conversations with policymakers and professionals in careers at the forefront of solutions. The program is open to Stanford undergraduates who are sophomores, juniors and seniors, and to co-terms who are still in undergraduate status (bachelor's degree not conferred). The Woods Institute for the Environment offers the FUEL program at no cost to students.

Fall 2026 Program Details - The Sustainability of Agriculture and Dairy in California 

This year's theme is The Sustainability of Agriculture and Dairy in California, where students will have the opportunity to explore the intersection of science, technology, policy, advocacy, and environmental justice by engaging with local farmers/farm owners, dairy owners, advocates and advisors, a CA State Assemblymember, policymakers, and state agency leaders. We will explore the complexities of these topics through discussions with invited speakers on campus, and through field trips to Salinas and Point Reyes Station + Sacramento where students will get to interact with key people and perspectives in this industry. This year's theme builds upon our 2023-2025 programs with additions from the alternative protein space. 

Please see the FAQs below for additional information. Applications will open on Monday, September 14, and are due by 5pm PT on Thursday, September 24.

Proposed Fall 2026 Schedule (all meetings will be in-person, and accepted students are expected to attend all events):

Weekly Discussions with Invited Speakers- Y2E2 101, 12pm-1:30pm
-Week 1 - Friday, October 9 - Introduction to the program; Tracking Contaminants and Nutrients Through Soils and Sediments - Scott Fendorf (Professor of Earth System Science, SDSS Senior Associate Dean for Research, Stanford University)

-Week 2 - Friday, October 16 - Environmental and Human Health Impacts of CA's Industrial Dairy System - Ling Yao (Food Systems Resource Economics Fellow, Stanford Climate and Energy Policy Program (CEPP) and Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program (ENRLP))

-Week 3 - Friday, October 23 - Water and Agriculture in CA - Felicia Marcus (former Chair of the CA State Water Resources Control Board; visiting fellow at the Woods Institute's Water in the West Center)

-Week 4 - Friday, October 30 - Industry Perspective on Alternative Dairy Innovation and Climate-Smart Agriculture - Neil Renninger (Co-founder of Ripple Foods and Amyris, Founder and CEO of Ample Carbon)

Field Trips
-Week 5 - Day trip to Salinas - Friday, November 6 (~7:45am-6:30pm) - guided meetings with the Rodriguez Brothers (Family-owned mid-scale farm operators that specialize in strawberries and other fruits/vegetables), Eric Brennan (Research Horticulturist, US Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service), David Mancera (CEO, Tera Farm; Principal Consultant, Mancera Consulting Group; Agricultural Member, CA State Board of Food and Agriculture), Nathan Harkleroad (Education Program Director, Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA)), local organic farm owners trained at ALBA, and Reservoir Farms (agriculture-focused technical community and venture platform).

-Week 6 - Overnight trip to Point Reyes Station + Sacramento - Thursday, November 12 - Friday, November 13 (depart ~7:45am on Thursday from campus and return Friday ~6:30pm) - Farm tour of Bivalve Dairy in Point Reyes Station, guided meetings with Roberta Franco (Supervisor for Methane Reduction Programs, CA Department of Food and Agriculture), Josh Tooker (Chief Consultant for the CA State Assembly, Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials), Michael Claiborne (Directing Attorney, Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability), and Bernadette Del Chiaro (Senior Vice President, California, Environmental Working Group).

*Speaker line-up subject to change.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the theme for the Fall 2026 FUEL program?
  • The Sustainability of Agriculture and Dairy in California. The FUEL program offers interested Stanford students a lay of the land and a primer of the challenges of environment-related public advocacy, policymaking and management. We accomplish this through in-person introductions to and conversations with many professionals for whom policy management is their vocation, and community members and advocates for whom the issues are most salient. This is not intended to be comprehensive, and we are only able to include a small set of perspectives and topics in our 6-week program.  
• What is the structure of the program?
  • The 2026 FUEL Program will consist of 4 on-campus discussions with invited speakers (October 9, 16, 23, and 30; 12-1:30pm in Y2E2 101), a all-day field trip to Salinas to meet with small farm owners, farm workers, and advocates (November 6) and an overnight field trip to Point Reyes Station + Sacramento for a dairy farm tour, and to meet with policymakers, committee members, and organizers (November 12-13). In total, the program spans 6 weeks.
  • Our tentative agenda for the 2026 FUEL program is above. You can also view last year's full agenda here.
• Who will we get to engage with in the 2026 FUEL program?
  • Whether your interests lie in agtech, pesticide reform, alternative dairy innovation, farmer rights and advocacy, nutrient cycling, environmental justice, sustainable dairy or somewhere in between, the 2026 FUEL program has speakers and field trip visits with a variety of folks working on sustainable agriculture and dairy. This program is not intended to be comprehensive, rather it hopes to provide a diverse set of perspectives to pique students' interest and allow them to explore this incredibly complex and multi-faceted industry.
  • Students will have the opportunity to engage with the following individuals and organizations (subject to change): Scott Fendorf (Assistant Professor, Biology, Stanford University), Ling Yao (Food Systems Resource Economics Fellow, Stanford Climate and Energy Policy Program (CEPP) and Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program (ENRLP)), Felicia Marcus (former Chair of the CA State Water Resources Control Board; visiting fellow at the Woods Institute's Water in the West Center), Neil Renninger (Co-founder of Ripple Foods and Amyris, Founder and CEO of Ample Carbon), David Mancera (CEO, Tera Farm; Principal Consultant, Mancera Consulting Group; Agricultural Member, CA State Board of Food and Agriculture), Eric Brennan (Research Horticulturist, US Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service), Nathan Harkleroad (Education Program Director, Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), local organic farm owners trained by ALBA, the Rodriguez Brothers (Family-owned farm that specialized in strawberries and other fruits/vegetables), Reservoir Farms (agriculture-focused technical community and venture platform), Roberta Franco (Supervisor for Methane Reduction Programs, CA Department of Food and Agriculture), Josh Tooker (Chief Consultant for the CA State Assembly, Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials), Michael Claiborne (Directing Attorney, Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability), and Bernadette Del Chiaro (Senior Vice President, California, Environmental Working Group).
• What dates do I need to be available to participate? Is there a remote option?
  • Students in the FUEL Program will need to commit to the following dates: October 9, 16, 23, and 30 (on-campus discussions with invited speakers to be held in Y2E2 101 from 12-1:30pm), November 6 (all-day trip to Salinas), and November 12-13 (overnight field trip to Point Reyes Station + Sacramento). All meetings and field trips will be in-person, and there will not be a remote option available.
• Who is eligible to apply?
  • Stanford University Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors. In addition, co-term students who are still in undergraduate status (bachelor's degree not conferred) are eligible for the FUEL program. Students from all majors are encouraged to apply -- we value your interdisciplinary perspectives!
• How do I apply? When will I know if I have been accepted?
  • Applications open on Monday, September 14, 2026, and are due by 5pm PT on Thursday, September 24, 2026. All applicants will be notified of their acceptance status by Friday, October 2, 2026. The first meeting will be on Friday, October 9, 2026.
• Will I receive course credit for participating in the FUEL program?
  • FUEL is a non-credit, co-curricular program and students will not receive units for their participation.
• How much does it cost?
  • The FUEL Program is provided at no cost to participants by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, part of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. This includes lunches for each on-campus meeting, and transportation, lodging (for Sacramento), and food for the field trips.
• Testimonials from previous cohorts:
  • "The FUEL program was truly so incredible and life changing! As someone who has always had a passion for sustainability and agriculture, but has never felt clear on my career or goals, this program really opened my eyes. Not only was I able to connect with people in the industry and with incredible, like-minded people on campus, I felt like I finally got a sense of what I want to do with my life. Listening to the diverse groups of speakers, touring farms, and talking to other students, I learned about so many different ways to approach sustainable agriculture, and where I felt connected and best fit in. I couldn't recommend this program highly enough, it was so amazing and I had so much fun!"
  • "This program was an amazing way for me to experience the breath of many issues based in Californian agriculture and dairy. The organizing team puts a lot of genuine effort and care into making sure this program is a great experience for everyone and lots of different people all learn from it! I wasn't sure if I was the right fit for the program when I got started, but I had a great time meeting new people and learning things I never even thought about. Highly recommend for anyone who's willing to spend time genuinely getting to know the issues!"
  • "If you are someone who gravitates towards small cohort sizes and experiential opportunities, the FUEL program is a wonderful opportunity. I found it incredibly impactful to have conversations with policy makers, researchers, farmers, and public defenders and hear perspectives from so many of the different actors in this space. It also provided the opportunity to get to know like-minded students and see how peers are approaching these topics from so many different backgrounds. Cannot recommend enough!"
  • "One-of-a-kind hands-on learning experience at Stanford! Invaluable trips to gain perspective outside traditional academic spaces. FUEL helped me understand sustainability from those making an impact across the career spectrum."
  • "The FUEL program was an incredible experience to become immersed in the field of agriculture and understand multiple different perspectives of what sustainability means within them. We explored issues from water sustainability to dairy impacts to environmental justice and got to chat with so many different stakeholders from producers on the ground to policymakers."
  • "Dairy and agriculture were areas that I knew needed reforms, but I did not understand how urgently until after speaking with the folks in the FUEL program. I learned from professionals, scholars, farmers, and my peers about the work that has been done but also all the gaps that need to be filled. I learned more about the importance of community involvement and how that is tied to intentional policymaking."
  • "The FUEL program exposed me to ideas and orgs in agriculture I would've never come across myself! As someone who wants to start an agtech company in the future, I found immense value in gaining a more well-rounded perspective of farming by speaking with nonprofits/policymakers concerned with the externalities of farming practices (pesticides, subsidies, small farmer financing, etc.). The program is extremely well-organized, and the small cohort size is conducive to meaningful connections with your peers".
  • "The FUEL program introduced me to the world of environmental leadership in the policy realm: something I previously couldn't imagine myself in. I'm more confident in my ability to find a future career in environmental studies outside of biology research".
  • "FUEL was an amazing opportunity for me to learn more about this field, connect with more people working in this field as well as other interested Stanford students, and gain insight into potential career paths. It really is designed for the benefit of you and surrounding communities. Highly recommend this program, whether you are experienced or new to this subject".
  • "The FUEL Program was a great way to engage with a variety of diverse, knowledgeable stakeholders in the complex world of sustainable agriculture policy. I really enjoyed the range of speakers and topics we learned from—everything from a USDA research farm and new findings within pesticide impacts, to nuanced politics in the California House Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee and local organizations' efforts to improve farm management knowledge among immigrant farmers—and the discussions I had with other students, many of whom I'd never met (and probably would never have met, considering our diverse majors) without the program. All of this was conducted in an organized, well-planned program, which included two exciting field trips to see the state of agriculture firsthand and explore all that California has to offer".
• Who should I contact if I have additional questions?
  • Contact Jen Chiu (jchiu24@stanford.edu) with any questions, concerns, or comments.

Contact Information

Jen Chiu
Program Manager
jchiu24@stanford.edu

Related Documents

2023 FUEL Schedule
2024 FUEL Schedule
2025 FUEL Schedule