Forum for Undergraduate Environmental Leadership (FUEL)
Applications for the 2023 FUEL program are closed.
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 2023 Program Details - The Sustainability of Agriculture in California
This year's theme is The Sustainability of Agriculture in California, where students will have the opportunity to explore the intersection of science, policy, advocacy, and environmental justice by engaging with local farmers/farm owners, advocates and advisors, 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 Sacramento and Salinas where students will get to interact with key people and perspectives in this industry.
Please see the FAQs below for additional information
Proposed Fall 2023 Schedule (all meetings will be in-person):
Weekly Discussions with Invited Speakers- Y2E2 101, 12pm-1:30pm
-Week 1 - Friday, October 13 - Introduction to the program; 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 2 - Friday, October 20 - Farmer Perspectives and Equity Challenges in CA - David Mancera (Director, Kitchen Table Advisors; Agricultural Member, CA State Board of Food and Agriculture; Board Member, Big Sur Land Trust)
-Week 3 - Friday, October 27 - Applying Science to Questions of Sustainability in Agriculture - panel of Stanford University graduate students
Field Trips
-Week 4 - Overnight trip to Sacramento - Thursday, November 2 - Friday, November 3 (depart ~12pm on Thursday from campus and return Friday evening) - meetings with Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), Asha Sharma (Organizing Co-Director for CA, Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA)), Josh Tooker (Chief Consultant for the CA State Assembly, Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials), Virginia Jameson (Deputy Secretary for Climate and Working Lands, CA Department of Food and Agriculture), and Laurel Firestone (Board Member, CA State Water Resources Control Board; former Executive Director of the Community Water Center)
-Week 5 - Day trip to Salinas - Friday, November 10 (depart early morning on Friday from campus and return the same evening) - meetings with Dr. Eric Brennan (Research Horticulturist, US Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service), ALBA, local organic farm owners, and other farmer advocates
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the theme for the Fall 2023 FUEL program?
- The Sustainability of Agriculture in California. The FUEL program offers interested Stanford students a lay of the land and the challenges of environment-related public advocacy, policymaking and management by providing 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.
- What is the structure of the program? Who will we get to engage with in the 2023 FUEL program?
- The 2023 FUEL Program will consist of 3 on-campus discussions with invited speakers (October 13, 20, and 27), an overnight field trip to Sacramento to meet with policymakers, committee members, and organizers (November 2-3), and a day field trip to Salinas to meet with small farm owners, farm workers, and advocates (November 10).
- Students will have the opportunity to engage with the following individuals and organizations (subject to change): Felicia Marcus (former Chair of the CA State Water Resources Control Board; visiting fellow at the Woods Institute's Water in the West Center), David Mancera (Director, Kitchen Table Advisors; Agricultural Member, CA State Board of Food and Agriculture; Board Member, Big Sur Land Trust), Stanford University graduate students who are investigating questions related to sustainability and agriculture, Community Alliance of Family Farmers (CAFF), Asha Sharma (Organizing Co-Director for CA, Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA)), Josh Tooker (Chief Consultant for the CA State Assembly, Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials), Virginia Jameson (Deputy Secretary of Climate and Working Lands, CA Department of Food and Agriculture), Laurel Firestone (Board Member, CA State Water Resources Control Board; former Executive Director of the Community Water Center), Dr. Eric Brennan (Research Horticulturist, US Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service), ALBA, local organic farm owners, and farmer advocates.
- 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 13, 20, and 27 (on-campus discussions with invited speakers to be held in Y2E2 101 from 12-1:30pm), November 2-3 (overnight field trip to Sacramento), and November 10 (day trip to Salinas). 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.
- How do I apply? When will I know if I have been accepted?
- The application period has closed. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status by Friday, September 29, 2023. The first class meeting will be on Friday, October 13, 2023.
- 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 by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment 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.
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- Contact Jen Chiu (jchiu24@stanford.edu) with any questions, concerns, or comments.