RIEEA Annual Summit
ABOUT THE RIEEA ANNUAL SUMMIT
Each year, RIEEA hosts a Summit to bring together engaged communities throughout the state and from across various sectors. Nonformal educators, classroom teachers, university/college faculty and staff, students, environmental justice advocates, as well as representatives in the health, business, agricultural, and science fields, meet to build networks, gather resources, share best practices, and cultivate leadership skills for widespread environmental literacy adoption and implementation.
Education Through Cultivation: Rooting Teaching, Farming, & Healing in Relationship to the Land
Saturday, March 14, 2026
8:00am-12:00pm
Rhode Island College Donovan Dining Center
Our 2026 Annual Summit, Education Through Cultivation: Rooting Teaching, Farming, & Healing in Relationship to the Land, was held on Saturday, March 14, 2026 from 8am to 12pm at Rhode Island College.
The morning gathering began with a hot breakfast followed a keynote presentation by Sienna Viette, an herbalist and agricultural educator at Open fArms Retreat in Cumberland, RI. Sienna shared her experience working across Rhode Island to strengthen local food systems, position farms as centers of community learning, and improve student nutrition. Drawing on her experiences working with schools, nonprofits, and local producers on Farm to School initiatives, Sienna highlighted strategies for integrating agriculture into education, building strong partnerships, and creating sustainable, community-driven food pathways that nurture both young learners and local growers. She was joined by her father and collaborator, Andraly Horn, who guided us through a meditative moment and answered questions.
Participants engaged in group discussions exploring practical, place-based approaches to learning that cultivate resilience, equity, and care for both people and ecosystems. Using seeds provided by Open fArms Retreat, attendees got their hands in the dirt and planted herbs and flowers in small containers to take home. Networking bingo was a great ice breaker for cross-sector networking. The program ended with an amazing raffle to support RIEEA programming.
Thank you to Wanda Hopkins for a land acknowledgement, Jim Murphy and Rhode Island College for hosting us, Brock Adler from the NAAEE, and all of our sponsors for supporting the event.
We hope this Summit left you inspired and equipped with ideas for ways that environmental education can strengthen our relationship to land, food, and community.
2026 SPONSORS
With additional support from ecoRI News, Providence Media, Rhode Island College Dialogue on Diversity and Inclusion, Acorn Naturalist, Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Ocean State Bird Club
