Join the waitlist for our next course!
Join our waitlist to get earlybird pricing for the next time we run this course in 2023!
Every Tuesday, you'll have a learning session where you'll hear from experts: farmers, entrepreneurs, chefs, policymakers, and more. On Thursdays, you'll be part of Action Hours where you can put your learning into practice and make a difference!
Your learning journey
A lot happens in 6 weeks when you have a supportive community behind you.
Learn from chefs, farmers, food industry experts, and environmental advocates on transforming yourself and the world around you!
Each learning topic is accompanied by an Action Hour, whose theme is highlighted in the teal bubble.
Action Hours are where the real magic happens - use your voice to make a difference!
This course is global. We have chosen 8am PDT on Tuesdays and Thursdays to best accommodate people from various time zones. This may change for our 2023 cohort.
Week 1: What is food?
What IS food? How does our economic and social circumstance change what food means to us? How do cultures around the world define food, and why does it matter to capture Indigenous perspectives? What do innovations in food, like lab-grown meat, mean to our relationship with food?
Week 2: Who makes our food?
Often, sustainability conversations exclude the people who actually make our food. In Week 2, we'll talk about farmers, the agriculture industry, and racial / economic equity in this space. You'll hear from the people who make our food and understand how you can be a better advocate.
Week 3: How does food get to our table?
It's time to talk about transportation. What does it mean to eat local? How much does that matter in the grand scheme of things? How exactly does food arrive from farms to our table, and what are some areas of change that are important to tackle here?
Week 4: What food "should" we eat?
Ah, the loaded question. Should we all go vegan? What is good for our bodies, minds, and the planet? Let's talk about our individual choices for the foods we're eating, how to reframe what we "should" eat, and discuss nutrition and food deserts.
Week 5: What foods should we not eat?
How can we avoid "the worst" foods in light of the climate crisis? What are some alternatives for high-carbon-impact foods like factory-farmed beef and coffee?
Week 6: What happens to food that's not eaten?
It's time to talk food waste. Let's explore the growth of industrial composting and see what YOU can do in your own home while also evaluating movements like ugly produce, grocery inventory projection, and large-scale waste solutions.
Hi! We're Nivi and Ash, your 2022 sustainable squad facilitators.
Hi everyone! I'm Nivi, founder of Soapbox Project, and I'm so excited to curate a "staff" of experts, farmers, chefs, and technologists to guide you through this course.
My specialty is connecting the dots and simplifying the fight against climate change so that it's FUN and approachable.
When I first shared Soapbox with the world, I was profiled in this New York Times article for my take on bite-sized, truly sustainable action. Since then, I've helped 5,000+ people around the world make a difference on issues that matter to them!
Now, I'm bringing this energy to you in the form of a lil course - Ash and I are partnering to bring some awesome instructors to your screen and you can learn about them below. This section will be updated further closer to our course start date.
I'm Ash Glover-Ganapathiraju, the founder of Ojaswe Co. – a social enterprise focused on making planet-friendly food approachable, accessible, and fun.
In my 15-year career, I have worked as an educator, consultant, and marketer, most recently launching consumer products for recognizable brands such as Nestle and Starbucks.
Driven by an interest in the Future of Food, I have spent the last year deepening my learning about food systems, upcycled food and regenerative agriculture.
I am a queer woman of color, an immigrant, a spouse and a mom. I was raised in India and has spent most of my adult life in Arkansas and Indiana (lands of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Kiikaapoi, Peoria, Osage & Caddo peoples). I now live in Seattle (on Coast Salish land) with my wife and daughter. My food is a hybrid of the places I've lived and people who welcomed me into their lives & kitchens. Ojaswe Co.’s work draws from all these experiences.
Meet the experts you'll hear from on our 2022 Learning Sessions!
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You're in the right place.
Wondering if this is for you? We need you on this journey. Here are a few things we'll do together that can help you decide.
Meet experts and build confidence in knowing we're ready to act
Understand the basics of food and why it's critical to fighting climate change
Build sustainable habits while giving ourselves grace when we mess up
Practice effective communication to talk about social & climate justice
Make new friends & nerd out on the circular economy together
Navigate the overwhelm by practicing hope and community-building
Be open with each other about our joys and fears
Learn how to support agriculture workers through local action & policy change
Create long-lasting accountability structures to do our best work
What you get by signing up
This 6-week course opens the door to an endless supply of joyful community, expert connections, and accountability. If you're feeling a little stuck or overwhelmed by all the work there is to do within the climate movement, start here!
Live cohort
With an intentionally curated group of classmates, you'll spend 2 hours each week learning key concepts from experts, practicing skills together, and working with your new friends for peer mentorship and accountability.
Private community
You get lifetime access to the online Soapbox Project membership community, which includes a 20% discount on all upcoming courses, free biweekly fireside chats, in-person action opportunities, and connections with past cohort members.
Detailed worksheets
You'll get detailed worksheets with key concepts and prompts to turn your knowledge into action. Our lessons will be very interactive and you won't have "homework", so these worksheets are YOURS to take home and use as you wish. I find them useful as tools for deeper reflection and momentum-building.
Deep connection Action Hours
We're separating the learning content from course discussions so you can truly get to know the people in your cohort. This is the best way to build sustained learning, find partners for your business ideas, get intros for jobs, be plugged into speaking opportunities, and play a larger role in the sustainability movement!
Holistic sustainability
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We see you as a whole human. In addition to the standard impact-y stuff, in our membership community, we seek out mental health sessions, create partnerships with recruiters, share meme threads, and so much more. This is a place where you get to be yourself and make friends with people who care about the same things you do. (That's a pic of me and another Soapbox member in the process of becoming best friends and making spring rolls with edible flowers!)
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Should you sign up?
This isn't the program for everyone, and you can filter based on your motivations. If you're still not sure, email us at team@soapboxproject.org!
This is for you if:
You need an easy path to a more sustainable kitchen
You want to level up your food knowledge
You're trying to reduce your consumption
You want to supercharge your sustainability career
You're struggling with accountability
You need feedback on a business or idea you're working on
You're looking to build a powerful community
You're eager to take action
This is not for you if:
You're trying to just promote your brand
You are looking for a self-paced course
You only care about individual action
You believe individuals have no responsibility
You're running a multi-level-marketing brand
You don't want to participate and meet others
🙊🤢❌✨Please do not sign up😜🤡🚪🙉
What participants say
Don't take my word for it - hear from your new friends!
Frequently asked questions
Click through to get your questions answered. If you don't see it here, email us at team@soapboxproject.org!
Before our early registration deadline, you can register for only $259. The full course price is $599. If you are part of our membership community either as a Founding Member or a previous course alum, separate communications will be sent to you with discounts and fun things.
Pro tip: Get your employer to cover the costs if they offer a learning/professional development budget.
Once you submit your (very short) sign-up form, you'll be notified within 48 hours if your registration has been approved! We'll send you the payment link as well as a link to my (me = Nivi) calendar for an invitation to a 1:1 intro chat. This is optional, but I find it's helpful to have a friendly face going into any new commitment!
Formally - NONE!! The ONLY pre-requisite for this cohort is that (as Michelle Kim said in The Wake Up), you have an earnest desire to change yourself and engage in this topic with honesty and accountability. If you commit to approaching this program with curiosity, prioritizing good impacts vs. good intentions, and focusing disagreements on systems vs. individual humans, this is for you. Even if you know nothing about the global food system and you can't recite a single statistic about climate change, if you meet this pre-requisite, you are experienced enough.
It's absolutely free for you if you're a Founding Member! We could not have gotten here without your support. If you can't remember whether or not you're a Founding Member, go look at your profile - you'll have a little badge on it that says so.
If you don't have an employer or company budget that you can spend on this program, we are committed to finding you options. In the registration form, we'll ask you if you require a needs-based sponsorship from Soapbox Project. In our 1:1 chat, we can talk about what that looks like and alternative ways you can contribute.