Meet Agricultural Education Leader Brittney Portes

Tell us about your background. What sparked your interest in environmentalism?

Growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey, I was so disconnected from nature, where my food was coming from, and myself. My connection to the natural world shifted when I took AP Environmental Science in my senior year of high school and went on my first hike. Later that summer, I signed up to intern on a permaculture farm that changed my life.

When I stepped onto my first farm and harvested a carrot, I knew I was home in my heart and passion. I studied, worked, and traveled for six years across the US and South America, living and working on organic farms, gardens, homesteads, and eco-communities. While I loved traveling, I became passionate about the idea of helping more people grow their connection with food, agriculture, and themselves. The hands that loved shopping suddenly fell in love with the dirt between my fingers. My mind, which had been obsessed with material things, soon became obsessed with learning how to grow food, eat healthy, and cultivate my own well-being.

Rooted in this passion for connecting people of all backgrounds to sustainable food systems, I founded Gardens of Sol to help individuals turn their vegetable garden dreams into reality.

How are you planning to leverage the Tom's of Maine Incubator Program's support?

One project I'm working on is a virtual gardening platform that provides monthly gardening workshops, Phone-a-Gardener, monthly Q&A sessions, educational resources, and the opportunity for people to connect, grow, and learn together in community. The Tom's of Maine Incubator has provided the resources to fund staff, technological resources, and platform development necessary to make the project a reality.

What do you hope to gain from the Incubator Program?

I hope to be surrounded and encouraged by a community of like-minded climate change leaders who are paving the way and making impacts through environmental work. I feel so grateful that we have access to peer mentors and the funding to reinvest in our businesses. This has allowed me to take bigger risks than I ever could've imagined. Most importantly, I'm excited to be part of a community of people who are working together to create a more sustainable world—a world where more people know how to grow food and enjoy the farm-fresh taste of a garden.

In what ways do you see climate change disproportionately impacting underrepresented communities?

It's clear that there are an increasing number of food deserts across the US, and underrepresented communities often lack land access, food security, and access to healthy and nutrient-dense foods. Finding solutions to these issues is imperative to creating resilient, healthy communities. I see local edible gardening as one of these big solutions.

How do you think we can make the mainstream environmental movement more inclusive and representative of diverse voices?

It starts with storytelling. The key to representation is to make our gardens something that serves more than the need for sustainable and healthy food. Gardens of Sol is a platform for untold stories to be told. Each plot is an exploration of a culture and tradition. The food that we choose to grow and prepare says something about our backgrounds and allows us to give physical space to diverse groups.

One of our projects I’m excited about right now will show the stories behind each of the plots in our community gardens through mixed media and visual storytelling. Allowing gardeners to share their history and reasons for growing food will be an invitation for more folks like myself who never saw themselves in a garden to make that first step.

What advice would you give someone who wants to get involved in climate organizing but doesn't know where to start?

Lean into your curiosity and explore new paths. At 18, I didn't know I enjoyed being outdoors until l stepped on my first farm. But the more I learned that I loved growing food and learning about sustainable agriculture, the more l pursued opportunities. Over time, I connected myself with more groups doing work that inspired me, and I realized the impact and power of community. The more we explore our passions and interests, the more we're able to explore the intersections between us and other people. We're all a lot more related than we often think.

Do you feel a sense of empowerment as a woman with a voice in the gardening space? Have you faced any struggles as a woman in this space?

When I first started learning how to grow food, I didn’t know many food growers who looked like me. This led me to work on organic farms across the USA. Along this journey, I found diverse mentorship by queer, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and female farmers. These teachers helped me understand there's more than enough space for diverse voices and representation in agriculture. In my vision for the future of sustainable food systems, there are voices reflective of everyone who eats.