Introduction: Robin VanHouten
Robin (he/they) loves three things most in this world. Play, delicious healthy food, and chicken cuddles. It’s no surprise that Robin’s parents, Pete and Kristin, taught him that play and connection are the most important things in this world. Robin grew up in the Patapsco river
valley of central Maryland where his favorite games were “where does this trail go?”, “how much cuddling can one human do?” and “when is dinner?” Play has always been a throughline in Robin’s life, but of course he had to get serious on some things. Robin studied Biology, bacteria, conservation, and math at the University of Puget Sound in Washington. After school, they found themselves in a job they loved – working at a hydroponic greenhouse that had a dual-mission of growing local food and employing folks with disabilities. One day, Robin realized that
he did not align with how energy-intensive the hydroponic growing was. In search of sustainability, Robin worked briefly on Winona LaDuke’s farm on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, learning about indigenous ways of farming. Robin left that experience with a belief
that it's the resilience and flexibility of nature that allows us to live here on this earth. And what happened next? A whirlwind journey through the southwest, a reunion with an old friend and a previous groundwork fellow, Mattea Goetz, and bing, bang, Boom! The Groundwork farm landed in Robin’s life! Now, Robin is excited to embrace his dream of growing healthy food, sustainably. Robin is passionate about changing the culture in our country around farming to create a future that is holistic, healthy, and worthy of passing to our children.