Become a Planetary Steward

Join Our 8-day in-person Training Program

Hosted at the RAICES Education Center in the Dominican Republic, this eight-day study tour provides a space to immerse yourself in Dominican culture and directly experience the impacts of agriculture on the environment while working on tangible solutions. Twelve three-hour workshops provide opportunities to explore the interconnectedness and global reach of the food system and strategies to address existential environmental challenges on personal and communal levels. Workshops cover topics such as the power of storytelling and community mapping, nutrition and personal health, and regenerative land use projects while providing immersive experiences rare to the general traveler.

While agriculture is responsible for many of the most pressing threats facing humanity today—including biodiversity loss, resource depletion, climate change, and chronic disease epidemics—we can radically transform this system. What is currently unsustainable can become regenerative and supportive of health on all levels. What might seem like insurmountable global challenges can be directly experienced and addressed during our Planetary Stewards Study Tour. The ultimate goal of this program is to focus on solutions and provide resources and tools you can use in your communities.

Price:

$1789

Program Dates:

March 15-22, 2025

Size:

15-20 Participants

Arrival Airport

Santiago (STI), Dominican Republic

What's Included:

Lodging for 7 nights
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner - plant-based meals with locally grown ingredients
Transportation to and from the airport (set times)
In-country transportation
12 (three-hour) workshops

Food and Sustainability Certificate - Online program with 36 hours of content valued at $499 with over 15 top experts in the food and sustainability area discussing environmental impacts of food production, food justice and accessibility, international food systems, and positive changes individuals and groups can make every day through food choices.

Location:

Located in the mountains of La Cumbre, Dominican Republic, surrounded by small farms of cacao, avocados, and livestock, the RAICES Education Center is built for regenerative health and land use. Sitting atop a mountain overlooking the fertile Cibao Valley with mountains in the distance, the center is where el cielo y la tierra se junta, “where the earth and sky join” — allowing one to touch and feel the clouds as they quietly pass through the center.

Objectives:

Increase awareness of how food systems impact our communities' environment and health.
Develop projects that nourish, enhance, and revitalize the land and all those living there.
Immerse in the culture of the Dominican Republic and experience firsthand the environmental impacts of agriculture.
Engage with the work of leading experts.
Create a resource manual with projects and community initiatives that raise awareness, educate, and allow you to take direct action in your community.
Enjoy delicious whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) meals with foods grown locally, and learn how to prepare delicious Caribbean food, including chocolate grown from cacao trees at the center.
Forge long-term friendships—share, learn, and network with others working towards planetary health.

Program Agenda

Whole Systems Change and Community Mapping

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

Introduction to La Cumbre / Let’s Map Our Community:

An Overview on Whole Systems Change through a Local Example

Introduction to “Let’s Map Our Community,” a process which allows one to collect community data through surveys, focus groups, oral histories, and mapping events/patterns. In particular, we will explore how community mapping is used in La Cumbre and surrounding communities to document the environmental changes over the past 30 years and integrated to raise community awareness and for developing future projects.

12-2 p.m. Lunch / Siesta

2-5 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Hike and Community Dialogue

Hike around the area, visiting villages and homes to further explore concepts raised during the community mapping workshop.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Foods of the Caribbean

Arrival and Welcome Orientation

Welcome Orientation

Short tours of the facilities with additional time allowing everyone to get acquainted with the education center and the sleeping cabañas with time to rest after traveling.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Goals and Objectives of Planetary Stewards Program and Introduction

Overview of the workshops, daily schedule, activities, and opportunities for the group to get acquainted through a meet-and-greet game.

Agriculture and the Environment

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

Agriculture and the Environment / Agricultural Regeneration Potential

Explore the global connections between agriculture, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation to better understand how agricultural solutions can play a role in mitigating these existential environmental threats.

12-2 p.m. Lunch / Siesta

2-5 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Tour of Farm Project / Introduction to Syntropic Agroforestry

Visit agroforestry projects organized by RAICES Global to model how agriculture can preserve biodiversity and regenerate dead soils and waterways.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Bachata & Merengue Dance Lessons

Rivers and Waterways & River Tour

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

Waterkeepers

Around the world, more than 300 waterkeeper groups are dedicated to ensuring clean, healthy, and abundant water for all people and the planet. How are they doing this, and who are they? In this workshop we will meet leaders of this group and explore their techniques.

12–1 p.m. Lunch

1–5 p.m. Las Tres Cruces River Tour

We will travel to Tres Cruces. Known as a water haven, this river once served as a site for a hydroelectric system and had a long history of importance for the surrounding villages. Today there are several waterfalls, providing an opportunity to swim in the cool, refreshing mountain river.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Herbal Medicinal Teas, Reflection, and Relaxation

Nutrition and the Modern-Day Food System

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

Reverence for Animal Protein and its Connection to Chronic Diseases.

Explore the history of nutrition to better understand how animal protein has taken center stage, thus promoting diets that fuel chronic diseases and environmental degradation. What can we do, and how can lifestyle intervention programs address these challenges?

12-2 p.m. Lunch / Siesta

2-5 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Cooking Local Caribbean Meal

Hone plant-based cooking skills while learning about new ingredients and how to prepare delicious dishes with Caribbean twists in this hands-on cooking opportunity.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Chocolate making with cacao grown at the center

Creating Resilient Communities of Health

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

Bringing Food Home

Can you thrive on food grown only within a 100-mile radius? Why would we do this? What are the benefits and how would we do it? We’ll explore how this is done at the RAICES Education Center and Brownlee’s work on The Local Food Revolution: How Humanity will Feed itself in Uncertain Times.

12-2 p.m. Lunch / Siesta

2-5 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Stewardship through seed saving, tree nurseries, food swaps, square foot gardening, jumpstarts and more

You’ll choose one of these areas to focus on. Imagine your yard or a space within your community made into abundant food forests. What would you grow, where would you get your seeds and trees, how would you share this with others, and why would you do this? Examples of doing this will be shared through activities from Brightside Farms.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Movie Screening

Food Economics, Community Land Trusts, Reforestation, and Community Despidida

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

Expanding a Global Commons through Communal Land Trusts / Communal Stewardship in Action

Explore the history of commoning and enclosure before examining the role of communal land trusts in today’s world. Breakout groups will explore particular examples before convening to discuss the work of Global Roots in establishing conservation trusts paired with regenerative agriculture.

12-2 p.m. Lunch / Siesta

2-5 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Translating What You’ve Learned / Whole Communities and Community Engagement

Translate everything covered from the study tour to your own personal contexts, creating and sharing personal action plans. We will also discuss how to stay connected through the Whole Communities platform.