Earth Week at Govs

Foraging, Fairy Tales, and Sustainability in Action

This year, The Governor’s Academy expanded Earth Day into a week-long celebration filled with immersive learning and hands-on experiences. At the heart of the festivities was alumna Diana Burnell ‘00, an expert forager and founder of Edible Excursions Wild Foods, who returned to campus to share her unique knowledge with the community.

Throughout the week, Diana brought her passion for wild food to students across disciplines. She guest-taught in a variety of classes, including Biology/New England Coastal Ecology, Intermediate Drawing, Introduction to Fairy Tales, and Honors Environmental Science. Her presence connected students to the natural world in unexpected and meaningful ways.

In Monica Kirschmann’s Introduction to Fairy Tales class, where students had been exploring the role of food in folklore, Diana guided a foraging walk that doubled as creative inspiration. Students identified (and sampled!) a myriad of edible and medicinal plants with her help, using this newfound knowledge to weave into original fairy tales of their own.

Meanwhile, in Jamie Brandt’s Honors Environmental Science class, Diana led students on a guided walk through campus to forage for ingredients used to create their own "wild sodas." Along the way, they paused at various plants and trees, learning to identify useful species from which they could harvest leaves, pine needles, and other plant materials to fill water bottles that would ferment into naturally fizzy beverages over the coming days.

Friday brought another Earth Week highlight: a visit from sustainability advocate Alex Eaves. He gave two engaging talks on the power of reuse and recycling and offered tours of The REUSE! Box Truck, his mobile tiny home built entirely from repurposed materials.

Diana concluded her week with a special event in the Passion in Practice alumni speaker series. In this virtual workshop, she took participants on a “woodland walk,” highlighting year-round edible treasures like wild mushrooms, herbs, tree bark, roots, and pine needles. She also shared recipes and practical tips for cooking with these foraged finds. For those who couldn’t attend live, a recording is available to enjoy here.