Ruthie Schwab ’09 has been painting and drawing for as long as she can remember, so when she came to Princeton, she started out as an art and archaeology major. With Princeton’s vast resources at her fingertips, she also decided to pursue another interest — sustainable agriculture.

In high school, Schwab spent a semester living and working on an organic farm, and the experience had a lasting impact.

“It was a social experience, and you felt connected because you helped harvest root vegetables and fed sheep every morning,” says the student from Woodbridge, Connecticut. “We had a lot of speakers — local farmers and others — come talk about issues related to food and agriculture.”

Schwab joined the student group Greening Princeton, and began asking how she could create an organic garden on campus. With her growing interest in plant ecology, she changed her major to ecology and evolutionary biology, with certificates in environmental studies and visual arts.       

“I realized in my free time I wasn’t drawing, I was setting up the garden,” Schwab says. “You have to study what you’re passionate about.”

Schwab received permission to start the Garden Project, which involved growing greens and vegetables at Forbes College and educating the campus about the American food system. As a student worker for the Office of Sustainability, she spent about 30 hours a week during the summer of 2007 to launch the initiative.

As an undergraduate fellow at Forbes, she continues to participate in the activities of her residential college, particularly the garden and advising freshmen, even though she has moved to upperclass housing.

With Kathryn Andersen ’08, Schwab also led an effort to establish a farmers market, supporting local farmers and businesses, on campus. The Princeton administration’s support has been a pleasant surprise, she says.

“I don’t think anybody asked, ‘Why are you doing this?’ but ‘What do you need?’” says Schwab. “People have only been helpful. I’ve found a lot of encouragement, so if I’m organized, it’s going to happen.”