Episode 10: The Next Generation - Glyphosate and Emerging Changemakers with Sheina Crystal

In this episode, Sheina Crystal, Co-Director of Re:wild Your Campus, joins us to explore the growing youth-led movement to eliminate toxic herbicides from school grounds. She shares her journey from awareness to activism, revealing how pesticides harm both human health and local ecosystems, and what it takes to transition campuses to organic land care. Together, we unpack the power of students, parents, and groundskeepers working side by side to create healthier, more biodiverse learning environments—with a bold vision to make every U.S. school pesticide-free by 2030.

Social Handles 

Instagram: ⁠@rewildyourcampus⁠

Facebook: rewildyourcampus

YouTube: rewildyourcampus

Website: r⁠ewildyourcampus.org/⁠

TikTok: tiktok.com/@rewildyourcampus

Bio: Sheina Crystal is the Co-Director of Re:wild Your Campus, a national, youth-led movement working to eliminate toxic herbicides and reimagine school grounds as living systems of biodiversity, beauty, and health. As a student at UC Santa Barbara, Sheina began by listening and learning—walking grounds with restoration crews, building relationships with campus staff, and asking what change might look like from the soil up.

She went on to help lead a successful campaign to ban glyphosate across all 10 University of California campuses, and co-developed the Green Grounds Certification, a program supporting ecological landscaping practices in educational institutions. Sheina now works directly with students across the country, mentoring the next generation of changemakers who are transforming lawns into habitats and campuses into catalysts for systemic change.

With insight, courage, and a deep sense of possibility, Sheina joins this conversation to speak to the power of grassroots advocacy—and the role young people are playing in shaping healthier, more life-affirming futures.

Website: ⁠⁠theinvisibleingredient.org⁠

Citations: Citations Link

Special thanks to the incredible teams at ⁠farmersfootprint.us⁠ and farmersfootprint.org.au⁠ ⁠as well as ⁠podbyron.com.au⁠ ⁠for their amazing support in producing the show. ⁠

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in The Invisible Ingredient podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Farmer’s Footprint or any affiliated organisation. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical, legal, or professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making decisions relating to health, farming practices, or environmental management.

The Invisible Ingredient shares conversations that awaken awareness of how our food systems, environment, and health are intertwined. We invite you to listen with curiosity, explore the research, and carry forward what resonates on your own path toward healthier people, land, and communities.