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Students in Dr. Barry Muchnick’s Applied Sustainability Practicum class participated in the Maryland General Assembly process to support the creation of a new statewide On-Farm Composting Grant Program. Rosa Hance, founder of Enhanced Impact LLC and SMCM adjunct instructor, joined the class – which focuses on change agency and sustainability – to lead a workshop on Maryland’s legislative process. After screening bill hearings and discussing effective advocacy, students workshopped e-mails to their legislators and testimony for the next hearing during the legislative session in February. Several SMCM students officially submitted their testimony to the witness list on record for Senate Bill SB599, which was subsequently signed into law on April 28, 2026, by Governor Wes Moore. “Student engagement in public processes is key to a healthy democracy and a critical part of the environmental studies curriculum.” said Rosa Hance. The bill establishes an On-Farm Organics Diversion and Recycling Grant Program in the Department of Agriculture to award grants to eligible entities to develop and implement on-farm organics recycling, compost use, wasted food prevention, and food rescue. The new grant program holds great promise for supporting sustainable agriculture initiatives across the state, including at SMCM’s own Kate Chandler Campus Community Farm.
