HEAL Food Alliance

2021 School of Political Leadership

Team: Idaho Food Sovereignty Project

Benjamin Trieu

Board Member, Idaho Organization of Resource Councils (IORC) & Co-founder, Treasure Valley Community Garden Cooperative (TVCGCoop)

"The HEAL Food Alliance’s School of Political Leadership will be an important tool we can use to dig in and pry corrupt weeds out by their greedy roots and let our communities bloom!" 
Benjamin, on what SoPL means to him

Meet Benjamin

Growing up in Bloomington, MN I only saw suburbia for years. Nature and community were only concepts I’d occasionally be a tourist to, until the most fulfilling and connecting year of my life: the first season I spent on a farm. With new eyes, I started seeing both this beautiful web of ecology connecting all life, as well as a nefarious, manufactured exploitation that severed the connection from our land, our food, and each other.

I’m a stubborn engineer, and couldn’t let a monstrous problem like this continue to run rampant. I’ve spent years reading, discussing, and collaborating on understanding this issue and making moves to solve aspects of it. There’s been a lot of farming, community organizing, and DIY experiments, including organizing a Sustainable Farming Film Festival, acting as a Board Member of the Boise Farmers Market, leading Boise Bicycle Farm Tours, and assisting running a victorious City Council Campaign. Most recently I co-founded the Treasure Valley Community Garden Cooperative, and am looking forward to what comes next!