New Meals, New Friends and New Experiences

Tenderfoot Learning Lab fosters an environment for new experiences and introduces ways to incorporate sustainable practices into everyday lifestyles. Whether you are new to or seasoned in sustainable living practices, Tenderfoot’s mission is to include people from all backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge. This creates a welcoming environment to learn how to be a kinder resident on our planet. 

New experiences are an integral part of life, allowing us to grow in countless ways. The 2025 in-residence summer interns just finished up their first week at Tenderfoot, learning, doing and eating in different ways. Over the course of the next three weeks, the in-residence interns will not only hone skills in relation to their position but also learn how to be better Earth residents. Tenderfoot’s unique atmosphere offers visitors a chance to take in the beautiful scenery while learning how to live a more sustainable life. 

Growing up, I helped my mom in her garden, planting various fruits, vegetables and flowers, which gave me a little background in garden knowledge. I came to Tenderfoot with a little garden confidence, but quickly realized I had much to learn in the world of dirt and garden tools. A new experience of mine was using a hoe to remove an undesired plant from a plot of land to create more green space. On the more food-related side, I learned how to make sushi, a food I often enjoy but have never made on my own. Chef Luke shared some valuable tips on how to properly roll sushi to prevent spillage or breakage. I’m excited to add another recipe to my college meal rotation.

To keep the theme of new experiences, I asked a few of my fellow in-residence interns to describe a new experience that they’ve had this first week living here, uniquely to Tenderfoot. 

Rising junior and fellow marketer-in-residence, Erin Brogan, describes her new experience from her first week at Tenderfoot: “While doing outdoor crew chores, we came across a garter snake, and I protected my fearful colleague by catching the snake and safely relocating it. While I have caught a snake before, this was my biggest snake to date.”  

Ollie Viskocil, biologist-in-residence, details his newfound knowledge of soil and outdoor critters: “A new experience I had was foraging for soil and pine needles to mix in with the compost to create richer soil. Seeing many bugs in the soil was a good indication of high-quality, nutrient-dense soil. I also learned that daddy long legs are not spiders, but insects because they have six legs with two long antennae.”

Holly Fryburger, environmentalist-in-residence, explains her trials and tribulations using wood-burning tools for her project: “It was my first time wood burning and using woodworking tools. In an attempt to create signs for my group project, I wood-burned a few designs onto scrap pieces of wood.” 

This week was filled with new friendships, new recipes, and most importantly, new experiences. Trying new things is often a scary but ultimately a rewarding experience, and this week was full of them. I am looking forward to the weeks ahead, hoping to expand my knowledge even further in new areas and mindsets.