Our Mission
Recirculating Farms is a 501c3 non-profit collaborative of farmers, educators, and activists committed to building an equitable food system from farm to fork. We run ecologically and socially responsible programs, that grow local, affordable food through innovative, eco-efficient methods, based on historic practices. Through training, outreach and advocacy, we advance sustainable farming and create stable jobs in green businesses, in diverse communities, to foster physical, mental, and financial wellness.
Our Challenge
Our primary food production systems in the United States are overly industrialized — for example, concentrated animal feed lots, factory fishing boats, and massive fruit and vegetable farms. Reliance on imported foods, with minimal safety inspections and a huge carbon footprint to transport products around the globe, hurts us and our environment, providing fewer jobs, increasing pollution and delivering consumers lower quality food. The U.S. government, in response to the public’s growing complaints about our troubled food system, continues to explore various ways to boost domestic food production. Unfortunately, it mostly does so in a manner that encourages further industrialization and poor food quality. Our challenge is to promote an alternative to this model, one that establishes healthy, natural, and community-based food production.
Our Vision
We envision a movement toward community-based food production. This can provide safer, fresher, better quality, accessible food and local green job opportunities. A different way of growing, “recirculating farming,” is emerging nationwide and can meet these goals.
Recirculating farms use constantly cleaned, recycled water as the basis to grow food. They can grow plants (recirculating hydroponics), fish (recirculating aquaculture), or plants and fish together in one system (aquaponics). Recirculating farms come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles, but they all have one main theme – recycled water. These farms are almost entirely closed loop, and can operate without chemicals or antibiotics, efficiently use water and energy, and be located virtually anywhere — importantly, near the people they serve. This cuts down on use of fuel for shipping and refrigeration and lowers costs of the farm; savings that can be passed on to the consumer, making good food more affordable. These farms can provide a wide range of products, including finfish, shellfish, herbs, fruits, vegetables, other plants and flowers.
Our vision is for communities across the country to have recirculating farms as a source of local, healthy fresh food and stable jobs in green businesses.
Our History
Recirculating Farms grew out of a program initiated at Food & Water Watch, a national consumer advocacy organization. In 2009, staff with the Fish and Oceans Program at Food & Water Watch coordinated a meeting of leading recirculating aquaculturists, hydroponic and aquaponic farmers, other scientists and government agencies involved in agriculture and fisheries fields. The outcome of this meeting was a unanimous call for a coordinating collaborative entity that could help raise the profile of recirculating farms in the United States and push for policy, legislative and educational initiatives. Thus, Recirculating Farms was born.
In its infancy we were a group of professionals, entrepreneurs and others interested in exploring a better, more local way to provide sustainably-produced, accessible food. Since that time, Recirculating Farms has grown in membership and programs, developing strategic plans to promote policy, legislative, and educational activities throughout the U.S.
We are headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana where we have a dedicated local team and several urban farms in cooperation with veterans, musicians, senior housing and community health and wellness organizations, managed under “Growing Local NOLA”. We run a mobile fresh food delivery and holistic health program “Growing Local On the Geaux”, that brings various health-supportive services into New Orleans neighborhoods with low-access to such resources.
Our Team
Sascha Bollag
Operations Manager
As Operations Manager for Recirculating Farms, Sascha handles financial information and other organization documentation, and engages on legislation, policy, and other legal work. He also enjoys assisting with farm maintenance and building projects. Previously, Sascha was “Of Counsel”. He received his J.D. from New York University and is a member of the Louisiana and Washington DC Bar Associations. He worked extensively on human rights, labor and housing issues, with a range of groups and organizations, including the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Center for Constitutional Rights and the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center. Sascha also is an affiliate attorney for Green Justice. Prior to attending law school, Sascha was an Organizer, and then a Legislative and Policy Coordinator for the Fish and Oceans Program at Food & Water Watch in Washington, DC. He has a B.A. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Dimitri Celis
Programs Director
Dimitri is a certified Louisiana Master Gardener with a lifelong passion and interest in cooking and growing food to connect himself with the land, his Filipino heritage, and his community. For over a decade he worked in the city’s restaurant industry where he experienced the disconnects between consumers, workers, and environment in our industrial food system. He also served two AmeriCorps terms in New Orleans gaining valuable experience advocating for and working alongside historically disenfranchised communities. As Programs Director, he ensures our work is centered around environmental sustainability and food equity. Dimitri holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and M.A. in Environmental Law from Loyola University New Orleans. His research focused on the intersection of policy, urban agriculture, and social justice.
Marianne Cufone
Executive Director
Ms. Marianne Cufone is founder and Executive Director of Recirculating Farms. She is an environmental attorney, and long time healthy, affordable food advocate. She is also a professional chef, trained by the Natural Gourmet Institute, a leading facility on health supportive culinary arts and theory. Marianne comes from a long line of farmers and fishermen and is both herself. Applying her personal and family interests to her work – she has been involved with natural resources management, focused on oceans, fisheries, seafood and agriculture for the past 15 years. Marianne directed the fish and oceans program at Food and Water Watch (2007-2011), managed the Gulf, South Atlantic and Caribbean fisheries program for the Center for Marine Conservation (1999-2003), runs Environment Matters, a consulting firm that provides legal, policy and communications support to non-profit organizations (2003-present) on environmental issues and founded Green Justice Legal, a non-profit public interest firm focused on protecting the natural and human environment. She also maintains positions on advisory committees for local, state and the federal government and various other non-profits and businesses. Marianne currently heads an environmental policy clinical class at University of Loyola New Orleans School of Law, and has taught law and various college courses and given many guest lectures at assorted academic institutions. She appears in print, television, radio, and other media, is published in various magazines and professional works and testified before U.S. Congress. Marianne is a member of: the Florida Bar; the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida; the Louisiana Bar; the United States District Court, Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana; the U.S. Supreme Court; the American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy and Resources; and the American Fisheries Society
Michael Richard II
Farm Director
A native New Orleanian, Michael runs Recirculating Farms sites in Central City, New Orleans, and oversees other partner farms. He has long time experience in training, hands-on learning, and farm management, particularly in aquaponic and regenerative urban growing practices. He leads programs for children to young adults and Veterans, focused on inspiring connections to fresh food and healthy lifestyles. Michael’s passions come from growing up in a family that was constantly giving back to the community and always in the garden. He feels strongly about acknowledging indigenous peoples and their growing methods, and works to incorporate these with new approaches. Michael focuses on connecting people to agriculture through their own cultural histories. He has more than 10 years experience working with diverse populations in local food and wellness, and has been on the leadership team of the Greater New Orleans Growers Alliance and a Food Policy Action Council member. Michael holds a B.A in Sociology from Southeastern University, and a M.A. in Environmental Law and Policy from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.
Linda Malonis
Farm Manager
Linda has a lifelong passion for urban farming and a deep commitment to growing community through regenerative, sustainable urban farming. As Farm Manager at Recirculating Farms, they specialize in organic farming practices, urban ecosystem restoration, urban permaculture design, composting systems, aquaponics, and hydroponics, all aimed at fostering self-sufficiency and resilience within New Orleans’ urban landscape. Linda first became involved with Recirculating Farms as a volunteer after moving to New Orleans 10 years ago. She was drawn to the organization by the opportunity to connect to her new neighbors through a love of healthy local food. Over the last decade, she has worked with local farms to develop innovative, environmentally conscious farm systems that aim to improve local food access and empower others to grow their own food.
Shae Thomas
Keeper of Bees
Shae Thomas is a local New Orleans beekeeper, for the past several years. She started with backyard beekeeping, maintaining her own hives. During the pandemic she launched a host-a-hive program through her biz, What It Bees Like, in the greater New Orleans area. Program hives span across the northshore, southshore, and both the east and west banks in New Orleans. The program offers hive management in community gardens, backyard gardens, and vacant properties around the city. Hive hosts and their community are able to learn about beekeeping with as much “live-action” or from-a-distance as they want–all the while helping a few more bees have a home.
Our Board
Tony Griffith
Anthony “Tony” Griffith is a native and resident New Orleanian. He was raised in the Seabrook neighborhood, near the Lakefront area. Tony spent much of his childhood with his mother and grandmother, in the kitchen. His oldest memories are of cooking red beans and rice and file gumbo. Tony remembers sneaking out and going down to the French Quarter with his friends to “tourist watch” and walk Bourbon Street. He was an altar boy and tour guide at the famous St. Louis Cathedral, and now is a parishioner there. Tony enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 18. He was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas and then served in Operation Desert Storm. While in the infantry, Tony traveled to Kuwait, France, Greece, and spent more than two years in Germany. Being in Europe expanded his palate and interest in what is now considered “farm to table” – growing, preparing and eating local food. He likes to have a connection with where his food came from and especially enjoys fresh butter, eggs and cream – and German beer! Following his Army service, Tony returned to New Orleans for college, and he quickly became more interested and involved in the expanding food movement and culture. Tony worked for a local spice company, Cajun Kettle, where he helped prepare proprietary spice and sauce mixes for many of the city’s most popular dishes and restaurants, including the famed Crawfish Monica, which is today still one of his favorites. Tony currently works for the U.S. Postal Service, enjoys eating out – from fish shacks to fine dining – every chance he gets and loves trying new foods. True to the New Orleans tradition, his favorite meal is brunch. Tony is the President of the Recirculating Farms Board.
Kacey Labonte
Kacey LaBonte grew up in Colchester, VT and is currently a Ph.D. student in Food Systems and a Graduate Fellow of the Food Systems Research Center and the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. She holds a BA in Global Studies from Colby College and recently graduated from Tulane University with a master’s degree in Public Health Nutrition. After living in both rural Vermont and New Orleans and working on farms and in communities in both locations through COVID-19 and climate crises, Kacey developed a strong passion for working alongside farmers to address future public health and climate related shocks to our food system. These experiences led Kacey back home to Vermont, where she will investigate how crisis and change impact farmer behavior. She loves to do all activities with her sweet pups Finn and Bear, read, and hang out with her grandparents.
Martin P. Schreibman, PhD (Emeritus)
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology at the City University of New York’s Brooklyn College, Dr. Schreibman helped perfect a model for sustainable urban farming using cutting edge technology, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), to grow fish. Professor Schreibman is the founder and Director Emeritus of Brooklyn College’s Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center (AREAC), a research facility devoted to the study of aquatic organisms — how they grow, adapt, reproduce, and live in all temperatures and environments. He and a multidisciplinary team of researchers seek to answer questions about medicine, nutrition, pollution, aquaculture, fisheries, and marine ecology. AREAC’s projects include bivalve and fish aquaculture, breeding horseshoe crabs, educational outreach, and product commercialization. Dr. Schreibman has devoted many years to developing urban aquaponics — growing both fish and plants together in a symbiotic water re-use system. Over the past 25 plus years, his recirculating farming techniques have been used for assorted projects — even in outer space. In 1998, on the space shuttle Endeavor, he worked with Dr. Volker Bluem of Germany to develop a small system to test whether growing fresh food in space could be an option for lengthy trips. Dr. Schreibman is a Founding Board Member (Emeritus) for Recirculating Farms.