Take Action

Students

By promoting plant-based food on your campus, you’re driving a cultural shift toward sustainable and accessible food services.

Want to make positive changes on your campus?

Join the DefaultVeg Internship Program to champion better campus food while gaining valuable leadership skills and experience.

The DefaultVeg Internship Program is for changemakers (like you!) who want to bring the plant-based food movement to their university. Equipped with essential tools and guidance, ambassadors are empowered to engage positively with university decision makers, dining staff, student clubs, offices, coffee shops, and campus event staff to advocate for adopting plant-based defaults and nudges.

Our approach emphasizes collaboration over confrontation, which is popular because it preserves freedom of choice and works anywhere food is served, from a dorm party to a dining hall. Most importantly, many DefaultVeg Ambassadors have greatly impacted campus food systems.

By encouraging your campus to adopt climate-smart, plant-forward food, you’re promoting a broader cultural shift toward sustainable and inclusive food services both on and off campus.

Application

Join students leading plant-based food norms on their campuses

Parker Do worked to bring DefaultVeg to the Bruin Model United Nations conference, making delicious plant-based meals the norm for over 2,000 participants. Meanwhile, Hannah Hughes spearheaded the introduction of an oat milk default policy at Pitzer College, alongside piloting a similar initiative at Pomona College.

Lauren Walcott and Alena Baker made waves at Northwestern University by successfully advocating for DefaultVeg across over 20 student clubs and departments. Their efforts fostered a culture of inclusivity and environmental awareness around food on campus.

From the Blog:
These 7 Colleges Are Making Plant-Based Dining the New Norm

What to Expect

The program provides students with a structured internship to advocate for plant-based food by default and other nudges on your campuses. Students of any experience level can join, as the process is tailored to individual needs.

The DefaultVeg Internship Program offers:

Leadership Skills: Develop your leadership, critical thinking, project management, research, and communications skills while impacting your campus.
Training & Mentorship: Deepen your understanding through lectures and training with sustainability and food systems experts.
Flexible Custom Program: Tailored and flexible projects to fit your campus schedule and holiday breaks. Ideal for internships, projects, and service work.
$1000 Program Grant ($500 per semester): Awarded to students for completing the internship project. (Unfortunately, at this time, we can only remit payment to U.S. students due to tax rules.)

We will guide students each step of the way with online training, webinars, research and data, 1-on-1 meetings, and many more resources. In addition, you’ll be able to connect and learn with other students working on similar projects worldwide via our online platform, Circle.

Here are some project activities included in the internship:

Advocate to food service settings to use behavioral science strategies to shift food systems
Conduct campus food systems research and student surveys
Communicate with decision makers and allies in sustainability and health
Host an educational presentation or event
Participate in workshops, webinars, and group learning
Write an op-ed or article for your campus or BFF website
Host a food tasting event or tabling

How to Apply

Fill out the form below and send your resume and cover letter to [email protected]
Fall ’25/Spring ’26 cohort (6-months) deadline extended: September 15, 2025

Applications are accepted any time for capstones, grad students, or service-learning programs.

For University Faculty & Staff: Service Learning Curriculum and Nudge Workshops for University Courses

If you’d like to integrate the DefaultVeg Program into your school’s internship program, service learning, or community service requirements, please contact [email protected].

We offer Food Systems Learning Curriculum Modules that can be incorporated into your course curriculum. Developed by faculty at the University of San Diego Center for Food Systems Transformation, this module is available and updated frequently. The curriculum focuses on supporting students in enhancing their research and critical thinking skills by exploring behavioral science and our food systems.