Rosemary Ostfeld: Sustainability, Education, and Food Systems

Rosemary Ostfeld brings science, entrepreneurship, and empathy together in a meaningful way. She works at the intersection of environmental innovation and human connection. As the founder of Healthy PlanEat and a professor at Wesleyan University, she shares both stories from both an academic lens as well as a founder lens.

Raised in East Lyme, Connecticut, Rosemary was surrounded by the values of health and sustainability. Her mother started a natural food store in the early 1970s. Rosemary studied biology and earth and environmental science at Wesleyan University and went on to complete a PhD in land economy, a field that combines environmental studies, policy, law, and economics at Cambridge University. This foundation, rooted in both science and systems, continues to shape her work.

In between Wesleyan and Cambridge, she worked for a summer at a biofuel company. She noticed that everyone was wearing different hats, working quickly and creatively, and it sparked a realization: “Maybe being an entrepreneur is something that I would like to do.” As she moved through her education and early career, that idea stayed with her. She also realized that she wanted to work on the people side of things: “How discoveries can exist in the world and how people can use them.”

Healthy PlanEat, the food tech startup she leads, reflects her belief that local food systems matter. The platform helps customers connect with and purchase directly from sustainable farmers in their region. In parallel, Rosemary teaches environmental studies and social entrepreneurship at Wesleyan. For her, kindness shows up in mentorship, education, and the support she has received, and now extends to others.

She shared how kindness has shaped her career. From supportive PhD supervisors in the UK to advisors at SCORE, the Connecticut Small Business Development Center, and the Women's Business Development Council, Rosemary highlights the generosity of people who guided her through early challenges. Their time and care helped her grow, and modeled the kind of mentor she now strives to be.

Cultural context also matters. Her time at Cambridge made her more aware of how kindness can be expressed and interpreted differently, even between countries that share a language. In her experience, British communication often felt more polite and sometimes required reading between the lines. She reflected on the importance of body language, tone, and attentiveness. These nuances are now part of how she teaches and leads—especially in diverse, collaborative environments.

Rosemary believes that kindness makes businesses stronger. Loyalty, mentorship, and team well-being are success factors. And kindness and competitiveness, she believes, can absolutely coexist. She also reflected on a shared principle across many belief systems: the golden rule. “Treat others how you would like to be treated.” She believes this is a universal path to a better life.

“I think kindness is our default… it is a very natural and important part of our being human and it’s something that we naturally do and want to be.”

Rosemary Ostfeld is an entrepreneur and educator shaping the future of food systems through kindness, sustainability, and care. Keep an eye out for more interviews.