OUR MISSION
Quench & Nourish, Inc. was formed to address global hunger and poverty of economically disadvantaged populations, by working with scientists and researchers to apply the latest technology for cost-effective water filtration and food production, using independently sustainable renewable energy systems, and collaborating with other organizations and government agencies.
FOUNDER & CEO
Rachna Vas started Quench & Nourish in February, 2011 to address the rising demand for specialty crops by local immigrant communities, food vendors and restaurant owners, coupled with increasing shortages in local food production, especially during the winter months in New York. Prior to Quench & Nourish, Rachna served as the Director of Research and Development with Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County, where she worked on small farm development, four-season farming, and the production of specialty crops in Upstate New York. She has successfully written and secured numerous grants in sustainability and food security, and is actively engaged in testing soil composition and mycorrhizal impacts on crop production. Rachna has spent many years engaged in community outreach efforts with rural, Indigenous and refugee communities, with a focus on economic and workforce development initiatives. She graduated from the University of Washington with an M.S. in Forestry and a B.S. in Botany.
CLEAN AIR ISLAND
Quench & Nourish works in partnership with Clean Air Island, an NGO dedicated to urban rejuvenation in Mumbai, India. Their innovative programs include vermiculture, organic farming, waste to food systems, urban greening through enviro-roads, curricular infusion of their environmental programs in local schools, and the use of electric vehicles in pollution mitigation and waste management programs. Ms. Shanta Chatterji is the Convener and Trustee of Clean Air Island. She is also the Chairman of Rotary International Programmes of the Rotary Club of Bombay, as well as the Chairman and Managing Director of Chattelec Vehicles India, Ltd. Ms. Chatterji has coordinated several major environmental projects, such as the transformation of a waste dump in Mumbai into the now biodiverse Mahim Nature Park, and other projects involving the Mula Mutha Bird Sanctuary in Pune; the Chorao Islands in Goa, and, the Nhava-Sheva Park in Mumbai. Ms. Chatterji has been engaged in various environmental education projects and environmental theatre on vermiculture of wet waste, the use of electric vehicles for pollution mitigation programs and the greening of Enviro Roads. She has also worked with the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation on the Rajiv Gandhi Environment Certificates. Ms. Chatterji has published several articles and conducted many presentations worldwide on vermiculture, greening programs and the use of electric vehicles in dealing with waste management as a part of urban rejuvenation programs.