Carol Manetta founded Reap Goodness with a simple but extraordinary conviction: that communities, when given the tools and knowledge, can regenerate the Earth.

Born in Michigan, she built a life that bridged science, education, and humanity. Her early work researching virtual reality opened doors to developing cooperative learning systems and pioneering models for organic farming and community-led sustainability. After earning her master’s degree in instructional design, development, and testing, she transitioned from her corporate career at Ford Motor Company and Ford Credit to dedicate herself fully to community and environmental work.

Through Reap Goodness, Carol united people from every background (educators, volunteers, scientists, city leaders, and families) around a shared purpose: restoring soil, regenerating ecosystems, and building food forests that nourish both people and planet.

Her publications, including Worker Cooperative People Skills, Worker Cooperative Technical Skills, and Saving Earth: Regenerated Land, Clean Water, Food for All, reflect her lifelong mission to combine practical knowledge with hope. She also contributed a chapter to Climate Adaptation: Accounts of Resilience, Self-Sufficiency and Systems Change, published for the United Nations COP26 Climate Summit.

Carol was a member of the Conscious Food Systems Alliance (United Nations Development Programme) and the Planetary Health Alliance (Johns Hopkins University). In 2017, Arizona State University recognized her with the Spirit of EPICS Award for her exceptional work in community-engaged engineering and sustainability.

Her vision of “Clean Water and Food for All” remains at the heart of Reap Goodness. Every partnership formed, every site restored, and every seed planted continues the work she began.

The Reap Goodness Board, volunteers, and community partners honor Carol’s life by carrying forward her mission of education, cooperation, and planetary restoration.