Emily Farshchi never thought she would move back to the community she grew up in or return to retail work. Now, almost 10 years later, with a husband and two kids, Farshchi is back in New Albany – and here to stay.
Always having a spot in her heart for nature, Farshchi pursues that passion every day through her work in sustainability and environmental education to help reduce corporate climate impact and teach the next generation about the environment.
Planting the seed
Emily Farshchi
Farschi as a student at New Albany High School.
Farshchi was born and raised in New Albany as the city itself was taking shape. Her parents applied for and won one of the first neighborhood plots in the area and became very involved in the growth of the community.
“My mom was super active in shaping what New Albany is now,” Farshchi says. “At the time, there was a lot of big stuff that had to happen, and there was a group of moms that were kind of galvanized and making that happen, and she was a part of that whole force.”
Emily Farshchi
Emily and Nate.
Throughout her school years, she stayed active with lacrosse, cheer and dance while working with various retail businesses as a fit model and by participating in focus groups. It was during those years that she also discovered her love for the environment, thanks to the district’s humanities and environmental science programs and the teacher in charge of them.
“Bill Somerlot was the head of the environmental science program at the time, and he just drummed up so much authentic excitement from the kids in our class. Everyone was really into it,” Farshchi says. “We’d put on waders and go out in the wetlands that were walkable from the school, and I think the seed was planted there.”
She met her husband and fellow New Albany native, Nate, during their sophomore and senior years at New Albany High School respectively. After graduation, the two moved on to Ohio University, where she studied management information systems; following college, they began their journey out west.
Environmental passion blooms
Soon after college, Farshchi landed a job at KPMG in Orange County, California. While she loved her work in the tech field, she started feeling a pull back to the retail industry and wanted to see if there was a way to combine her passions into a career.
“That was my dream. To be able to do something in retail, because I really enjoyed retail, but something that oriented more toward a social cause or an environmental cause,” Farshchi says.
That steered her toward Pacsun, where she worked in the e-commerce department, and years later, the intimates brand PepperⓇ, where she climbed her way up to become the director of merchandising. Eventually, that led her to her current position with Victoria’s Secret & Co. as a member of its environmental and social sustainability strategy team.
One project Farshchi has enjoyed supporting is the company’s direct-sourced cotton partnership with female farmers in Alabama, whose cotton is in Victoria Secret and PINK products.
“It’s amazing work. (Victoria’s Secret is) a global leading intimate apparel brand, and so the impact of anything we do is big,” Farshchi says. “Being able to be a part of the team that’s being really strategic and thoughtful about what that impact is and how we make the best choices there is really, really gratifying work.”
Emily Farshchi
Emily Farshchi
Roots Eco School
Nurturing future generations
As she and Nate were getting ready to welcome their second child, Farshchi says they found themselves wanting to be closer to family, leading to their move back to New Albany in 2023. After the move, she reconnected with fellow New Albany graduate, Sophia Mershad Costantino, and a new friend, Danielle Joseph, and discussions surrounding creating a nature school began.
“(We thought), ‘How wonderful would it be to create this hub for the community and give back to the community, a gathering space that connects people to the seasons and the land, and slowly builds more appreciation for agriculture?’… that’s been the vision for the space,” Farshchi says.
And thus, Roots Eco School was born.
Emily Farshchi
Through this nature-based early learning and community space, Farshchi says the school has hosted seasonal gatherings, such as spring equinox and summer solstice events, as well as enrichment school programming for young children.
“The goal is for them to have experiences where they are outside, able to get messy, able to explore and be really curious, use their hands and feel this pride and independence,” Farshchi says.
Although their initial focus has been on younger kids, due in part to the ages of their own children, Farshchi says they hope to expand the programming and events so Roots’ 16-acre campus can welcome more people from the community.
“The goal is for it to be truly a community space, so all ages,” Farshchi says. “We want to have elders in the community feel welcome as much as young families or high school kids.”
Rachel Hanz is the lead editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rhanz@cityscenemediagroup.com.
