Around 40 students gathered behind the Haverford College Apartments (HCA) on Sept. 28 for a community meal hosted by E-Haus, a housing cooperative dedicated to food and environmental justice.
E-Haus’ 12 members worked together to organize the event, which was open to all students in the Tri-Co. The meal included ingredients sourced from the Haverfarm and the HCA Garden, a student-run, pick-your-own-produce garden supported by Haverfarm staff. Most dishes were vegetarian or vegan, including a butternut squash soup made with squash from the garden. Students filled their plates from a buffet-style spread and sat on picnic blankets laid across the lawn, where they ate, chatted and enjoyed live music.
E-Haus, located in HCA 15, was originally founded in 1990 by a group of student activists and has been revived for the 2025-2026 school year after becoming inactive in 2019. Haverford junior Claire Reisberg, along with junior Sachs James and senior Lilly Lakritz, led the effort to bring the housing cooperative back. Reisberg explained that E-Haus went inactive due to several challenges, including issues with funding, changes in the reapplication process and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A big thing that inspired us was reading about E-Haus and what it used to be,” Reisberg said. “I was doing a project on the history of the Haverfarm, and I talked with 20 or so alums who used to work at the farm. Almost all of them lived in E-Haus and talked about how important that was, and how the meals were really great.”
To rebuild interest, Reisberg, James and Lakritz put up flyers and promoted E-Haus on social media. Additional members were selected through a housing application form that asked about their interest in food and environmental justice, as well as their ideas for projects and events.
Reisberg expressed gratitude for E-Haus alumni who supported the relaunch. “It was very inspirational to see what they were able to do with limited resources and what they were able to create on campus. We’re just trying to do what we can to follow in those footsteps.”
According to Reisberg, food access “can be an issue at Haverford,” particularly for home-cooked gluten-free or dairy-free options. “I think all good conversation and community should take place over food or with food, and we wanted to invite everyone to share that with us,” she said.
Reisberg also emphasized the value of collaborative living as an alternative to the traditional dorm model. “I just think such a fundamental part of humanity is cooking with other people,” she said. “We’re stronger together than we are apart, and we can practice our values in the way that we live.”
Reisberg encouraged students interested in E-Haus’ mission to get involved with the Haverfarm and campus gardens. She recommended that all students “get plugged into stuff that’s going on here and in Philly in terms of whatever justice work you’re interested in.”
During the event, E-Haus distributed flyers with a QR code linking to donations for Bi-Co Mutual Aid, a student-run initiative that aims to address wealth inequality in the Bi-Co community. Members encouraged attendees to support Bi-Co Mutual Aid through Venmo, with more information available on their Instagram @bicomutualaid or at [email protected].
E-Haus plans to host at least one more community meal and three house events this semester. Upcoming events include workshops on mending, vegetable pickling, natural dyeing and paper making. E-Haus will work with the Haverfarm to co-host some events, and hopes to collaborate with other student groups, including Bryn Mawr’s Batten House. Follow the E-Haus Instagram page at @ehaus.haverford or join the mailing list for updates.
Note: This article was edited after publication to correct for a misprinted name.
