Buffalo Go Green
Marla Guarino is a Registered Dietitian devoted to promoting healthy living in communities through access to good, affordable food and active spaces to learn and play.
She works as the Director of Programming for Buffalo Go Green, a minority and veteran-founded non-profit that combats food injustice by providing fresh produce from three urban farms. BGG provides nutrition education and culturally-relevant cooking classes led by registered dietitians and local chefs. They were early implementers of Produce Prescription programs alongside healthcare partners. A Holistic Wellness and Agricultural Education Campus planned for 2025 will have a teaching kitchen, community space, and a 5200 sq. foot hydroponic farm.
Prior to Buffalo Go Green, Marla worked at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus working on Farm to Institution procurement efforts and Food As Medicine policy and implementation. She is a founder and chair of the BNMC Food As Medicine Symposium and WNY Food as Medicine Coalition. She started her career in community health at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County first as a SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator and then Community Coordinator for the NYS Department of Health grant, Creating Healthy Schools and Communities, working on food access, worksite wellness, food standards, and Complete Streets implementation. Before her non-profit work, she had a twenty-year career in the food and beverage industry and operated a popular Buffalo restaurant featuring local, sustainable foods.
Marla has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Allegheny College and a Bachelor of Science from the Dietitian Education Program at SUNY Buffalo State College. She happily lives in the city of Buffalo with her teenage daughter and enjoys reading, biking, and exploring.