SPONSORED BY ANNIE’S HOMEGROWN
“The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture.” ~ Michael Pollan, American author, journalist, activist, and professor of journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
What comes to mind when you think of your dining hall or cafeteria? Pizza? A meal with friends? Snacks between classes? How about a place where sustainable transformation can occur.
Schools like the University of California at Santa Cruz, Yale University, and Warren Wilson College are not only choosing FLOSN (Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal, and non-GMO) food for their students, but they are also reducing waste and conserving water and energy, truly transitioning dining halls from conventional to conscious.
Project Green Challenge has been a source of inspiration for many students to change their dining practices, including PGC 2015 Champion, Missy Martin. Missy grew tired of her inability to eat a FLOSN diet at her university, which sparked a petition on Change.org this summer. The petition voiced her demand that Belmont University change their practices to allow her and all students to opt out of unhealthy meal plans. Despite the success of her petition, and the validity of her request to protect her right to health, Belmont refused to change their practices. As a result, Missy chose to leave Belmont University in favor of a school that prioritizes the health and wellness of their students. Read this EcoWatch article where Missy shares her experience.
A dining hall represents so much; it is a space where practices like FLOSN and agroecology can be brought to life; where one can actively choose to support organic, non-GMO and fair trade; and where systems for composting and reusables can be utilized.
How do you feel about the food offerings at your school? Students and faculty are among the strongest influencers of dining policy. You have more power than you may think, so why not be the catalyst for change.
This challenge will allow you to put to use the knowledge gained thus far in PGC and work to transform one aspect of the food service on campus, one that matters to you personally.
Dining halls often provide at least a third (and frequently all) of a student’s daily food intake, so the quality of food and ingredients really matter. Unfortunately, campus dining often serves up the poorest quality food. We hope your PGC experience is informing and empowering you to change that picture.
Here are a few things to think about.
Upload a PDF document with your responses. Please include your name (or team name), username, email address and school.
Submission Guidelines
Thousands of schools across the country serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to students. But schools mostly prioritize cost or convenience over nutritional value and food quality.
Upload a PDF document with your responses and a screenshot of your Instagram post.
Please include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
Up to 100 Points. Awarded at the Discretion of the PGC Team
Due on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 6 am PT
Real Food Challenge, our partner today, has inspired a global movement of students on college campuses to implement sustainable food practices in their dining halls. As a result, many schools are signing the Real Food Campus Commitment, a promise to buy at least 20% “real food” by 2020, using purchasing power to support a healthy and just food system. This initiative serves as living proof that students can use their voices to advocate for policies on campus that support local, fair, humane, and ecologically sound choices.
Upload a PDF document with your responses, a summary of the meeting you held, and plans for the future. Please include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
