By Jenna Catsos, Campus Editor, Green Mountain College
In a small town in rural Vermont, 750 college students are learning how to change the world, starting with their campus.
No one complains about the extra $30 they are billed each year; most likely because this is some of the best-spent money of their tuition. For the cost of a good dinner out, students are instead funding Green Mountain College’s own Student Campus Greening Fund, the 100% student operated, volunteer organization designed to bridge the gap between the college’s environmental mission and the reality of GMC’s impact. The approximate $20,000 raised each year is then offered to the student body, through grants, in order to put their greening dreams into action.
The Student Campus Greening Fund (SCGF) allows students the unique challenge of setting the environmental course for Green Mountain College. The school has set the academic context for students to become innovative environmental leaders, and is responding favorably in support of student initiatives. “But it is our students, as expressed through the establishment and implementation of the Greening Fund and its projects, who are leading the way,” explains Jesse Pyles, campus sustainability coordinator.
After the inaugural round of SCGF awards last year, student greening initiatives began to appear all over the Green Mountain campus. Over the summer, three double-sided printers were bought for the Griswold Library, and a new water-saving distillation machine was installed in the Ackley chemistry lab. New recycling bins can be found throughout campus, and much-needed equipment has been purchased to help out the recycling crew. A pilot case for compact fluorescent bulbs in the dining hall is testing the feasibility of that project, while new steps are being taken to assess switching the main heat source of the college to an environmentally friendly biomass, woodchip burner.
Students Eat Local
Perhaps the Greening Fund became an “institution” on campus in September, with the incredible success of the “Five Farms in Five Days” project. For most Green Mountain College students, the real moment of greening impact was when they took their first bite of the local, farm fresh food being served in the dining hall.
It may seem like it was just a lunch-time menu, but this program stands for so much more. The five days of local food required an incredible amount of planning and dedication, and they represent an opportunity to practice what GMC preaches.
Increasing Awareness of Sustainability Issues on Campus
Corinna Lowe, the student grant writer and implementer of the project, came up with the idea on the way to the North East Organic Farming Association’s winter conference. She proposed the idea to the Student Campus Greening Fund, and was granted $3,000, which was later matched by GMC’s dining service, Chartwells. The grant’s main goal was to increases awareness of sustainability issues on campus, more directly sustainability of food on campus. This grant put GMC’s mission statement into action, and demonstrated student’s support and demand for local food and Chartwell’s willingness to work with students. “Chartwells supported the grant more than just financially,” says Lowe. “Dave Ondria [local Chartwells chef] was my partner in making this week happen.”
Students were given the opportunity to eat roasted pork, fresh salads, grilled turkey, sourdough bread and ice cream, all made with local ingredients from local farms, and the reactions were loud and positive. “The first day at lunch a student came back for seconds and asked if they were suppose to have one serving so everyone could get some of the local food, or if they could have seconds,” says Lowe. “My answer was, ‘Yes and yes.’”
Making the Plan Permanent
The five days of local, farm fresh food may be over, but that doesn’t mean the idea has been laid to rest. A block being offered on campus this fall, Food, Agriculture, and Community Development in the Northeast, plans to take this vision to the next level. “The students are working on developing a sophisticated understanding of how the Northeast food and agricultural system operates—from local, regional, national and international perspectives,” explains Philip Ackerman-Leist, director of Green Mountain’s farm and food project, and one of the three professors for the block course. The GMC dining hall is being used as a focal point for this strategy. As a final project for the course, the students are expected to give a presentation to the administration. “This presentation will include research done throughout the semester and a proposition for incorporating local food into the dinning hall,” says Lowe, who also happens to be in the block course. “From what I know now, I think it is possible to incorporate more local food into the dining hall. Throughout this semester I hope to have a better understanding of exactly at what level it is.”
The Obstacles
While this may seem like a large undertaking for a small school like Green Mountain, there is proof that it can be done. The list of colleges that are already including local food options in their dining halls is growing, and includes such schools as Brown University, Dartmouth College, University of New Hampshire and Yale University. Many may argue that these programs were heavily subsidized, but Green Mountain has something more than just money: support and enthusiasm. “Faculty members offered assistance in future local food efforts,” Lowe says.
And she is not alone in her eagerness and dedication to this project; other students on campus are similarly charged, like Ryan Murphy, an environmental studies major. “It is important to keep our local economy healthy rather than buying things from other parts of the country,” says Murphy.
When asked if she thought this marked a greater trend for the campus, Lowe answered, “No, because trends end; I think incorporating more local products into the dining hall is in Green Mountain College’s future.”
Representing the College’s Mission—Through Food
However, even if the “5 Farms in 5 Days” is as far as this project progresses, it has still helped to put GMC’s environmental mission into action. “Eating is a community-oriented activity that virtually everyone participates in three times a day,” reflects Lowe. “Serving local food in the dining hall is the most effective method to teach students and engage them in environmental responsibility and global understanding though everyday food consumption. Not only will this [project] have a positive impact on students, it will also have a positive impact on every individual that eats in the dinning hall, local farmers we purchase from, the local economy, other colleges, universities and anyone that interacts with the GMC community.”
Three things you can do
1. Visit your local Farmer’s Market. Farmer’s Markets are great places to meet the farmers from your area, make connections, and make purchases. The food will vary with the season, but it is important to learn what types of food are grown in your area, and to support your local farmers.
2. Learn about the slow food movement. Created as a counterattack to the fast food movement, slow food stresses the importance of pleasure in eating and the retention of cultures and local foods in the face of globalization.
3. Think locally—not globally! Choose local restaurants over McDonalds, and local shops over WalMart—support your local economy and local shop owners.
Because, it’s nice to know exactly where your food comes from, and exactly what’s in it. It is kind of scary how rare it is to know those things.
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