A week ago, on October 24th, the nation celebrated Food Day and we saw over 225 campuses unite and spread the message about the importance of "real" food. This kicked off numerous events and even prompted entire Food Weeks to be celebrated on various campuses. Here are more highlights from events that lasted throughout last week.
(3) Use Food Day to educate your campus about it--dining managers, students, everyone!
On Food Day, October 24th, students on over 200 college campuses nation-wide spoke in one voice, calling--for a more just and sustainable food system.
Food Day also marked a new phase in this student movement--the launch of our GET REAL! Campaign. This new campaign builds on over three years of powerful student action, including successes like these:
Western Washington University -- students got support for real food initiatives written into their multi-year, multi-million dollar food service contract.
University of California -- students successfully pushed for a system-wide policy that mandates sustainable food purchases at all 10 campuses (including five big medical centers!)
Carlton, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Vermont and more -- use the Real Food Calculator to shed light on exactly what businesses their meal plan dollars are going to, and then push for more local, organic, fair trade options
All told, we've gotten our schools to commit upwards of $34 million to real food! We are making a powerful difference--in the health of our fellow students, in our local communities, and for family farmers at home and abroad.
The Get Real! Campaign is an effort to amplify our voices and power by rallying around a new, unified statement: every university president in the country should sign a Real Food Campus Commitment and have their institution become a leader in the real food movement.
The Real Food Campus Commitment--constructed by students and experts in the field--is a formal agreement, signed by university presidents, that lays out a clear set of baseline targets around food procurement, transparency and student leadership (the key issues we've always fought for). The Commitment also lays out a process and time line for execution, providing a single, uniform model, so you won't have to reinvent the wheel.
The Campus Commitment also maintains that every campus is and should be unique. Each campus will have to craft their own campus-specific real food policy. As part of the Commitment process, real food campaigners will also have to pull together key student groups and supportive faculty, staff and administrators into a food systems working group. Together that group will craft a multi-year action plan that aligns the school's food choices with their unique values, strengths and ambitions.
Yesterday, over 225 campuses in 46 states and 4 countries united to celebrate the first ever FOOD Day and to fight for real food on their campuses! After months of dedication, passion, excitement and hard work, events across the nation highlighted the increasing need for a transformed food system in America, starting on college campuses. For its first year, this was an overwhelmingly great response and it truly reflects the desire of college students to be at the forefront of the food movement.
What's next?We are excited to have offically launched our Get Real! Campaign asking colleges and universities to commit to shift $1 billion in food purchasing to real sources by 2020! Check out how YOU can bring real food to your campus.
Read on to catch a glimpse into what colleges and universities did to celebrate Food Day 2011!
**Send your Food Day Story to foodday@realfoodchallenge.org**
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
In Fairbanks, Alaska, Food Day was recognized with an official proclamation signed by Mayor Luke Hopkins that recognizes the major principles of Food Day, such as access to real food and farm worker rights. The UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service and the UAF Anthropology Society hosted events throughout the day for students, staff and faculty members. They hosted an “Iron Chef” cook-off dubbed “Surf and Turf” between the dean of the agriculture school and the dean of the fisheries school. The dean of the fisheries school was victorious with his spotted shrimp dish, however it was a close competition with a reindeer steak cooked by the dean of the ag school. They also hosted a Food Jeopardy game and set up a Taste of Alaska booth as part of a series of food demonstrations and exhibits. The Alaskan cuisine featured grass fed beef, cold smoked salmon, lettuce, tomatoes, rutabagas, onions, carrots, potatoes, cabbage. The Dining Services prepared the food beautifully in kabobs, soups, stews, roasted vegetables. The students in the Anthropology Society showed the films, “Seeds of Deception” and “Fresh,” and hosted lectures on sustainability, fermenting food and ethnobotany. It was a great beginning and they hope to continue their efforts on campus to ensure real food for students and staff.
University of Maryland, College Park
Real Food activists at the University of Maryland kicked off Food Day with a display of giant paper-mache vegetables on McKeldin Mall, as well as a photo petition asking administrators for more real food options in the dining halls. Later that night, students and community members gathered on the South Campus Rooftop Garden to share in a meal, teach-in, and a concert. The Real Food UMD group had a lot of success starting campus gardens last year, and they're gearing up to start asking the administration to sign onto the Commitment, as well as starting an internship program for people who want to work on the Real Food Calculator.
James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
JMU kicked-off their week-long series of events with a Commons day, where local food-related organizations like Friendly City Food Co-op, Virginia Cooperative Extension and some of its organizational partners Master Gardeners, Master Food Volunteers, and the Family Nutrition Program, set up informational tables to show students what food initiatives are already in the area. They also kicked off their week-long Activism Table that features petitions asking congressmen to reform the Farm Bill and to support GMO labeling. They held a Photo Campaign and accepted applications for a school-wide cookbook that will be published and handed out for free after the week is over. Later this week they will screen a student-produced documentary on undergrads interning at alternative farms as well as "American Meet" followed by a panel discussion. Food activist and author of "Comfortable Unaware," Dr. Richard Oppelander, will lecture on the environmental impact of food choices in our agricultural system.
Baker University, Bladwin City, KS
Baker University is celebrating Food Day with a full week of events under the name “Food in the Nude.” They kicked off the week on Sunday, October 23rd with Cornelia Floradistinguished professor of agriculture and sociology at Iowa State University, speaking climate change, food security and food sovereignty. They celebrated on Monday with a Real Food Information Fair featuring local organic farmers, diet and disease specialists, food activists, Baker Farm Hands, a Baldwin Food Pantry representative, and the dining services purchaser as well as a screening of the documentary, “Dirt.” The rest of the week will include a workshop on sustainable growing practices, a virtual farm tour featuring local growers and producers, a special performance on real food topics by a speech choir group and a volunteer day at farms in the area. This week is part of a general goal of building awareness and interest in the local farm industry and building lasting and valuable relationships between Baker University and the local farming community.
Lehman College, NYC
Lehman's Food Day was celebrated by more than 200 people on our campus. The theme was ‘Healthy snacking for students on the run’ and the goal was to educate students to make healthier choices. The main host, the Institute for Healthy Equity, has been trying to minimize the health disparities on campus and in the Bronx and eventually they desire to replace the current vending machine snacks with healthy options. The Institute and the Lehman Dietetic Club gave out free healthy food samples to help inform students about smart snack choices. The Cornel co-op demonstrated the sugar consumption in unhealthy foods and showed students that we can definitely cut the amount of sugar intake by selecting something else rather than snacks in the vending machines. Food Day helped us to encourage students to realize that real food is needed on the campus and the work students are doing with RFC and the Real Food Calculator are vital projects.
University of Arizona, Tucson
The University of Arizona celebrated Food Day with a Food Fest as part of a larger goal to improve the environmental quality of the food served on campus. Not only are they working to increase the amount of local and organic food served but they are also producing local native food. The first annual harvest of pods from campus mesquite trees took place in July 2011. As part of Food Fest, they screened the proactive film Forks Over Knives to a full house. Following the film we hosted a panel discussion with local food experts that weighed in on the documentary and other food-related issues. In addition, a locally grown, three-course meal was provided for the Tucson community during the Santa Cruz Harvest Dinner. A huge perk for students: “Eat Real” Cooking on Campus. Our celebrity UA chef, Tim Stevens, presented students with a food demo on how to prepare locally grown foods. Wrapping up Food Fest, a tour of the University of Arizona’s Community Garden was available along with food and music during our Perk up at the Park event. Food Fest worked to initial “eating real” amongst students and the community.
University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
On Food Day students at UWGB provided a free luncheon for the students, staff, and faculty with food provided by local sources. The menu included apple cider and pulled pork sandwiches as well as several sides. They also hosted local businesses and food groups who sold and gave away free samples off their menus. They were especially excited to partner with a new local food co-op called New Leaf Market that will be opening in downtown Green Bay. Food Day also provided them with a great opportunity to work more closely with the director of food purchases on their campus. He was able to connect them with local farmers and vendors as well as speak about the ease and availability of local foods in the area. Food Day was an extremely successful day for UWGB. They were able to educate students about the value of having real food in our dining halls and they hope this momentum will carry over to even more food justice work on their campus.
University of Alabama
In celebration of Food Day, University of Alabama students will be spreading the message of real food to students. They are hoping to see their administration sign the Real Food Commitment, pledging to have 20% real food available in dining halls by 2020.The University of Alabama Environmental Council’s goal is to both build awareness and support within the student body for this commitment. They will be conducting a photo petition and passing out info about the six Food Day Principles. They will also be screening Fresh on campus and having a discussion afterwards. The students were able to get the University Dining, BamaDining, involved. They will be serving "real" food (local, organic, vegetarian, healthy) at three different dining halls and providing info on their real practices to students. After building support through the Food Day celebration, University of Alabama students hope that the administration will see the need to sign the Real Food Commitment.
Pomona, Claremont, CA
Pomona College Dining Services celebrated Food Day by welcoming farmers from Weiser Family Farms to campus. The dinner event featured locally and sustainably produced vegetables (purple potatoes, golden beets, orange Kabocha squash, watermelon radishes, baby DeCicco broccoli) from Weiser Family Farms and a presentation from the farmers. Prior to the talk, students had the opportunity to meet with the farmers while enjoying the menu. Pomona College Dining Services is proud to facilitate relationships between the farmers and students.
Lewis and Clark, Portland, OR
L&C Law School hosted a lunchtime speaker in honor of Food Day. Cathy McQueeney, from Friends of Family Farmers, spoke about the challenges and opportunities that independent farmers face in practicing sustainable and responsible small-scale agriculture - and how they get the delicious food they produce TO YOUR PLATE. We served a vegan-friendly potluck but also invited students and staff to bring their favorite real food dish to share. This Food Day event fit into Lewis & Clark Law School's push into the world of food and food policy - our Environmental Law Caucus has begun a school garden, and they have student groups working on sustainable agriculture and pesticide issues through the Northwest Environmental Defense Center. As a preeminent environmental law school, they're focused on ALL aspects of the environment - and they're excited to keep exploring food policy issues through events and initiatives like Food Day.
University of Texas, Austin
The Slow Food chapter at the University of Texas at Austin along with Oxfam, the Student Dietetic Association, and the UT gardening committee, hosted a showing of documentary "Dive!" at the UT community garden on Monday evening. Donations were collected to be given to one of Austin's prominent food banks. "Dive!" explores the world behind consumption; waste. The film follows 'dumpster diver' Jeremy Selfert as he exposes the unbelievable amount of edible food trashed in Los Angelos's grocery stores. Austin is a food-centric city, and this is reflected on the University of Texas campus. Slow Food holds bi-monthly general meetings to promote advocacy of local food. This semester, Slow Food has brought Jack Mills, a bee keeper in the area, and representatives from "Slow Money" to speak on campus. Slow Food and Oxfam both participate in the UT community garden and frequently volunteer at outside farms. For the national Food Day, the collaborators sought to emphasize the importance of discussing food insecurity, production, consumption, and waste. A catch-all, "Think globally, and act locally". Much love from the Food Day organizers at UT!
University of California, Davis
At UC Davis, student groups have been working hard in preparation for Food Day. Former Real Food Challenge regional organizer Genna Lipari has taken a lead, along with Flatland Food Collective member Kase Wheatley. Food Day was kicked off at the Coffee House, or CoHo, as its known on campus. Students have collected donations of chard, kale, pears, tomatoes, and squash from local farms including UC Davis's Student Farm, Good Humus, Capay Organic, Coco Ranch and the Cloverleaf at Bridgeway farms. UC Davis' Food Day festivities included free food: kale salad, vegan ratatouille, apple muffins, pear crisp, and fruit smoothies blended by the Flatland Food Collective's pedal-powered blender. Ryan Galt, a food systems professor, spoke that evening followed by a screening of "The Greenhorns", a documentary about young farmers. UC Davis's Food Day celebration is sponsored by ASI (the Agricultural Sustainability Institute) and EPPC (Environmental Policy and Planning Commission).
------------------------------
Food Day Events were also all over the news. Here's a few stories on Real Food Challenge Grassroots Leaders:
Jessica Baltmanas is a guest blogger from University of California, San Diego and also a Campus Coordinator for Food Day! Below is the second post in a three part blog series leading up to October 24 in which she will walk us through her journey in the real food movement. Take a look at her first post here.
---------------------------
Hi everyone! I hope planning your campus events has been progressing well and that you're enjoying the first days of Fall! There's been quite the progress in planning Food Day events at UC San Diego!
To contextualize the climate on my campus (literal and figurative), UCSD is located in La Jolla, close to the Pacific Ocean and boasting beautiful weather. Today is a gloomy day with drizzle, but we will get through it :) My campus mascot is a Triton, is full of imported eucalyptus trees and known for our 8-floor Geisel library, named for Theodor Geisel (Dr. Suess) and was featured in the movie Inception. Here, our favorite pastime is studying. If we're not talking about it, you know we are thinking about it. But not only do we love to learn, we have also been rated as the top national public university for "giving back". This is our culture- studying and service, and a few things in between. We have about 23,000 undergraduate students and 4,000 graduate students. With the workers and faculty included, our campus footprint is about 40,000 people each day. Yes, we are a city!
Although I would love if my campus felt more like a community, my two years here have not given me that experience. I hope the new admits bring a new energy, but it can be somewhat of a challenge to find a tight community here. Once someone finds it, it's golden! Those communities are often formed around student organizations such as food-minded orgs.
Taylor Owen is a guest blogger from Carleton College in Northfield Minnesota and he is also a Campus Coordinator for Food Day. Below is the first post in a blog series leading up to October 24 in which he will be reflecting on his work and the importance of the food movement.
When I first heard about Food Day, my interest was instantly intrigued. As I imagine most people involved in the Real Food Challenge are, I have been concerned more and more with the issues of food. Food Day seemed like a perfect chance for food activists like myself to bring our issue to the center of the campus discourse. It is only fair that food gets its day. If we look at the food systems of our era, the huge problems they face are evidence that giving attention to food only three times a day isn’t enough. Food, as an issue, needs at least a whole 24 hours of serious reflection. I have been trying to make Food Day that critical day for my campus ever since I discovered it.
I will be organizing Food Day at Carleton College where I will invite a diverse group of students, with opinions towards food that range the gamut. I hope to inspire conscientious students to more actively pressure their community to move in the direction of Real Food. I also hope to motivate as many students as possible to take advantage of the Real Food we’re lucky enough to receive on my campus; I hope they do this at the expense of the factory-farmed food, inorganic, unseasonal food shipped from far away - food that exists as the result of unfair labor practices. If I see results on both fronts, and hopefully come away from Food Day well fed, then I will know that Carleton had a successful first Food Day.
Jessica Baltmanas is a guest blogger from University of California, San Diego and also a Campus Coordinator for Food Day! Below is the first of a three part blog series leading up to October 24 in which she will walk us through her journey in the real food movement.
-----------------
My journey into real food began at the age of 5. While my parents moved from Brooklyn to San Diego by car, my sister and I stayed with our grandparents in Vilnius, Lithuania. My grandparents had a farm house and garden, and I had the experience of pulling a carrot out of the earth. This is one of my most memorable early experiences and the root to which I trace my participation in the real food movement.
Once I started my studies at the University of California, San Diego, I began looking for the opportunity to grow my own food. With help from others, I was able to get funding and approval for a garden in Earl Warren College. Earl's Garden celebrated opening day on November 17 of 2010. The challenge of getting design approval was intense because there was a lack of trust of permaculture principles, but we succeeded!
Jessica Baltmanas in front of Earl's Garden on its opening day.
I also began working as the sustainability coordinator for University Centers (our Student Union) in November of 2009 and found myself on a journey of getting more real food in our 17 food locations ranging from Burger King to a Food Co-op to a locally owned Indian restaurant. Talk about a challenge. I've found it most difficult to understand how purchasing works and helping people understand the importance of changing their purchasing practices. With two more years to go, I hope the progress continues!
I am also helping to plan Food Day on my campus and a simple goal of mine is that my community will wake up to the realities of the modern day food system and become inspired to change it to be based off sustainable methods.
I'm excited to share more about my plans and goals as they develop,
Susannah Albert-Chandhok,Yale Grassroots Leader & Food Day Campus Coordinator
----------------------
What would it take to create a food system that promotes global nourishment and environmental sustainability?
This real food change would take national progress and fe
deral modification in modern food policy, but to make a shift in how we eat, we need a grassroots start.
We need a local impetus for a real food change.
The grassroots movement can flourish into abundant action on college campuses, and some of the most successful movements towards a better food system have started and prospered with campus support. Plus, there are many new movements growing every day.
I myself am a “New” girl, originally from New Orleans and now living in New Haven, but even in “New” cities, old traditions still reign strong in the culinary culture. To understand New Orleans’ Cajun or Creole cuisine, you must understand the history and traditions of the people that first lived and cooked in the city in the 1800s. My interest in food beyond cooking started with understanding the history behind New Orleans’ cuisine. However, once you begin to study the history of food, you start to develop an interest in modern culinary culture, and unfortunately the current state of food can be
Raychel Santo, Grassroots Leader and Co-founder of Real Food Hopkins
As many other Real Food Challenge chapters across the country, my school's group, Real Food Hopkins, was newly formed last year. Consolidating the efforts of some student gardeners already on campus, as well as the food advocacy interests of many freshman including myself, Real Food Hopkins emerged as a recognized student group by the beginning of November.
However, with harvest season at its end and planting season long off in the spring, our group knew we needed some evens for the interim to get our feet on the ground and our name out there. Before the semester had ended, we had held a canning workshop, which we called the “Jam Session,” and an urban foraging tour through the streets of Baltimore.
We've decided to keep the details of Food Day events open to the creativity and needs of each student group and campus. While this means some of our Campus Coordinators are having a hard time narrowing down 6 events to 1, others don't know where to start. If the latter is how you feel, no worries - we've got some ideas for you!
Questions to ask yourself before thinking about planning a Food Day event:
1. What is the most pressing issue concerning real food on my campus?
2. What is the most logical, but fun, way to address this?
3. What is the best way to engage a wide variety and amount of students?
Over 50 college campuses so far are participating in Food Day scheduled for October 24. Students across America are already dreaming big about how they will transform campus food and brainstorming ways to get Mark Bittman to cook their entire campus a 5 course meal. Here at the RFC, we are excited to see so much enthusiasm and participation after just a few short weeks, but we can't help but ask: what about the other hundreds of college campuses? There must be tons of students dying to see local food in their dining halls so what's stopping them from signing up?
In case you are part of that group wondering if it is worth your valuable time and a good use of your refined organizing skills check out this list of reasons why your campus should be involved in Food Day:
1. You've had enough of rotten veggies in the salad bar and Mystery Meat Mondays.
In Fairbanks, Alaska, Food Day was recognized with an official proclamation signed by Mayor Luke Hopkins that recognizes the major principles of Food Day, such as access to real food and farm worker rights. The UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service and the UAF Anthropology Society hosted events throughout the day for students, staff and faculty members. They hosted an “Iron Chef” cook-off dubbed “Surf and Turf” between the dean of the agriculture school and the dean of the fisheries school. The dean of the fisheries school was victorious with his spotted shrimp dish, however it was a close competition with a reindeer steak cooked by the dean of the ag school. They also hosted a Food Jeopardy game and set up a Taste of Alaska booth as part of a series of food demonstrations and exhibits. The Alaskan cuisine featured grass fed beef, cold smoked salmon, lettuce, tomatoes, rutabagas, onions, carrots, potatoes, cabbage. The Dining Services prepared the food beautifully in kabobs, soups, stews, roasted vegetables. The students in the Anthropology Society showed the films, “Seeds of Deception” and “Fresh,” and hosted lectures on sustainability, fermenting food and ethnobotany. It was a great beginning and they hope to continue their efforts on campus to ensure real food for students and staff.
Real Food activists at the University of Maryland kicked off Food Day with a display of giant paper-mache vegetables on McKeldin Mall, as well as a photo petition asking administrators for more real food options in the dining halls. Later that night, students and community members gathered on the South Campus Rooftop Garden to share in a meal, teach-in, and a concert. The Real Food UMD group had a lot of success starting campus gardens last year, and they're gearing up to start asking the administration to sign onto the Commitment, as well as starting an internship program for people who want to work on the Real Food Calculator.
JMU kicked-off their week-long series of events with a Commons day, where local food-related organizations like Friendly City Food Co-op, Virginia Cooperative Extension and some of its organizational partners Master Gardeners, Master Food Volunteers, and the Family Nutrition Program, set up informational tables to show students what food initiatives are already in the area. They also kicked off their 
week-long Activism Table that features petitions asking congressmen to reform the Farm Bill and to support GMO labeling. They held a Photo Campaign and accepted applications for a school-wide cookbook that will be published and handed out for free after the week is over. Later this week they will screen a student-produced documentary on undergrads interning at alternative farms as well as "American Meet" followed by a panel discussion. Food activist and author of "Comfortable Unaware," Dr. Richard Oppelander, will lecture on the environmental impact of food choices in our agricultural system. 
Lehman's Food Day was celebrated by more than 200 people on our campus. The theme was ‘Healthy snacking for students on the run’ and the goal was to educate students to make healthier choices. The main host, the Institute for Healthy Equity, has been trying to minimize the health disparities on campus and in the Bronx and eventually they desire to replace the current vending machine snacks with healthy options. The Institute and the Lehman Dietetic Club gave out free healthy food samples to help inform students about smart snack choices. The Cornel co-op demonstrated the sugar consumption in unhealthy foods and showed students that we can definitely cut the amount of sugar intake by selecting something else rather than snacks in the vending machines. Food Day helped us to encourage students to realize that real food is needed on the campus and the work students are doing with RFC and the Real Food Calculator are vital projects. 
The University of Arizona celebrated Food Day with a Food Fest as part of a larger goal to improve the environmental quality of the food served on campus. Not only are they working to increase the amount of local and organic food served but they are also producing local native food. The first annual harvest of pods from campus mesquite trees took place in July 2011. As part of Food Fest, they screened the proactive film Forks Over Knives to a full house. Following the film we hosted a panel discussion with local food experts that weighed in on the documentary and other food-related issues. In addition, a locally grown, three-course meal was provided for the Tucson community during the Santa Cruz Harvest Dinner. A huge perk for students: “Eat Real” Cooking on Campus. Our celebrity UA chef, Tim Stevens, presented students with a food demo on how to prepare locally grown foods. Wrapping up Food Fest, a tour of the University of Arizona’s Community Garden was available along with food and music during our Perk up at the Park event. Food Fest worked to initial “eating real” amongst students and the community.
The Slow Food chapter at the University of Texas at Austin along with Oxfam, the Student Dietetic Association, and the UT gardening committee, hosted a showing of documentary "Dive!" at the UT community garden on Monday evening. Donations were collected to be given to one of Austin's prominent food banks. "Dive!" explores the world behind consumption; waste. The film follows 'dumpster diver' Jeremy Selfert as he exposes the unbelievable amount of edible food trashed in Los Angelos's grocery stores. Austin is a food-centric city, and this is reflected on the University of Texas campus. Slow Food holds bi-monthly general meetings to promote advocacy of local food. This semester, Slow Food has brought Jack Mills, a bee keeper in the area, and representatives from "Slow Money" to speak on campus. Slow Food and Oxfam both participate in the UT community garden and frequently volunteer at outside farms. For the national Food Day, the collaborators sought to emphasize the importance of discussing food insecurity, production, consumption, and waste. A catch-all, "Think globally, and act locally". Much love from the Food Day organizers at UT!
At UC Davis, student groups have been working hard in preparation for Food Day. Former Real Food Challenge regional organizer Genna Lipari has taken a lead, along with Flatland Food Collective member Kase Wheatley. Food Day was kicked off at the Coffee House, or CoHo, as its known on campus. Students have collected donations of chard, kale, pears, tomatoes, and squash from local farms including UC Davis's Student Farm, Good Humus, Capay Organic, Coco Ranch and the Cloverleaf at Bridgeway farms. UC Davis' Food Day festivities included free food: kale salad, vegan ratatouille, apple muffins, pear crisp, and fruit smoothies blended by the Flatland Food Collective's pedal-powered blender. Ryan Galt, a food systems professor, spoke that evening followed by a screening of "The Greenhorns", a documentary about young farmers. UC Davis's Food Day celebration is sponsored by ASI (the Agricultural Sustainability Institute) and EPPC (Environmental Policy and Planning Commission). 
movie Inception. Here, our favorite pastime is studying. If we're not talking about it, you know we are thinking about it. But not only do we love to learn, we have also been rated as the top national public university for "
