Sustainable Food

Background

The impact of food consumption is relevant to all aspects of sustainability, from greenhouse gas emissions, to preservation of natural resources, and generation of waste. As a result, a campus food model must carefully consider issues related to food transportation, packaging, storage, preparation, as well as waste disposal.  

Most importantly, a campus food model must consider how best to meet the nutritional needs of the students, faculty, and staff on campus while balancing the social, economic, and environmental costs associated with food procurement. We recognize that the process of developing a sustainable food model is particularly challenging, given the great financial pressures and complex logistical challenges of feeding IUB’s more than 40,000 students, staff, and faculty. However, there is ample room to improve upon the current situation in the short term.


Farmers MarketCommunity GardensLocal Foods


Strategic Plan and the Food Working Group | Back to Top

The IU Task Force on Sustainability (IUSTF) created the Food Working Group in 2007 to address issues of sustainable food on the IUB campus and in the surrounding community.  With the establishment of the IU Office of Sustainability in 2009, the IUSTF transitioned into the Campus Sustainability Advisory Board (CSAB).  The Food Working Group continues its research and programming as one of seven CSAB working groups.  This section addresses the mission, strategic plan and membership of this group.

Mission

To promote high-quality dining options for IUB’s students, staff, and faculty that support sustainable agricultural and food distribution practices while minimizing energy use and waste generation.

Working in the GardenHauling Out ProduceLearning About Gardening

 

Strategic Plan

Sustainable Food Model for IU should focus on three primary elements and on five secondary, supportive elements:

Primary Elements:
  1. Strive for sustainable production and delivery
  2. Reduce/recycle packaging
  3. Reduce/recycle food waste

Secondary Elements:

  1. Create an educational component for the food model
  2. Calculate the food carbon footprint to establish a benchmark
  3. Develop an edible permaculture plan
  4. Incorporate eco-friendly cleaning products in dining halls
  5. Institute a series of cooking shows to introduce students to the food model
  6. Create an interest group to communicate and promote the food model on campus

A plan combining these eight elements will create the sound footing necessary to build a viable and useful sustainable food model.

Working Group Member

Title

Email (@indiana.edu)

Christine Barbour*

Co-Chair, Faculty (Political Science)

barbour

Sandra Fowler

Co-Chair, Director of Dining Services (RPS)

sfowler

Michael Coleman Jr.

President (IUSA); Undergraduate Student

mc32

Ancil Drake

Executive Chef (RPS)

addrake

Stephanie Hopkins

Graduate Student (SPEA); Campus Garden Pilot Coordinator (IUOS)

stehopki

Jeff Mease

Founder and Co-Owner (One World Enterprises)

jm@bloomington.com

Sara Minard

Graduate Student (SPEA); Former Sustainable Food Intern (IUOS)

sminard

Mitchell Rice

Staff (Creative Serivces)

mcrice

Alan Simmerman

Prepared Foods Manager (Bloomingfoods Coop)

alan@bloomingfoods.coop

Peter Todd

Faculty (Cognitive Science, Informatics, and Psychology)

pmtodd

Marcia Veldman

Market Coordinator (City of Bloomington Parks & Rec)

veldmanm@bloomington.in.gov

Katie Zukof

Assistant Director (Local Growers Guild)

katie@localgrowers.org

* Stepping down in fall of 2011.

Progress at IU | Back to Top

Local and Organic Food Options at IU

The Apple WorksThe Scholars InnCollins Living Learning Center
  • The Apple Works, a farm located 35 miles from Bloomington has been providing apples to IU’s dining halls during the season since 2008. This was made possible by an intern-led effort to realize sustainable food at IU.
  • All the bagels sold on IUB campus are purchased from Scholar’s Inn Bake House, a Bloomington-based bakery.
  • Indiana Memorial Union provides local/organic food menu options, including catering and local lunches on Wednesdays.   
  • Food consumption study was conducted at Collins Residence Hall as a pilot program. Food source, food waste, carbon footprint, possible local produce providers were studied. Details of the study can be found here. Average distance food item travelled was 1111km or 609 miles in 2008, according to the study at Collins Residence Hall.
  • In the summer of 2009, sustainability intern Nora Kayden worked with the IMU and Sodexo food services to composting pre-consumer food waste and make food services more sustainable. 

Sustainability Internships Focused on Food

  • Food Survey, Summer 2007: Andrew Shelby worked to establish a map of what foods IU’s dining halls purchase on an annual/seasonal basis, find out how far this food travels to reach IU, and determine which of these foods are/can be grown and purchased locally.
  • Local Food Purchasing Alternatives, Summer 2008: Jessica Colaluca worked with local farmers to incorporate locally grown food into on-campus dining and developing a compost system to reduce waste from dining halls. 
  • Sustainable Food Model, Summer 2008: Alayna Herr worked with the sustainable food group to model IU’s Food Carbon Footprint.
  • Sustainable Food, Academic Year 2008-09:  Christina Musgrave and Kate Rogoski worked to design and implement plans for two permaculture gardens: one organic food-production garden and one edible forest garden to include fruit-bearing trees and shrubs.
  • Sustainable Food Procurement, Academic Year 2009-10:  Martin Sorge will be collaborating with the Sustainable Food Working Group to increase awareness about the advantages of sustainable food on campus.
  • Campus Gardens Initiative, Academic Year 2010-11: Stephanie Hopkins headed up the first institutionally sponsored campus garden and the Edible Campus Design Series.
Student ProjectsComposting Projects

Student Group Projects

More CompostingStudents SiftingStudents Working

Research

Collaborations with Community Groups and the City of Bloomington

Resources

Next Steps | Back to Top

The 2008 Campus Sustainability report outlined the following short- and long-term recommendations for sustainable food at IUB:

Short Term Recommendations

  1. Develop and support relationships with vendors of locally-produced foods;
  2. Appoint a Sustainable Food Coordinator;
  3. Create comprehensive plans to reduce packaging on foods ordered for campus dining halls, and to recycle all unusable packaging materials; and
  4. Create a comprehensive plan to reduce food waste and recycle remaining waste.

Long Term Recommendations

  1. Support a farm-to-college initiative to produce food for campus dining halls and to create food production learning experiences for students;
  2. Establish a regular farmer’s market on campus that would accept student meal points;
  3. Establish of an edible permaculture project on open areas of the campus;
  4. Institute a series of cooking shows aimed at students to be distributed through the IUTV network and made available for podcast downloading; and
  5. Monitor campus dining hall’s food carbon footprint. 

     

Get Involved | Back to Top

For more opportunities to get involved on campus click here,