Food
Introduction
Food is beautiful. There is nothing like a garden full of fresh growing things, glorious orange carrots, purple beets, yellow squash, and green onions. A market stall or a diner table laden with colorful produce and homemade things is a sight to see. Food is delicious. The magnificence of a hearty spinach soup in winter, a sweet peach pie, or a fresh green salad is undeniable. Food is unifying. It brings us together on a daily basis, is something that everybody needs and is a joy to share. Food is powerful. It provides for life, health, and happiness. Growing, purchasing, and eating it responsibly has a powerful effect on the earth and our bodies.
In this section we examine Marlboro College's relationship with food. We take a look at where it is grown and how far it travels to get to us. We calculate the percentage of our food that is organic, fair trade, and grown within 25, 100, or more than 100 miles. We address the food based initiatives on campus, both those that have happened and those that we wish to make happen. Through examining our relationship with food, we aim to improve the quality of what we eat, and support its responsible production.
The Dining Hall
All data about the the dining hall is only representative of the 2010 fall semester. Both the college's food service and kitchen management changed between spring and fall 2010, so all records from previous years are irrelevant to the assessment of Marlboro's current practices. As it is only half-way through the academic year, our data only accounts for the months of September through the beginning of December. Additionally, come spring 2011, we will be purchasing the majority of our food from Windham Farm and Food Network instead of Black River Produce, which will substantially affect the data reflected here. Accordingly, we have included some estimated predictions of future trends where applicable.
How many meals are consumed per week?
On Average 2,500 meals are consumed per week.
Percent of Organic Food Served
Less and less organic and local foods become available as the season progresses into winter. However, with the shift to Windham Farm and Food Network this spring, we will be purchasing a great deal more organics, and making the compromise to eat less variety and more in line with what the season, and our local organic farmers, have to offer.
Fair Trade Certified Food
- All of our coffee is Fair Trade Certified
- Most of our bananas are Fair Trade Certified
Do we Have a Sustainable Food Purchasing Policy?
No, we do not. However, we make a concerted effort to consider the environmental impacts of the food we purchase, and are continually endeavoring to produce as much of our own food as we can, buy as close to home as possible, and support organic and fair trade farmers. We hope that a sustainable food purchasing policy will arise from the attention brought to the issue by this report.
Food Donation?
While we would like to set up a system of food donation, in which our leftovers can be taken to a local food bank to be eaten instead of composted, we currently have no such system in place for the following reasons: for one, we do not have an immediate solution to the issue of making sure the food gets to the food bank. This would require a responsible person with access to transportation. For another, we have no way to guarantee that it and is eaten or properly stored immediately, or that it does not sit in someone's car before it gets to the food bank, for example. Therefore it is, as of yet, unrealistic to implement food donation. However, the kitchen staff do their best to re-work leftovers into some other form for the next meal on a regular basis. Furthermore, everything we do not eat is composted.
Where Does Our Food Come From?
Percent of Food That Come from Within 25 Miles, 100 Miles, and Greater Than 100 Miles
- The percent of our food that comes from within 25 miles is currently negligible, but varies greatly by season. It is expected to change favorably with the shift to Windham Farm and Food Network this spring, and we also hope to greatly increase the amount of food which the college farm contributes to the dining hall in the coming seasons.
- The percent of our food that comes from within 100 miles has varied by month. In September, approximately 30% of our food came from within 100 miles; In October, 18%, and in November, 5%. We expect that with the shift to Windham Farm and Food Network in the spring, approximately 50-60% of our food will come from within 100 miles of the college, and most of that from within 50 miles.
- The remaining percent of our food comes from farther than 100 miles away.
Food Transportation
We had great intentions to calculate the carbon emissions involved in getting our food to us, but as we began to collect our data, we realized that this would be much more difficult than we had thought. Much of the food that comes from Black River Produce, our current main distributor, says only that it comes from the "USA," "Mexico," or "Canada." While we may be able to track the produce that comes from nearby farms, this ignores the majority of food purchased this fall. We know definitively that some came from just down the hill, and that it was carried up by assorted arms and legs belonging to Marlboro College students; what we cannot know easily or definitively is how many miles were traversed in the transportation of our food from the grower to the distributor, and from the distributor to us, nor how many miles per gallon the vehicles that transported it get. While we believe this information is entirely obtainable, it proved beyond the reach of our project this semester. Furthermore, we hope to transition to purchasing the majority of our food from local growers whose distance from the college is not only knowable but short. We hope that the attention our project has brought to the issue will encourage the tracking of these distances in the future.
Food Initiatives on Campus
Current Initiatives
- Apples: A great deal of effort has been made this semester to use our abundant crop of apples. We pressed cider this fall like crazy, and still did not make use of all the apples on campus. Two students (Evan Sachs and Patrick Lane) got the go ahead from Town Meeting and a promise of $700 to build a new cider press and/or repair the old one. A small core of students have spearheaded the issue, and taken it into their own hands to make use of as many of our apples as possible. Much of the cider we pressed this fall was given to the dining hall or to anyone who passed by and helped out. Students baked numerous apple pies for Apple Days, an annual celebration including bobbing for apples, cider pressing, pie baking contexts, and cider donuts. We have begun efforts to map out the location and varieties of all the apple trees on campus, and have begun thinking about planting a new generation of trees. We hope to establish a work study position for one or two Apple Stewards, who will be responsible for coordinating the care of the orchard, and be knowledgeable about its upkeep. We also hope to build root cellars around campus to store apples, apple products, and produce from the farm to supply the dining hall through the winter and spring. These efforts are directly tied into those of the Edible Landscaping Committee, described in more detail in the committees section.
- Chickens: we would dearly love to get chickens for eggs, . The kitchen is highly supportive of the idea, but there are a few obstacles in our way. We would need to figure out where and how to keep them, build a chicken coop, find an unfailingly responsible person whose job it is to make sure they are fed and watered, and overcome the objections of prolific vegans. While this is an exciting ambition, it may be a while in coming to fruition.
- The Greenhouse: Kenny Card, a recent graduate, designed and began to build a greenhouse down by the farm. It is intended to be an educational tool, a community space, and a means for growing food throughout the winter. So far, the greenhouse has the beginnings of a foundation, and its construction has been taken over by a faculty and staff member each, Todd Smith and Travis Trumbly, the resident Chemistry professor and Student Life Coordinator, respectively. For more information, see our Land Use and Infrastructure page.
- Granola and Bread: In talking to Richie Brown, our head chef, we established that we have a great desire to being making some of our staple food products ourselves, and cut costs on pre-made things so we can buy better quality meat and produce. To begin with, we could make our own granola and bread. Richie is very supportive of the idea, and it could potentially be a great community event.
Committees
- Food Committee: The Food Committee, according Marlboro College's Constitution and Bylaws, "will review food services, act on complaints, advise on policy and initiate legislation if necessary."
- Farm Committee: According Marlboro College's Constitution and Bylaws, "The Farm Committee will guide, plan, and
organize the pursuit of small-scale agriculture at Marlboro. They will be responsible for providing leadership and
knowledge to the wider community, for coordinating both the physical farm work and the extensive long-term
planning necessary to create and maintain a sustainable farm."
- Edible Landscaping Committee: This is a new idea on campus, and just begun. The Edible Landscaping Committee has so far met once, and planned to map all the college's apple trees over winter break in preparation for planting a new generation of trees. This committee will work towards planting all kinds of edibles around campus and installing an herb garden for the kitchen.
Past Initiatives
- The Farm: "The Marlboro Victory Garden" as it has been known, has been a presence for many years at Marlboro College, and shifted in prominence and prosperity according to the students who have been here.
- The First Greenhouse: In 2006, a committed group of students built a greenhouse down by the farm. There was a Woods Trip devoted to laying the groundwork for it, and it was successfully erected during the course of the fall semester due to the efforts of an enthusiastic collection of students and particularly large Farm Committee. Sadly, however, the greenhouse collapsed in the first big snow of the season.
- Apples: Apples and cider pressing have also always been a mainstay of Marlboro College.
Farming/Local Food Bridges Trips
There have been food or farm related trips every year for the past 4 years and at least a community service trip (often with a Farm component) for the last 7 years.
- In 2008 there was: "La Vida Local" - a localvore food trip - 9 participants
- In 2009 there was: "La Vida Local" - 8 participants; "Building a Sustainable Greenhouse" - a farm-based trip - 7 participants
- In 2010 there was: "Life on the Dead Tree Farm" - a farm-based trip - 9 participants; "Vermauguration" - they visited local growers - 7 participants
Interesting Facts
Of our survey respondents, 15.6% said that they always consider environmental impacts when choosing their food in the dining hall; 60% said they sometimes consider environmental impacts when choosing their food in the dining hall; 24.4% said they never consider environmental impacts when choosing their food in the dining hall.
Of our survey respondents, 74.2% said that they eat apples from the college apple trees.
