Food For Thought campaign gives insight into food consumption that is easy to digest
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This spring, the University of Florida Office of Sustainability will host Food For Thought — a campaign to educate students, staff, faculty and the Gainesville community about sustainable food systems and how easy it is to make more environmentally and socially conscious decisions in their own backyards.
Events and programs hosted by the Office of Sustainability and various campus and community organizations will provide a comprehensive look at the intersections of the food system with society, economics and the environment.
Food For Thought will kick off Wednesday with a Farm-To-Table Breakfast from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at Gator Corner, giving attendees the opportunity to learn about the many complexities of the system of food production and the reasons behind choosing to eat seasonally and locally.
Other events will include lectures by notable speakers such as Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow-in-Residence of the Post-Carbon Institute and author of “The End of Growth,” on March 14, and Gerald Nelson of the Food Policy Research Institute on March 29, a Do-It-Yourself Series of interactive events on canning your own food, composting food waste and gardening at home, an open house and spring fling at the Downtown Community Farmers Garden, a Sustainable Sweets Soiree, a food and social justice community forum, a family fun day at the Downtown Seed Library and tours of some local farms.
The Office of Sustainability will partner with the Florida Museum of Natural History to host a screening on of the documentary “Vanishing of the Bees” on Feb. 29 as part of the Cinema Verde Gainesville Environmental Film Festival. The film highlights the importance of honeybees in pollinating fruit and vegetable crops and the impact of colony collapse disorder on the future of agriculture.
“This campaign will provide food for thought for everyone to consider the methods of food production, distribution and consumption and how it affects the sustainability of our communities, natural spaces and health,” said Anna Prizzia, director of the Office of Sustainability. “We’re excited about the many and varied partnerships that have helped make three months of programming possible, and look forward to promoting the opportunities and resources that exist right in our own community.”
UF will celebrate its campuswide Earth Day on April 6 with a Farmer’s Market and Food Fair featuring local farmers, fresh produce and UF departments and student organizations related to food sustainability. The Food For Thought campaign will culminate with the Local Food Challenge on April 26 at Fresh Food Company, a dining hall at UF.
For more information, the full schedule of events and to sign up for weekly “Food For Thought Thursday” email updates visit www.sustainability.ufl.edu/food.