FarmEcology was started in 2004 by Emma Kirwan and Rachel Meyer as an outgrowth of Professor Mary Summers' Politics of Food class. After learning about the ways our current food system harms the environment, Emma and Rachel created the club with the goal to bring more locally grown food to Penn's campus. In addition, the club's mission centers on spreading awareness of the benefits of eating local
Since its inception, FarmEcology has hosted speaker events, sponsored local food dinners in the dining halls, created its very own local food farm stand in Houston Market and has worked with PennDining to increase the amount of produce that is purchased from local farms. This year, for the first time, FarmEcology has brought the Winter Harvest Buying Club to Penn's campus, providing students and others with the opportunity to receive weekly deliveries of local products ranging from bread to cheese to fresh greens. FarmEcology also consulted with the student-run Williams Cafe, resulting in the introduction of a number of local products for sale at the cafe.
In the future, FarmEcology aims to further increase the percentage of local food purchasing by Penn in order to provide students with a sustainable dining experience. The club continues to look for new projects that will bring local food to all areas of campus and to encourage students to buy local whenever possible using educational initiatives such as publicity campaigns and local food events. FarmEcology looks to the entire student body for support in its drive toward a more sustainable Penn and a healthy community.
If you would like to get involved with FarmEcology or would like more information, please contact Maura Goldstein at maura88@gmail.com.
The PA/NJ Food Summit
February 23, 2008
University of Pennsylvania
Irvine Auditorium
Philadelphia, PA
9am-5pm
Are you a Pennsylvania or New Jersey student working towards bringing more local and sustainable food to your college campus? Or are you interested in learning how?
The PA/NJ Food Summit is a day of interactive workshops by experts in the field that will teach you the skills you need to make a difference on your campus. This means learning to work with food service providers, local farmers, and community members to increase access to fresher food while addressing issues relating to farmworkers, the environment, and fair trade.
Topics will include:
Movement Building
Small Scale Agriculture Practices
The University Power Structure and Arena
Sourcing Locally: From Farm to College
How to Start a Campus Farmers’ Market
What is Real Food?
Registration: Each attendee must fill out our survey. The $10 registration fee, which includes a local/sustainable lunch, will be payable at the door on the day of the conference. Please no more than 5 representatives from each school. Registration is required by Wednesday, February 20th by midnight.
Overnight accommodations: For those who are coming from far away (a 4 hour or longer drive), there will be accommodations for you the night of February 22, 2008 at Penn students' dorms and nearby off-campus apartments. You will either be sleeping on couches or the floor so please bring a sleeping bag and pillow.
Google Group: Want to be a part of our network? Email cauwaert@sas.upenn.edu to be added to our listserv, which we use to share upcoming events, recent articles, and our collective knowledge of how to change our food system. (Note: You do not need a Gmail account to join.)
Directions: http://www.facilities.upenn.edu/visitUs/
Campus Map: http://www.facilities.upenn.edu/mapsBldgs/
Parking: http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/parking/map.html
