UMSFP's Big Day!
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- Published on Thursday, 11 April 2013 15:05
Today is a big day for the UMSFP!
Lindsey MacDonald, Lauren Beriont, and Sarah Schwimmer will be presenting about the Sustainable Food Program for the President's Advisory Group this afternoon. Their presentation will detail our journey to build the UMSFP and lay out our vision , mission, and next-steps for the future. It's a huge honor to have been invited to present! Some pretty important people will be there to hear what we have to say, including President Coleman.
Later in the day, the SNRE Master's Project group (Liz Dengate, Allyson Green, Lindsey Mac, & Jerry Tyrrell)-- the people who started this amazing program-- will be giving their capstone presentation, sharing their story and their successes with everyone who attends.
Speaking of attendance, if you want to show your support for the UMSFP, come see their presentation! Wear your Kale to the Victors tee and come to Dana Room 1040 at 6pm.
As always, thanks for all your support; we couldn't do this without you.
Kale to the victors!
-Sarah
p.s. Don't have a Kale to the Victors tee yet? No worries, you can buy one in the Dana Commons from 2:30-4pm this afternoon!
Can Gardening Save Stressed Out Students?
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- Published on Tuesday, 02 April 2013 17:08
Need an excuse to garden? Check out this recent science blog by a UMSFP Leadership Team Member!
The sun has finally returned to Michigan (for now). The early flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and my fellow students and I are again facing the proverbial dilemma: work or play?
In the spring, our school-induced stress levels seem to grow at the same rate as the flowers when the end of the semester deadlines draw near. To ease this tension, sometimes we play Frisbee and wander in the woods instead of doing homework. More often than not, however, we sit longingly by a window waiting for the day when we can quit digging into research papers and start actually digging. In the dirt, of course. Click to keep reading...
February Reflections
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- Published on Sunday, 03 March 2013 00:22
February was a crazy-busy month for those of us involved with the UMSFP-- but crazy-busy only means good things. Yesterday, we had the UMSFP Advisory Board meeting, and looked over all the food-related events that happened during the month.
MSFI kicked off February with Talk with Your Mouth Full, during which people ate delicious local food and shared stories; there were weekly farm/greenhouse workdays that brought students together to plant new seeds and tend to our sprouting seedlings; a few of us from the UMSFP team presented at the Florida Seminars, which I wrote about here; UMBees held their honey-gram Valentine's sale, which was hugely successful; more than 150 people attended the CAFE Food Symposium, which Liz wrote about here; people learned about food at the live streaming/viewing of the TedX Food Talks; UMSFP hosted a member group potluck and brought together people from all of the food-related student organizations around campus; and the Local Food Summit provided incredible seasonal food, thought-provoking speakers, engaging breakout sessions, and cool workshops on a huge variety of food topics to a large and diverse audience-- check out my photos of the event here.
All in one month! And a short month, at that. That's pretty freaking awesome.
March looks promising as well. And we're kicking it off with our Kale to the Victors t-shirt contest! If you'll be going somewhere amazing, doing something exciting, eating great food, or just generally being awesome before March 15th, you should definitely put on your K2V tee and snap a pic, because you could win gift certificates to the A2 Student Food Co and Zingerman's, and a basil plant to add some sweet spice to your life. Read more here!
For those of you on break this week, I hope you have awesome adventures!
Kale to the victors!
-Sarah
Symposium Success
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- Published on Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:37
There were a few moments last Friday afternoon when I stopped racing around the Dana building, stood on the outskirts of the bustling Commons and, checking out the hubbub, was overcome with emotion. A plethora of volunteers ran the registration table, sold T-shirts, and monitored compost bins. Students clustered to sign-in and get their nametags, to fill tiny envelopes with kale seeds, or to get some freshly brewed, locally roasted coffee from Roo’s Roast. There was activity and enthusiasm everywhere I looked. People were talking to each other, meeting new people, and learning new things everywhere I turned. And the subject of every conversation was food: good, sustainable, fresh, healthy, and equitable food. That emotion I was filled with was excitement - and a warm, comforting feeling that felt like success.
What event was this? It was the second annual Sustainable Food Careers Symposium, put on by CAFE (the Consortium on Agriculture, Food, and the Environment), a group I’ve had the pleasure of leading this school year. From 9 am to 4 pm, we filled the Dana building with sustainable food professionals and enthusiasts. Our goal was to connect undergraduate and graduate students with professionals and academics in the world of sustainable food and to hold powerful, relevant conversations on current events and issues and career opportunities for newcomers in this field.
In order to accomplish these goals, we held four panel discussions over the course of the day, as well as providing lunch and then desserts over opportunities to network with similarly interested folk. The panel topics were ‘Community and Education,’ ‘Entrepreneurship and the Private Sector,’ ‘Food Justice,’ and ‘Sustainable Food Production.’ You can check out the full program here to find out all about the panelists and moderators for each panel.
A couple of takeaway tips from the Symposium? Try lots of different jobs and start conversations with everyone possible. (You never know what’s going to click.) Remember that a job shouldn’t just be about its mission – you have to like the job itself, and your daily routine, if you’re ever going to make a real difference in the world. And if you want sustainable, local food to come out on top – vote for it with your wallet whenever you’re able. Learn to cook with real, seasonal produce. Spread the farmers market love.
A lot of great information came out of the Symposium. Students learned about job opportunities and programs happening all across Michigan and the nation, through our diverse set of panelists. For me, though, the real feeling of success came from seeing the spontaneous conversations that sprang up among the 100+ participants. It was clear that a lot of people deeply care about these issues, and that made me not only proud of creating an event for all of them to come together, but also optimistic about a future in which all of these people will be entering the workforce.
-Liz