By Sara Reese ’16
On Saturday, March 7th, roughly 40 Colgate University students gathered in the LOJ, a historically environmentally and outdoor-themed housing residence on Broad Street, to watch the 2015 TEDxManhattan (and enjoy Chipotle) for much of the snowy afternoon. This year’s event was entitled “Changing the Way We Eat” and included talks from educators, nonprofit workers, farmers, and many others not only engaged in the conversation of access to high quality, healthy, sustainable food, but also personally acting to bring that access to all Americans.With Colgate’s food contract opening up, the TEDxManhattan event was a reflection of much of the buzz that has been generated around food at Colgate recently. The Sodexo focus groups, food service committee, and dining survey have all reflected a desire for more sustainable, local, and healthy options at the dining locations here at Colgate.
Per the recommendations of the Sustainability Food Systems working group, Sodexo recently hired a Food Service Manager of Sustainability, Deb Hanson, who is working to provide more sustainable, local foods and transparency in terms of where our food comes from.
The TEDxManhattan event provided some food-for-thought (literally) for thinking about food transparency and how food can impact our health and environment, and brought together the global issue of food justice and the local food discussion that is occurring here at Colgate.
You can follow the embedded links to learn more about the TEDxManhattan event or Deb Hanson.
