MARLBORO — On Tuesday, April 15, President Ellen McCulloch-Lovell of Marlboro College and student representatives will each sign the Real Food Campus Commitment, joining more than 100 colleges and universities across the country.
The commitment promises that Marlboro will procure at least 20 percent of the food consumed on campus from local or community-based, fair, ecologically sound, and humane food sources - “real food” - by 2020.
“Colleges like Marlboro have to show leadership in our communities by modeling ways to support ecologically sustainable, humane, and socially equitable food systems,” said Marlboro president Ellen McCulloch-Lovell in a news release. “Investing in real food benefits not only the daily lives of out students, but also fosters community by supporting the livelihoods of family farmers and other local producers.”
The primary goal of the Real Food Challenge is to shift $1 billion of existing college and university food budgets away from industrial farms and junk food and toward real food.
The national campaign also maintains a network of student food activists, providing opportunities for networking, learning, and leadership development for thousands of emerging leaders.
Marlboro's commitment includes initiating a student-led assessment of campus food procurement using the Real Food Calculator, a tool that uses independently verifiable criteria in four categories: community-based/local, fair, ecologically sound, and humane.
The challenge also includes a commitment to adopt a comprehensive real-food policy, with a multi-year action plan and annual benchmarks.
The signing of the Real Food Campus Commitment on April 15, at approximately 5:20 p.m., will be followed by a community dinner, with a focus on local foods.
This event is part of Marlboro's week of celebrations leading up to Earth Day, April 22.
Other events will include a screening of the film, Fenceline, presentations by environmental studies students, an introduction to therapy goats, and a work day where community members will help complete projects on campus.
There will also be a demonstration of a composting toilet, laptops to help participants calculate their carbon footprints, and displays on the college's energy consumption and waste production.