Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.

Sustainability

Food

Dining Services

In addition to being a nationally award-winning dining institution, Concordia’s Dining Services is leading the way in sustainability and setting new standards for the industry as a whole. It is a two-year nominee and recipient of the prestigious Ivy Award, given to only six recipients by the Restaurants and Institutions Magazine for setting new standards in the food industry.

As of the 2009-2010 school year, Anderson Commons Dining Center is a trayless facility. This efficient move saves the campus 200,000 gallons of water each year and eliminates 150 pounds of wasted food each day. Overall, food waste is reduced by 26 percent.

Dining Services strives to be as creative as possible in sustainability, from little changes like switching from plastic to permanent salt and pepper shakers that can be reused, to sweeping changes like having all potatoes (13,650 per year) and pasta come from local vendors, while continuing research into expanding local and organic food.

Every aspect of Dining Services strives to be sustainable—from using energy efficient ventilation systems in the kitchen to using chemical-free cleaners on the floor—it is truly a leader in both the campus and college dining programs everywhere.

Read more about Dining Services sustainability.

Campus Garden

In April of 2010, Concordia broke ground on its first student-led organic garden. The garden will be in a highly visible location near Jake Christiansen Stadium and will provide a diverse selection of vegetables and herbs for Concordia Dining Services, Concordia Farmers' Markets and the community at large. It will serve as a model for urban gardening projects, providing education for both Concordia students and the community—including elementary students, who may be able to pick vegetables from the garden and make pizza or tacos with them in the kitchen.

The mission of the garden is to educate the community about food production that is healthy, environmentally sustainable, and practical in a manner that encourages active engagement to lessen our global footprint.

A senior capstone course, taught by Gretchen Harvey of this history department, will accompany the new garden, allowing students to have an integral part in the maintenance, planning and educational aspects of the garden. The garden currently employs two interns, Nathaniel Cook and Shane Sessions, who are tending to the garden along with planning and organizing the campus Farmers' Markets.

The garden is a result of the combined effort of the Food Working Group and the Student Environment Alliance. In the long term, both groups hope to implement more gardens, making the first garden a stepping-stone for increased food sustainability at Concordia.

Check out the two minute video about the garden and Concordia Organic Garden Blog to stay up-to-date on the progress of the garden as the interns, Nathaniel Cook '12 and Shane Sessions '12, facilitate the growth of a variety of vegetables and herbs along with organizing Concordia's Farmers Market.

Farmers' Market

During the fall of 2009, Concordia hosted several Farmers' Markets on campus. These markets featured organic and local foods and products from members of the Fargo/Moorhead area and surrounding communities. Products featured included beef, apples, potatoes, tomatoes, hot peppers, leeks, honey, sweet corn, peanut butter, and candles. Each successive Farmers Market brought more farmers, more students, and more food! The first Farmers Market coincided with a “Local Foods” meal in the Dining Center, which featured almost strictly local foods.

The Food Working Group is planning to host a weekly farmers market starting in late July 2010. The Farmers' Markets at Concordia have proven to be very popular with faculty, staff, the community, and especially with students. Not only do they provide the freshest and healthiest food options, but they provide a unique opportunity for community members who are committed to local and organic products to connect with students and share their passions and wealth of information. The markets will be held in the Atrium of Knutson Campus Center and will run from 4:00-7:00 p.m.

The dates of the market for summer and fall of 2010 are:

• July 13, 20, 27

• August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

• September 7, 14, 21, 28

• October 5, 19

• November 9 “100 MILE-THANKSGIVING”

For more information on the Farmers' Markets or the campus garden, check out the Concordia Organic Garden Blog or contact Nathaniel Cook '12, Shane Sessions '12 or Dr. Gretchen Harvey.

For more information, contact:

Janet Paul Rice

Food Working Group Chair