FEB 24TH, 2015 EWU SUSTAINABLE FOOD FORUM CR DESIGN & PLANNING SERVICES Building Relationships Back Into Food Mark Loparco, Dave McKay, D.J Jigre, Dane Rice, Kelsey Mae Crane (Left to Right) “ZERO WASTE” PRODUCTS ARABICA COFFEE BEANS WA GROWN APPLES #FOODJUSTICE The Goal of this event was to move the campus community to consider the questions,“What is Food Justice, and what does it mean to be an eater in today’s world?” Through expert-led discourse, the topic of sustainable food was dissected down into it’s truest meaning -- no longer satisfied solely by labels such as organic, sustainable, fair, ethical -- but realized through personal relationships. Discussions were focused around concepts such as “Beyond Fair Trade”, Farm To Table programs, Community-Based and Driven Business Models, Climate Change, and the Anchoring Role that Institutions like EWU and the University of Montana inevitably hold to small farmers and local food systems development. “We should eat food that is not only good to eat, but good to think.” -Michael Pollan ASEWU-led Photo (Com)Petition *Prize donated by The Mason Jar
Transcript
FEB 24TH, 2015 E W U S U S T A I N A B L E F O O D F O R U M CR DESIGN & PLANNING SERVICES
Building Relationships Back Into FoodMark Loparco, Dave McKay, D.J Jigre, Dane Rice, Kelsey Mae Crane (Left to Right)
“ZERO WASTE” PRODUCTS ARABICA COFFEE BEANS WA GROWN APPLES
#FOODJUSTICE
The Goal of this event was to move the campus community to consider the questions,“What is Food Justice, and what does it mean to be an eater in today’s world?” Through expert-led discourse, the topic of sustainable food was dissected down into it’s truest meaning -- no longer satisfied solely by labels such as organic, sustainable, fair, ethical -- but realized through personal relationships. Discussions were focused around concepts such as “Beyond Fair Trade”, Farm To Table programs, Community-Based and Driven Business Models, Climate Change, and the Anchoring Role that Institutions like EWU and the University of Montana inevitably hold to small farmers and local food systems development.
“We should eat food that is not only good to eat, but good to think.” -Michael Pollan
ASEWU-led Photo (Com)Petition*Prize donated by The Mason Jar
The morning began with the two most sustainable coffee roasters in the Inland North West leading coffee tastings -- Roast House and DOMA. Dr. Julia Smith performed the opening remarks as well as a “coffee talk” to follow, covering topics ranging from Climate Change, Coffee Cherries and Processing, to the Coffee Market as a major indicator of international food prices. Next, we welcomed Alison Collins and David Blaine to lead discussion on Farm To Table and Community Business Practices based on their current businesses, Central Food and Boots Bakery.
Dr. Julia Smith, EWU Anthropology
Alison Collins of Boots Bakery & David Blaine of Central Food (Left to Right)
Scott Yost, Coffee Educator at DOMA
SLOW FOOD & COMMUNITY
Estevan Ruiz, The “Chef”
“Slow Food” Lunch
Slow Food means “Good, Clean, and Fair”. For EWU, this required sourcing ingredients locally, ensuring that their
purchases would support the local economy and were raised and traded ethically. It would also demand that the preparation take more time and intention than what is common practice
on a University serving over 7,000 meals per day. The menu:
House-made Hummus w/ Baked Pita ChipsVegetarian Local Split Pea SoupCampus Bakery Focaccia Bread
Roasted Fresh Candied Vegetables w/ Pearl Barley, drizzled with Brown Butter
Carved Local Beef Sandwiches
STRONG PARTNERSHIPS
Throughout the day, the EWU Food Forum welcomed community organizer, Jace Bylinga from the Sierra Club to educate on the interconnections between Coal Energy, Climate Change, and Exotic Foods, while EWU Dining and the EWU Campus Garden club displayed posters showcasing projects aimed at promoting sustainable food on campus. All who attended the Keynote presentation by the Director of Dining at the University of Montana left inspired towards higher goals in REAL food procurement on campus and in the community. U of M has past their REAL Food Challenge Commitment of 20%, with over 25% REAL food on their campus. They plan to put as much of their campus into local food procurement as possible.
For more information on REAL food visit: www.realfoodchallenge.org
Multiple times during the Food Forum, coffee was referred to as “The Canary in the Coal Mine” in regards to International Food Security. Almost all of us can relate to the morning dose of coffee as a necessary start to our day; however, how many actually understand the elaborate process of coffee from the cherries grown in the developing world to the beans sent to market? Coffee is an exotic item grown exclusively in countries like Ethiopia and Colombia where farmers struggle just to receive a livable wage for their work. Meanwhile, international prices continue to rise in both coffee and food, as Climate Change has left California and many other “food baskets” of the world in a state of severe drought and mixed unpredictable conditions.
Coffee is such a delight, and is clearly something the world doesn’t want to go without. It was thus encouraged that we treat it as such, being conscious about the coffee we are consuming, questioning if the process and trade was fair and sustainable.
“COFFEE IS THE SECOND MOST TRADED COMMODITY IN THE WORLD -- SECOND TO CRUDE OIL.”
Student Leadership
A key ingredient to what kind of food is served on any college campus, particularly one that is Self-Operated like EWU, has to do with student demand. A student from ASEWU addressed the crowd asking, “Does EWU have plans to double or triple production at the Campus Garden this year?” Another student, who attended the Food Forum for the entire day, ended up seeking out ways in which he could personally get involved with sustainable food on campus, after proclaiming that he was seriously inspired by the days speakers and the energy of the event.
Food & Culture
From the beginning of time food has been a major part of culture, from the hunting and gathering days of roots, berries, and bison, to the globalized market of today where we have people like Victor Azar (Owner at Victor Foods) making Hummus, Falafel, and Pilaf -- sharing his Middle Eastern cultural identity with the Inland Northwest. Victor is a strong example of how important food is in developing who we are, where we go in life, our message to the world, and how our community relates to each other. Food is truly a sacred cultural experience to be preserved.
THE RIGHT THING TO DO
EXHIBITORS:
1. EWU DINING SERVICES
2. ASEWU
3. EWU CAMPUS GARDEN
4. THE SIERRA CLUB
5. ROAST HOUSE
6. DOMA
7. VICTOR FOODS
8. CAPTURE PHOTOGRAPHY
BY VANESSA MATHISEN
9. THE MASON JAR
SPEAKERS:1. DR. JULIA SMITH, EWU ANTHROPOLOGY
2. DAVID BLAINE, CENTRAL FOOD
3. ALISON COLLINS, BOOTS BAKERY
4. MARK LOPARCO, U OF M DINING DIRECTOR
5. JEREMY SCHULTZ, EWU PHYSICAL EDUCATION
6. DAVE MCKAY, EWU DINING DIRECTOR
7. VICTOR AZAR, VICTOR FOODS
SPEAKERS CONT’D:8. BETH ROBINETTE, LAZY R RANCH
9. SCOTT BUCK, EWU TRANSPORTATION
10. JERRY WHITE, SPOKANE RIVERKEEPER
11. BART MIHAILOVICH, WATERKEEPER ALLIANCE
12. JOEL WILLIAMSON, LINC FOODS
13. JACE BYLINGA, SIERRA CLUB
14. D.J JIGRE, ASEWU PRESIDENT
Torie Foote, LINC Foods Board President
D.J Jigre, ASEWU President
Mark LoParco from University of Montana & Dave McKay from EWU (Left to Right)
Tricia Hughes, EWU Health & WellnessJeremy Schultz, EWU Phys. Ed.
COLLABORATION
Event Planning & Consulting by Kelsey Mae Crane of Collaborative Roots
ZERO WASTE
1. SUCCESSFUL: 90 PERCENT
DIVERSION RATE
2. ALL DINING PRODUCTS
WERE HARDWARE OR
BIODEGRADABLE
3. ALL COFFEE SAMPLING
PRODUCTS WERE BIODEGRADABLE
4. HUMMUS TASTING DONE
WITH COMPOSTABLE PAPER
CUPS
5. NO GARBAGE CANS IN
EVENT VENUE
Joel Williamson, LINC Foods
Jerry White, Spokane RiverKeeperBeth Robinette, Lazy R RanchBart Mihailovich, WaterKeeper Alliance
Deborah DiBernardo, Roast House
Kelsey Mae Crane has her Masters in Urban & Regional Planning from Eastern Washington University, and is focused on creating cutting-edge Zero Waste Events and investing in local projects that promote a sustainable culture. She is the Vice President of The Spokane Edible Tree Project and is on the Board of LINC Foods. CR operates using the ethos that business should build meaningful education and community resiliency.
www.colaborativa.wix.com/collaborative-roots
Vanessa Mathisen is a native of Spokane, WA and found her passion capturing beautiful moments as a young girl. She has recently merged with North West Imaging and has expanded her scope of photo work. Vanessa has a passion for making a difference in others lives, and donates 10% of proceeds to local foster care. All photos featured here are her work and have been graciously donated to CR Design & Planning Services.
