The Yale Sustainable Food Project

As we all know by now, an important part of becoming a sustainable society is education. TreeHugger is here to educate you on sustainable and eco-friendly products that are out there so when we see others doing it as well we have to applaud, especially on the university level. Yale University, in New Haven, Conn., has started the Yale Sustainable Food Project, designed to “nourish a culture in which the interwoven pleasures of growing, cooking and sharing food become an integral part of each student’s experience at Yale.” In May of 2003 students cleared dying hemlocks, shrubs and weeds and planted over 200 varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers to create Farnam Gardens, a ten-minute walk from the center of New Haven. Not only is the fresh produce used in the dining halls but also is sold at farmer’s markets in the city. In addition, the university has fostered relationships with local farmers from around the state as well as ranchers who care for and feed their livestock using humane and ecological methods. Food distributors are used who can trace their products to a responsible resource. Yale hopes that the project will be a model for sustainable food programs for institutions around the world. We hope so too, but darn, if only we could go back to college life... ::Yale Sustainable Food Project [by KD]