Fleming College

By Colin Sober-Williams, Technician, Sustainable Agriculture Co-op program:

In launching the Local Food Box Pilot, the Sustainable Agriculture class has been working hard to make local food more available to the Frost Campus community.

The boxes provide convenient bi-weekly deliveries from February to April to staff and students that signed up at the beginning of the semester. Because of the high demand on campus for sustainably grown foods, they were quick to sell out.

Sourcing seasonal vegetables from small ecologically-sustainable family farms, the Local Food Box is the first step in a broader vision for growing food on campus and operating a demonstration farm at Frost.

The Sustainable Agriculture program teaches students that local organic agriculture must play a role in mitigating climate change, providing food security, restoring soil health, improving human health, protecting water, and providing sustainable livelihoods for citizens. Small-scale diverse farms provide many ecosystem services – including habitat for many native pollinators and birds.

Often the best way to support these farms is through our stomachs! The participating farms for 2015 include Lunar Rhythm Gardens, Grassroot Organics, Cedar Grove Organics and a few other sustainable farms in the Kawartha Lakes.

 
The class is now looking at selling extra staples to give even more people a taste of what is produced within 30 km of Lindsay. Honey, flour, wild rice and other staples will be available for sale on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month during common hour lunch (noon to 1 p.m.) and from 4-5 p.m. outside of the library.

 
When walking by the new green wall installation, be sure to stop and say ‘hi’ to the students that are getting another green initiative firmly rooted here at Frost campus.

 
*Applied Funding for this project was generously provided by Fleming College’s Office of Sustainability.