For the Organic Food Program, I would like to start on campus, I believe the first step will be to raise awareness about the food on campus. I developed this idea through our class discussions. The common theme, when talking about introducing organic food on campus, seems to be that in order for organic food to be successful on campus that the student population's awareness of what they're eating must be stimulated.
I was thinking about passing out brochures, holding an educational seminar in the Kiva, things along these lines. But, then I thought, in order to get more intimate with the student body, that our class(es) should create a video. My main idea for this video is to buy the lowest and highest caloric food that a student can buy, from each store, in the hub and from the cafes. We would then review each of these meals and just give some facts about each (e.g. "One meal may contain 1000 calories compared to only needing 2000 calories in one day; that's half the calories a person needs to sustain themselves, in one meal!"). Something like that that will really open a student's eyes to what they are really eating. But this is just one idea. We could incorporate many other ideas into this video. If we were to hold an educational seminar in the Kiva, if we made the video professional enough, I think it would be a great thing to show during this event. Share your ideas or bring them up in class.
Please, post ideas for the video or other ways to raise awareness on campus. Posting whether this idea is good/bad is welcomed but please include other ideas that may improve this project.
Thanks.
I think that awareness is the first step to seeing change on this campus. If the students see what they are eating and understand the health risks of the food, they will support our classes in making this change happen. I think the next step would be to get the word out on our interests in college in wanting to bring out the changes we want to see on campus. My way of thinking has been expanded during this class, and I expect that my fellow Kent students will have their thinking expanded, if tgey were exposed to this information.
ReplyDeleteI don't think awareness is the first step at all on campus. You need to go to the dining services and the head honcho people and tell them that we need to open up an organic foods place on campus. Just telling the students about it and opening their eyes will not start the store. This is defiantly an important step, I agree with you, but you should be focusing on the main people at kent state who will get this is motion.
ReplyDeleteI must share my opposing view, Caitlin. I believe the process starts at the other end of the spectrum. Rather than the head honcho being the shot caller, we, the students/faculty are the individuals who make the decisions. Companies/services are malleable to what the customers want. This has been discussed in Writing II via class discussion, readings, and Food Inc. By not buying the food they serve they then listen to what the customers want. The "head honchos" of the world bend backwards to us, though it seems people have become complacent with having it go the other way, bending backwards, sacrificing their health for the un-nutritional food companies are willing to serve us. By tending to open the campus population's minds rather than trying to pry open that of the higher ups, this will serve best. Change starts at the bottom and control also settles there too. It is not the people making us the food that are in control; it is us. Understand that the convenience stores and cafeterias only existence is to make profit. When the students begin to cut back on eating campus food the school will then make a change because of diminishing sales. If we were to express this idea to the persons in charge they may give us the time of day to explain our thoughts and ideas but they would be less likely to implement the change needed. Becoming organic costs more, but that is how our society has structured the food system. Healthy, nutritional food falls to the bottom becoming more costly while unhealthy food climbs to the top. By holding educational sessions and delivering other forms of educational material on campus, change is more likely to be made. Our consumerist system is more democratic than our political system. When the campus population changes its eating habits we will be starting and perpetuating the motion. Feel free to express and rebuttals you may have toward my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI definately think awareness if the first step to seeing change on campus. I say this because last year in eastway graduate nutrition students featured plates in eastway that were being served and listed the number of calories in each. It was surprising to see the nutrition facts of each dinner. The students did this every week on certain days. It allowed the students to see there are options and relatively healthy ones and unhealthy options. If people are more aware of what is being served they will be more aware of the different choices and options available.
ReplyDeleteI think this an idea about awarness is a very good idea..if people knew how many calories and howe much fat in each product they will be careful about what they pick to eat. We have to set up healthier places to eat that have organic foods and sell lots of fruit thAT IS VERY GOOD FOR U
ReplyDeleteI feel that awareness is a good idea on how to start this. If people know what they are consuming then maybe it will make them want to change the way they eat. I do think that even if people are aware of what they are eating they won't care as much as some people do.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good way to raise awareness on the food we eat. Many college students do not know what is in their food and the quality of their food. We should know what we are eating.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that when people know what they are eating, they may hesitate grabbing it and then they will get something else. The only thing is, they need that something else that they grab instead of the unhealthy choice to be healthy. Are there many healthy, non expensive options?
ReplyDeleteI found myself wondering around campus today looking for something to eat that I didn't think was gross. I went into the student center to see that two of my friends had bought burgers and fries. I was thinking about jump but last time I ate there the meat was questionable to say the least. The best "healthiest" place to eat was the Kent market place under the stares where a bottle of water, a tiny dish of pasta salad and a turkey wrap put a 9 dollar dent in my wallet. I think we defiantly need some other healthy options rather than greasy burgers and fries.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there needs to be a two front offense. I think that the best way is to start by putting pressue on the dinning service and raise awareness at the same time. The amount of awareness will grow steadily if we have a steady amount of flyers and seminars etc. If we keep pressuring the dinning services they will begin to hear from us more and more and our ideas will begin to sink in. As the ideas we feed to them sink in they will see the students demonstrations in a new light hence more likely to listen if we attack from both sides simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteI believe awareness is a good step to take. A lot of people do not know what kind of foods they are consuming so they don't really care if its organic or not. I know a lot of people who would be disgusted if they knew what kind of food they were actually putting in their bodies. I feel like if we made people aware of what they were eating, then more people would be willing to work towards getting organic foods in the cafeteria's here at Kent.
ReplyDeleteI believe that raising awarness among the student body is a good step to take, but also the people in charge of dining services need to be informed as well. majority of the food served on camopus is fried and students have no idea what is really in their food. if awareness is raised the need for organice food will rise. both students and dining services need to be aware of this issue if we want it to change.
ReplyDeleteI also think it will be a good idea to get more facualty involved too. I believe that involving faculty at the same time will have massive benifits. If more professors are as enthusiastic as professor Harrison then more students will be aware. I believe if it were not for her course i would not have been aware of the lack of organic food. I think if we have more teachers incorporating the lack of decent food into their leson plan then more students will become aware and active. This will then create a massive snowball effect taking the campus by storm.
ReplyDeletebest way to show someone something is better for them is to show them the benifits, and also let them sample that the food tastes the same but it has that many more benifits for you and your health.
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