When it comes to being on a college campus, there are many temptations to eat unhealthy. Yet, there are those groups, which are trying to make healthy choices.?Some of these organizations include EcoGarden, Local Routes, and Whitney Dining Hall.?
EcoGarden, a completely student-run program, harvests and maintains a local garden north of campus and works closely with the Local Routes program.?According to its Web site, Local Routes promotes the efficient use of locally-grown foods into the dining services on campus.?In 2006, EcoGarden first partnered with Local Routes and the collaboration was a success. EcoGarden was able to contribute over $900 worth of fresh produce to Whitney Dining Hall through the Local Routes program.?Not only did Whitney, the only vegetarian and vegan-styled dining hall on campus, receive this produce but they were also able to change around recipes, menus, and chefs.
Whitney Dining Hall did not always cater to vegetarian and vegan needs though.? Rather, it used to serve the same meals as all of the other dining halls.?Last year was the first year that Whitney underwent such a change and began to focus on naturally grown foods.
Rebecca Gorin, the dining services area assistant manager for Whitney, noted that "students responded well to Whitney … and perhaps something may happen with the other dining halls as well."
Gorin made the fact clear that the menu has to appeal to everyone and it is often difficult to do so, but Whitney offers a wide array of natural choices.?There are vegan entrees offered at every meal along with vegetarian choices.?The dining hall also utilizes cage free eggs, fresh mountain dairy milk and the local dairy bar ice cream. Whitney has been able to prosper over this past year and has helped to bring awareness to the campus community.?However, it couldn't have been done without the support of EcoGarden and Local Routes.
In fact, EcoGarden also hopes that the student body will become more health conscious as the years go on.?
"There is a fundamental problem in society: quality versus quantity," said Zbigniew Grabowski, 7 th-semester ecology and evolutionary biology major and the chief financial officer for EcoGarden.
Grabowski, along with other EcoGarden members, wishes to stress the quality aspect because that is what locally grown food is all about.
Nicholas Frechette, a 3rd-semester physics major who is in charge of growth production in the garden, said that "we are distancing ourselves from our natural needs." By depriving their bodies of proper nutrients some students may grow to become very unhealthy individuals.
Contact Diane Pauley at Diane.Pauley@UConn.edu
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