Food

For some UW students and even faculty choosing between eating a sufficient meal or paying for rent, books, or tuition is a daily struggle. In an effort to eliminate that choice altogether, the UW now offers an on-campus food pantry.  

During its grand opening last Monday the pantry was stocked with 954 food items, including 106 cans of fish, 80 cans of beans, and 276 cans of soups and stews. The pantry served about 10 to 15 people while it was open.

As the manager of Cultivate, James Windau makes sustainability a top priority. The on-campus, full-service restaurant works to incorporate local and seasonal food, including serving produce grown on the UW Farm. Windau and Cultivate have recently signed up for Smart Catch, a chef-driven, sustainable seafood program. The program works to support environmentally sustainable fishing practices.

Ever wondered which food suppliers at UW Medical Center's Plaza Cafe might provide local, organic, and sustainable products? Come and see the new poster located at the main entrance of the cafe to help you learn more.

UWMC's Technology and Wellness Manager Charlotte Furman worked with a UWMC intern, as well as interns and staff at UW Sustainability, to develop a big picture look. The 3' x 4' poster, mounted on the wall at the main café entrance, displays information about Plaza Café food vendors, with pictures and color coding denoting local, organic and sustainable suppliers.

A committee of faculty from the College of Built Environments, the College of the Environment, and the College of Arts and Sciences are in the process of developing a proposal for a new Interdisciplinary Food Studies Minor, and they need your help.

UW students can help make sure the new minor is interesting, useful and relevant to students by answering a quick 10-question survey, which will help assess student demand. 

As you get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends, family and food, a little preparation can go a long way in avoiding wasted food. Nearly a third of all food produced in the U.S. ends up being thrown out. Don't let your holiday feast be part of the problem - shop with a menu in mind, and check your fridge to see if you have any food which needs to be used before it goes bad. After you enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, keep those leftovers for delicious meals instead of throwing them out.

Whether it’s conserving water or donating unused food, the University of Washington Club is always looking for new innovative ways to stay sustainable.

“We try to align ourselves with the University’s commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Jenelle Ebisu, the UW Club’s general manager. “We’re always trying to support the environment as much as we can.”

The ASUW Student Food Cooperative's Autumn Humble Feast is Monday, November 23, at 6 p.m. in the HUB North Ballroom. The theme for the meal will be a Pacific Northwest Thanksgiving, and the menu will feature vegan and gluten-free seasonally-inspired food, as well as a panel of local food justice organizations. Panelists will speak about their role in the food system and the importance of sustainability and locality in consumption/production practices.

Attention UW students, faculty, and staff interested in environmental justice! This is one of the best conferences around on the topic and it takes place right here in Seattle, at Seattle University! Conference planners just announced their call for papers, due January 18th, 2016.

Each quarter, the UW Farm hosts a "Farm Lunch" seminar for students interested in learning more about urban agriculture. The informal seminars can be taken for a credit, although all are welcome to join in the discussion.

For the upcoming 2016 Winter Quarter, the Farm Lunch seminar will will highlight a mix of local farmers, policy makers and deep conversations about the work of building a resilient food system. The seminars will meet Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in Wallace Hall 120. 

Long before Seattle existed, this area was home to Native Americans with deep knowledge of the abundant natural food resources of the area. This video, part of the Burke Museum's "Salish Bounty" project, shows what archeologists learned about traditional Coast Salish food from looking at 130 archaelogical sites in the area and talking with local tribal members.

For more information on the project, including recorded stories from tribal members, see burkemuseum.org/salish_bounty