Food Day 2012

Congratulations on making food movement history. 

300 campuses of students took part in this national day of action,
standing together to protesting the oppression and degradation of our food system today,
and advocating for the real food system that we know our future depends on.

An estimated 99,800 students, faculty, dining staff, and community members
attended nearly 900 events on campuses across 46 states (and Canada!).

 

 

View the national press release.
Numbers have increased since the publication of this press release.

Check out our most recent blog post,
breaking down the significance of this day of action!

Look below for a recap of some #fooddayoncampus highlights!

More photos can be found on our Facebook page.
 

Photo (Com)petition Winners!
 

 


About  + Photo (Com)petition + Contact Us +  About RFC and CSPI  +  Evaluation Form

 

UC San Diego - La Jolla, CA
Hoping to empower their fellow California voters to vote YES on Prop 37 in the upcoming election, UCSD’s Student Sustainability Collective hosted a panel discussion on GMO’s the evening before Food Day. Panelists included chefs, farmers, local food advocates and bestselling author Jeffrey Smith, founder of the Institute for Responsible Technology. For Food Day itself, UCSD’s resident RFC powerhouse Jessica Baltmanas organized a sustainable food expo, allowing students and community members the chance to meet and learn from local sustainable food suppliers, community organizations, and student initiatives driving the movement for real food in San Diego.
 
 
Loma Linda University - Loma Linda, CA
Loma Linda University hosted their first ever Food Day event this year! LLU organized an outdoor fair featuring local farmers and local chefs coming together to make affordable, sustainable, fair and healthy treats. Booths featured tips on how to eat real on a student budget and how to avoid the "dirty dozen," and a chance to win a book off the Food Day suggested reading list! That evening, LLU held a film screening of Nourish Short Films 2011 with profits going towards supporting the Phi U Honor Society in teaching the Food Day curriculum throughout the year.

 

University of Iowa - Iowa City, IA
UI student organization Simply Food hosted a dinner Food Day evening at Trumpet Blossom, a new (it just opened in April!) vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Iowa City.  Simply Food will be there, tabling about our organization, Food Day and RFC.  Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from all dinners that evening went to Simply Food - what a great fundraising idea!

 

Carleton College - Northfield, MN 
Food Truth at Carleton College celebrated Food Day in ultimate RFC style - with a campus visit from Midwest Coordinator, Katie Blanchard! They also screened the documentaries The Greenhorns and King Corn, held a Peace Coffee tasting, and sponsored plant-based protein cooking workshops throughout the week.
 

 

 
University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH
University of Cincinnati student group FLOF (Fresh, Local, Organic Food) organized an outdoor festival on the main quad on their campus to celebrate Food Day. They created a small farmers market on campus with local vendors selling pre-made meals, fresh produce and desserts, while collecting photo petitions throughout the day (373 in total!). The fair also featured an interactive food mural (a chance paint what real food means to you!), free food from local restaurants and informational booths from organizations like Food and Water Watch and UC’s Student Dietetic Association, educating students on topics ranging from Genetically Engineered food to water tower gardening.

 

 

Drew University - Madison, NJ 
Students at Drew spent Food Day tabling in their dining hall, collecting photo petitions from fellow students and spreading the word about what great food work is already in progress. Drew’s RFC affiliate, Students for Sustainable Food, also joined the national premiere of Food Mythbusters, holding a screening and discussion of the film that evening. 

 

 

Johns Hopkins University - Baltimore, MD
Johns Hopkins’ RFC affiliate Real Food Hopkins hosted their 3rd annual 100 mile meal, celebrating Food Day with a dinner comprised of ingredients all sourced within 100 miles from Hopkins’ campus. The meal also served as part of the national premiere of Food Mythbusters as dinner guests got to view the film 2 days before its official release, and were treated to a guest appearance by Food Mythbusters creator Anna Lappe’! Students also tabled in one of their dining halls, collecting photo petitions and conducting a taste test between local and store-bought apples. Real Food Hopkins carried the Food Day energy over to October 25th, when they held a cooking demonstration for unfamiliar produce items grown in the campus garden (i.e. bitter greens, green tomatoes, etc.). 

Duke University - Durham, NC 
The Duke Real Food Campaign celebrated Food Day with “Food For Thought,” an outdoor banquet on Chapel Quad. Students, faculty, farmers, activists, food providers, and representatives from area restaurants shared a meal together and discussed ways to turn a more sustainable food system into reality. After perusing the real food buffet, attendees were given seating assignments based on the area of food most interesting to them - each table featured one or two ‘Food Experts’ to lead and incite discussion on the table’s designated theme. Experts ranged from a variety of backgrounds, including the Duke Campus Farm, Duke Law School, Bon Appetit Management Company, and many more. Food For Thought not only brought campus and community members together, it also served to rally support for the Duke Real Food Campaign’s efforts to make Duke the first school in the southeast to sign on to the Real Food Campus Commitment. 

Lipscomb University - Nashville, TN
Fresh off the energy of one of Real Food Challenge’s Southeast leadership trainings, Emily Brunson and Maha Mortada coordinated the organizing efforts to celebrate Food Day on Lipscomb’s campus. On Food Day, Lipscomb’s main quad was filled to the brim: local vendors and on-campus organizations alike hosted informational booths about their work; a small farmers’ market was coordinated by Good Food for Good People, a Nashville cooperative of 200+ local farmers; cooking demonstrations were given by representatives from Whole Foods; and, to top it all off, it wouldn’t be Nashville without live music. The festival was complemented with screenings of the documentary Fresh, followed by a panel discussion involving members of Lipscomb’s campus and the surrounding Nashville community.

 

 

 

 

 

photo (com)petition

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

Prize #1
A bundle of Real Food Challenge and Food Day swag!
Buttons, tshirts, stickers...you name it, will be shipped to...

► the school/group to submit the most (numerically) photo petitions...

THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI!

...who submitted 373 photo petitions! 

► the school/group to submit the most creative photo petitions...

CHATHAM UNIVERSITY!

 
This was our absolute favorite!


"I support REAL food because fake food turns me upside down."

 

Prize #2
3 reserved spots + $150 worth of travel scholarships to our 2nd annual National Summit!

The winner is...

THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI!

See you in February!

 

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos!
Definitely keep uploading them - we'd love to see!

UPLOAD YOUR PHOTOS HERE! 
password: pumpkin

You MUST include the name of your school in the image title, or image description!

 

 

 

Contact Information

Questions about Food Day?
 
Contact Kate Klein, RFC's National Food Day Coordinator via kate@realfoodchallenge.org
 
 Interested in campaigning for real food on your campus? Check here to learn which of RFC's Regional Field Organizers are in your area, and get in touch with them!
 

What is Food Day?
 

Food Day is the equivalent of Earth Day for the food movement. It's an opportunity for folks from all walks of life to unite around a common passion for food, no matter what part of the real food wheel we're most invested in.
 
On campuses, students, faculty, staff and community members will come together to learn, eat and advocate for a more just and sustainable food system.

Last year over 35,000 people participated in campus-organized events at more than 225 colleges and universities nation wide. With your help, Food Day 2012 will be even bigger! 

 

More on RFC and CSPI:

 
Real Food Challenge (RFC) is a national, student-driven campaign to create a more just and sustainable food system.  With active campaigns on over 100+ campuses and a network that extends to tens of thousands of student leaders, Real Food Challenge is connecting, training and supporting a new generation of real food leaders.  Our primary campaign is to shift $1 of existing university food spending to local & community based, fair, ecologically sound and humane farms and food producers--what we call 'real food'.  To learn more, visit our About Us and Get Started pages.
 
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a DC-based advocacy group, and the founding organization behind Food Day.  CSPI has long sought to educate the public, advocate government policies that are consistent with scientific evidence on health and environmental issues, and counter industry's powerful influence on public opinion and public policies.  Learn more about CSPI.