Meat Free Monday: Round 2

Welcome back to school, everyone!

The Meat Free Monday station is once again being launched this year, and to celebrate healthy eating on Grounds (and not just on Mondays), Dining is hosting an information fair featuring a number of groups that represent different facets of living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle at our University and in our greater community.

Where: O'Hill Dining Room
When: Monday, August 29th, 5-8pm
Who will be in attendance:
Green Dining
UVa Community Garden
Morven Kitchen Garden Project
UVa Dining Nutrition
UVa Green Challenge
N-Print Project
Local Food Hub

All are invited to attend and to learn about, and perhaps even get involved with, these various groups that all seek to promote sustainability and healthy living at UVa.

Don't forget to try the O'Hill Meat Free Monday station while you're there, too -- for dinner they'll be serving a tasty sounding Tofu Pho, which consists of Thai noodles simmered with vegetable broth, tofu, and seasoned fresh vegetables.

Morven Farm Tour & Farm Bill Discussion Tomorrow

On Tuesday, August 9th (tomorrow), a group of Food & Water Watch organizers will be in Charlottesville to lead a roundtable discussion about the upcoming 2012 U.S. Farm Bill, with a pre-talk tour of UVa's very own Morven Kitchen Garden Project.

More information and registration details can be found on the Food & Water Watch event page:

Join Food & Water Watch and Morven Farm at the University of Virginia for a garden tour at Morven Farm's Kitchen Garden. We'll talk about why small-scale, organic farms are essential to rebuilding our local food infrastructure and how Virginia is redefining the landscape of local food! The tour will start at 6 pm.

Then, we'll head over to nearby Henderson Farm (2310 Monacan Trail Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903) for refreshments and to hear from more small-scale farmers and food advocates in the region. The roundtable will start at 7:30 PM.

The Morven Kitchen Garden serves as a research and teaching laboratory at the University of Virginia that provides a sustainable food source for Morven-based programs and staff. It provides UVA faculty members and students with hands-on opportunities for studying food production cycles and the impact of agriculture on community and economics.

Early seaon planting session at the Morven Kitchen Garden, mid-March

Fair Trade and the Environment

Fair Trade USA is working on a brief series of mini-documentaries about Fair Trade certification and its impact on the three realms of sustainability: economics, equity, and environment. They just released the environmental video, and it's worth a watch.



As their video description says, "Fair Trade is not just about earning a higher price for the harvest, it's about learning techniques for sustainable agriculture that help protect the environment and make the world a better place for future generations. To become Fair Trade Certified, farms must adhere to a strict set of environmental standards, including but not limited to: no use of GMO's, minimal and safe use of chemicals, elimination of slash and burn techniques and responsible disposal of waste and water runoff. These standards not only ensure sustainable production practices, but also worker health and safety.

Additionally, while Fair Trade does not require organic certification, it does encourage organic conversion to further enhance environmental commitment."

Just something to keep in mind next time you stop in Crossroads and are deciding between a regular chocolate bar and a Green & Black's Maya Gold Fair Trade and Organic bar!