Instead of the usual dining hall food on Wednesday, students were able to enjoy Chobani Greek Yogurt and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que as part of the university’s inaugural Campus Sustainability Day.

Syracuse University hosted the Taste of Central New York dinner, which featured food produced in New York State. The choices included New York apple cheddar pizza, cider-braised brisket, roasted squash and cheesecake. Vendors such as Beak and Skiff, Chobani Greek Yogurt, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Sal’s Birdland provided the food, said Melissa Cadwell, marketing manager of SU’s Sustainability Division of Energy Systems and Sustainability Management.

Though Syracuse University Food Services purchases local foods when possible, the diner showcased some of the items at their Taste of CNY event, Cadwell said. The event makes SU the 863^rd university to join the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Cadwell said. The event, which falls on the fourth Wednesday of every October, celebrates sustainability in higher education.

The Taste of CNY dinner was the second of three events on campus. Wednesday afternoon, in an event titled “Get Caught Green Handed,” members of AASHE handed out custom Mr. Goodbars to those caught being environmentally aware on campus. In addition, the event included a free screening of the documentary “Your Environmental Road Trip” in Watson Theater on Wednesday night. All three of these activities were special to SU, Cadwell said.

“This is the perfect opportunity for Syracuse University Food Services to showcase their commitment to purchasing food items locally and sustainably,” she said.

Cadwell said sustainability goes beyond recycling because it also entails supporting the local economy and its farmers. The event not only promotes that idea but also shows students all the “great food items” that are available in Syracuse, she said.

Several students at the Ernie Davis Dining Hall said they enjoyed dinner.

Melissa Ruh, a sophomore public policy major, said she liked the fact that the Taste of CNY event exposed her to new local food vendors.

“Local food always tastes better,” she said. “You know it’s fresh so you feel better eating it.”

Mohammed Zahid, an undeclared sophomore in the School of Information Studies, appreciated the quality of the food more than the fact that it was local.

“As long as it tastes good, I don’t care where it’s from,” he said.

Ellie Forkin, an undeclared freshman in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, appreciated both aspects, calling the use of food that was both quality and local “killing two birds with one stone.” She added that she wishes the dining hall would “mix it up” with more events like the Taste of CNY dinner.

“All it takes for anyone to get involved on a daily basis is to consider what they can do on that day to help the planet, our society and our economy,” Caldwell said. “Shop at locally owned business. Consider going meatless one meal a week. These are simple everyday choices we have that are easy to accomplish.”

 

Asst. News Editor Maggie Cregan contributed reporting to this story.

Published on October 24, 2013 at 1:15 am