Student Independent Projects Environmental Studies 2017: Moving Towards Sustainable Foods: Increasing Food Production on Grenfell Campus

Cormier, Laura (2017) Student Independent Projects Environmental Studies 2017: Moving Towards Sustainable Foods: Increasing Food Production on Grenfell Campus. Research Report. Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Grenfell Campus is in a position of opportunity and responsibility to confront Newfoundland and Labrador’s unsustainable food situation. Nearly all fresh food is brought onto the island by boat and by truck which can be delayed and diminish local food supplies. Food production on the island would lower the environmental impact while increasing food security. As an educational institution, Grenfell Campus has resources to find a way to produce food on an environmentally and economically sustainable level. Many universities have already addressed food sustainability with clear initiatives and progress reports, something Grenfell Campus currently lacks. Since Grenfell is a small campus of the greater Memorial University, it should take on small, low cost sustainability projects and build upon them, to gain support and interest. A large project can be dauntingly costly and require ongoing support for many years, which is difficult to maintain as universities have a high student turnover. Other universities have been successful in starting small and building on previous projects to increase their food sustainability status. This paper uses a literature search and primary data collection to provide a comparative analysis of the food sustainability status of Grenfell Campus and other Canadian and American universities. It also offers some potential routes to improving Grenfell’s sustainability status.

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