RUNNING HEAD: CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP 1
Closing the information gap:
Marketing for Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Victoria
Heather Doi, Molly Knox, Coralie Burgess, Raya Yampolsky
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
Abstract
The University of Victoria (UVic) is an environmentally-conscious campus community and issues of food
security and sustainability are of growing concern among students, faculty and staff. The university’s
Office of Community Based Research (OCBR) is currently compiling an inventory of food-related
initiatives on campus to-date. To build on this inventory, we focused on creating a comprehensive list
of food-related events, specifically conferences, forums and film screenings from 2005 to early
December 2010. Also, by researching five other universities - UBC, University of Guelph, CalPoly, McGill
University, and Ryerson University- we identified their 'best practices' in food-related marketing and
educational campaigns. In our research we utilized a diversity of research methods, from in-person
discussions, email correspondence, secondary source analysis of university websites, and a literature
review of reports and academic articles on education and marketing for sustainability. This report,
intended to raise consumer awareness and promote engagement in sustainable food systems on
campus, culminates in a series of recommendations for marketing and educational campaigns at UVic.
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 3
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................4
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND SIGNIFICANCE .................................................................................................................4
RESEARCH QUESTION, GOAL, OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................................5
METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................................................6
THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS .........................................................................................................................7
ENCOURAGING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH MARKETING .....................................................................................................7
THE CHALLENGES OF BEST PRACTICES.......................................................................................................................... 10
MEETING OBJECTIVE ONE: IDENTIFYING CONFERENCES, FORUMS, AND SCREENINGS ................................... 10
MEETING OBJECTIVE TWO: BEST PRACTICES ................................................................................................. 12
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA ....................................................................................................................... 12
THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH ...................................................................................................................................... 14
CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY ............................................................................................................... 16
MCGILL UNIVERSITY ................................................................................................................................................. 17
RYERSON UNIVERSITY ............................................................................................................................................... 19
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS ..................................................................................................... 20
OBJECTIVE ONE: SIGNIFICANCE AND CHALLENGES ......................................................................................................... 20
OBJECTIVE TWO: CHALLENGES AND FUTURE RESEARCH .................................................................................................. 23
MEETING OBJECTIVE THREE: RECOMMENDING MARKETING/EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES AT UVIC ................ 24
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 26
WORK CITED ................................................................................................................................................ 28
APPENDIX A: PAST CONFERENCE, SEMINARS, FORUMS & SCREENINGS ......................................................... 32
APPENDIX B: UNIVERSITIES' BEST PRACTICES CHART ..................................................................................... 41
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 4
Introduction
Problem Identification and Significance
The University of Victoria (UVic), located on southern Vancouver Island, is a mid-sized school
with a tight-knit, environmentally conscious campus community. Food security and sustainability are
issues of growing concern on the campus - for faculty, staff, and in particular, for students. One of the
challenges of living on Vancouver Island is its isolation from the mainland. As residents we have come
to depend heavily on food imports; currently, the island supplies only five percent of the food we eat.
This problem has arisen not from a lack of land to grow and produce our own food, but from an
underlying lack of demand and support for locally grown food. When faced with decisions to buy cheap
imports versus higher priced local goods, many are either unwilling or unable to purchase the latter. The
issue of food imports is only one aspect of food security and sustainability for UVic and for the Island
generally; however, it speaks to the need for tools and strategies to raise awareness and encourage
participation in making our food systems sustainable. As the largest educational institution on
Vancouver Island, the course of actions taken at UVic will exert a significant influence on the state of
food security and sustainability in the region. Stimulating awareness and participation amongst all
members of the campus community is the first step in building sustainable campus food systems.
As Ken Babich’s class presentation to ES 382 on September 20, 2010 suggested, many previous
and current food security initiatives are unheard of among students. His division of UVic operations,
Purchasing Services, attempts to secure contracts with local food suppliers whenever possible. Despite
marked interest among students for local food, virtually no one in ES 382 knew of these attempts by
campus food purchasers to make UVic more sustainable. This emphasized the need for better marketing
and educational initiatives across campus. Activities and programs such as food forums and local food
buying should be highlighted in order to gain much needed support for further systemic change.
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 5
Increasing and improving marketing and educational initiatives would greatly benefit the movement and
help to educate the campus community about what is going on and what else needs to be done.
Research Question, Goal, Objectives
Efforts to build sustainable food systems are ongoing at UVic. However, many of these, both
past and current, go unnoticed by students, staff, faculty and community members. In an effort to make
such information available and accessible, the university’s Office of Community Based Research
(OCBR) is compiling an inventory of food-related initiatives on campus to-date. This includes outlining
some of UVic’s strengths such as the work of faculty and student groups, research centres, and
operations in promoting food sustainability on campus (McDonald, 2010). In this report, prepared for
both Environmental Studies 382 and members of the campus community, we hope to contribute to the
inventory, and more generally to enhancing consumer awareness and participation in food sustainability
on campus by other means. To this end, we ask, which marketing and educational campaigns might
enhance consumer awareness and participation in sustainable food system initiatives at UVic? Thus, the
goal in writing this report is to raise consumer awareness of and participation in sustainable campus food
systems through marketing and educational campaigns.
To meet this goal, our research followed three objectives:
1.
Objective One: to identify food related initiatives at UVic and how these might relate to or
inform marketing and educational campaigns.
2.
Objective Two: to review and analyze best practices in food-related educational and
marketing campaigns at other universities, to inform such campaigns at UVic.
3.
Objective Three: to develop recommendations for educational and marketing campaigns at
UVic.
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 6
In part, these objectives inform the draft OCBR food-inventory, Building healthy food systems at
the University of Victoria. After consulting with Trina McDonald, OCBR work-study student, we
designed the first two objectives so as to contribute to the document where needed. Objective one
investigates past conferences, forums and screenings at UVic since 2005. Objective two investigates
best practices in food-related marketing and educational campaigns at the Universities of McGill,
Guelph, British Columbia (UBC), Ryerson and California Polytechnic State (CalPoly). The inventory
briefly mentions these five schools; however, no work has yet investigated their marketing or education
strategies on food sustainability. The inventory is, however, a specific example amongst a diversity of
other educational or marketing strategies on campus. Our research into these practices and their
effectiveness generally culminates in recommendations as to which strategies are best for UVic. Thus,
these three objectives also contribute more broadly to campus-wide efforts to raise consumer awareness
and participation in food system sustainability. We hope that our research can help people to easily find
past food-related initiatives held on campus, and offer useful recommendations as to which educational
and marketing practices should be introduced at UVic.
Methodology
This research drew on a diversity of research methods: in-person discussions and email
correspondence with members of the UVic community, email correspondence with external university
contacts, secondary source analysis of university websites, and a literature review of reports and
academic articles on education and marketing for sustainability. These methods allowed for a thorough
investigation and recording of food related functions at UVic and of marketing and educational
initiatives at our five target institutions.
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 7
Research for objective one began with an in-person interview with Trina McDonald (OCBR) to
discuss the inventory she is creating on food-related projects at UVic. Next, we contacted UVic
communications, professors, and looked through web archives of past events. We initially wanted a
baseline of 1997 to remain consistent with Trina’s data, but due to the fact that events have not been
archived, we began with 2005. Other research methods included going through university websites,
emailing university contact people, and searching for comprehensive assessment tools for university
sustainability.
Research on objective two also began with an in-person interview with Trina McDonald. From
this interview we identified five schools for case study analysis. Most research on best practices was
carried out by looking at websites or online publications from these schools. Efforts were made to
contact people associated with these initiatives via email. In most cases we did not hear back from them;
when we did, information provided was often vague or unhelpful and so was not used in preparing this
report.
Theoretical Foundations
Encouraging Sustainability through Marketing
In recent years, ‘sustainability’ has become a deciding factor for prospective students deciding
on universities. Helping them to make these difficult decisions are a number of increasingly popular
sustainability ranking tools. Universities in the US are ranked by the Princeton Review, which now
reports on a given university’s “green” status. There are now "Sustainability Report Cards" for
universities, which assign letter grades based on the school’s sustainability rating. According to a
Forum for the Future & UCAS survey (2007), students and faculty both look for sustainability in
choosing a university: 45% and 46%, respectively. These measures increasingly influence student
recruitment. As such, there is a real need for assessing how universities create and communicate not just
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 8
an image, but also a genuine culture of sustainability. The following discussion looks at the importance
of marketing and educational strategies for increasing student awareness and participation in
sustainability initiatives.
An IPSOS poll (2006) provides evidence of the significance of marketing in changing
individuals’ behaviours. The poll found that many Canadians are becoming aware of the importance of
local food simply by seeing and hearing about it more often. For example, a study by Vermeir and
Verbeke (2006) shows that young consumers have a "low perception of availability of sustainable
products, [which] explains why intentions to buy remain low, although attitudes might be positive" (p.
169). The university community seems to provide an ideal context for implementing such marketing
strategies to further engagement with sustainable food systems. Administrators, faculty, staff and
students are offered opportunities to collaborate through classes, research initiatives, activism, student
groups, events, conferences and more. A community in which dialogue and innovation are valued seems
an ideal place in which to use marketing and educational tools to promote awareness and engagement
with food sustainability. However, further attention to the nature of these strategies is required if they
are to succeed in substantively furthering food system sustainability.
One potential strategy that could solidify the university's engagement with sustainability is
internal marketing, or the marketing of initiatives specifically to staff and faculty members (Burkitt and
Zealley, 2006). Internal marketing speaks to the importance of ensuring that efforts to market
sustainable initiatives are characterized by “rigorous institutional engagement” (Selby et al., 2009, p.
553). This institutional embeddedness allows for the possibility that marketing strategies might augment
the “quality and depth of sustainability performance” (Selby et al., 2009 p. 553). For example, one of the
greatest barriers to implementing a comprehensive composting policy at UVic has been the failure to
convince unions of its benefits. An internal marketing strategy would specifically speak to employees
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 9
who aren't aware of the larger role they play in making UVic a more sustainable university.
Furthermore, institutionalized marketing strategies provoke feedback loops through which they involve
not just staff, but administrators, faculty and students (Selby et al., 2009). A broad, internal marketing
campaign could address those sustainability goals that require active participation by all members of
faculty and staff.
Educational campaigns also have an important role to play in increasing student participation and
awareness regarding (food) sustainability. There has been a considerable amount of research in recent
years dedicated to social marketing campaigns and how to successfully implement them. Edward
Maibach (1993) recommends social marketing as a tool for changing environmentally damaging
consumer behaviour. He also stresses that educational campaigns require adequate resources for
carrying out follow-ups and monitoring progress. Maibach’s recommendations resonate in the university
context, as campaigns frequently surge with incoming waves of enthusiastic students, and die out as
these students graduate. As Rita Fromholt, the Sustainability Coordinator at the Office of Campus
Planning & Sustainability, pointed out, the high turn-over of students has led to a lack of administrative
support in the creation of sustainability initiatives. This also relates to the importance of institutionalized
marketing and educational strategies that can turn disjointed initiatives into a culture of sustainability. A
commitment to analyzing and processing the results of an educational campaign, with proper
documentation and archiving, would be beneficial in keeping momentum and aiding future students and
staff.
In emphasizing the importance of marketing and educational strategies to affect awareness and
participation, it is important to recognize the limitations of this approach. One controversial aspect of
consumer-driven models is that many environmentalists believe capitalist consumerism is necessarily in
opposition to real sustainability. As Assadourian (2009) wrote in The Rise and Fall of Consumer
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
0
Cultures, culturally-sanctioned consumerism has led to a decline in global sustainability. In spite of this
critique, we maintain that educational and marketing campaigns, when supplemented with active interest
in sustainability initiatives, can be an important aspect of a comprehensive approach taken by a
university. Ultimately, as found by the BC Working Group on Sustainability Education (2009),
sustainability education cannot be compartmentalized. Informational campaigns should be employed as
part of a broader strategy, engaging all members of university and outside community, for ensuring food
system sustainability is an integral component of UVic’s culture.
The Challenges of Best Practices
This section discusses the challenges associated with translating generic best practices in
marketing and educational campaigns so that they meet UVic’s needs. The literature reviewed above
informs best practices recommendations in this report; however, tailoring best practices to fit UVic’s
internal environment requires attention to existing food sustainability assets on campus. Four areas
defined as “assets” are identified in the food-initiatives inventory draft: research and teaching, student
research and initiatives, research centers, and community partners (McDonald, 2010). In these areas,
external best practices point to ways of strengthening or expanding already developed initiatives. On the
other hand, absences from these assets are indicative of areas where external best practices provide new
insights into facilitating awareness and participation on campus. These lessons of adaptability apply
when choosing which initiatives will most successfully encourage consumer participation and awareness
of food sustainability at UVic.
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
1
Meeting Objective One:
Identifying Conferences, Forums, and Screenings
This report turns now to the goal of raising consumer awareness and participation in sustainable
food systems at UVic, through marketing and educational campaigns. We addressed this goal by first
identifying food-related initiatives at UVic - specifically conferences, forums and film screenings - and
how they might relate to or inform marketing and educational campaigns. This research produced a
comprehensive list of such events held on campus between 2005 and early December 2010. A list of our
findings, organized according to date, event format, topic, speaker/sponsor, and related
department/organization, is located in Appendix A.
From the inventory of past and current food security initiatives, conferences and forums at UVic,
a set of trends emerges. Since 2005 there has been a substantial increase in the amount of food related
events on campus. A variety of disciplines are involved in putting on these events including the
departments of Religious Studies and Law. It is encouraging to see more people from many different
departments, not just Environmental Studies, beginning to engage in action and bring awareness to the
multi-faceted nature of food sustainability.
We noted that a few conferences included a “sustainable” banquet for delegates supplied by local
growers and prepared by chefs with commitments to food security, such as David Mincey of the Island
Chefs Collaborative. These kinds of additions to conferences held at UVic highlight the local food
movement on Vancouver Island. They are always advertised as part of the conference package and
provide incentives for conference attendees to pay a premium for a high quality, local food experience
as part of the conference.
In going through the past events, we also decided to include the courses that the Division of
Continuing Studies offered as we found many were related to local or sustainable food. These courses
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
2
are intended for community members with interest in expanding their knowledge of a given subject; as
the courses designed to address problems in food security increased we infer that demand for such
courses was also increasing. The Centre for Studies in Religion and Society also was responsible for a
speaker series related to ethics in the global food system, and collaborated with the Division of
Continuing Studies in organizing these events. These kinds of partnerships indicate existing interdepartmental interest in discussing issues related to food sustainability. Other kinds of partnerships
include the way that University of Victoria Sustainability Project (UVSP) acted as an advertising
medium for many organizations in the community who were holding events or workshops on sustainable
food. These kinds of alliances are invaluable in sustaining momentum for radically changing the way
Vancouver Island thinks, and acts, about food.
Meeting Objective Two: Best Practices
This section displays findings from research into best practices in food-related educational and
marketing campaigns at five universities: UBC, University of Guelph, CalPoly, McGill University, and
Ryerson University. The food inventory discusses, very briefly, food-related initiatives at these
institutions (McDonald, 2010). We chose to investigate educational and marketing initiatives at these
same schools in an effort to build on this work. In taking this approach we recognize that each school
has its strengths and weaknesses in facilitating awareness and participation on campus. These constraints
are discussed further in Discussion and Analysis of Findings.
The following pages identify the most significant educational or marketing initiatives at each
school. For each school we describe the initiatives and their purpose, who is targeted, who is involved,
and when possible, the location of funding. This information is also clearly laid out in Appendix B.
University of British Columbia
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
3
The University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus enrols about 45,000 part- and full-time
students (UBC Public Affairs, n.d.). On campus there is a 24-hectare learning and research farm (UBC
Development Office, n.d.). The farm is an outdoor classroom for numerous for-credit UBC courses.
Additionally, the farm offers opportunities for community involvement. One such example, the Urban
Aboriginal Community Kitchen Garden Project, brings 300 Aboriginal people from the Downtown
Eastside to the farm to grow, harvest and prepare their own vegetables, fruits and medicines (UBC
Development Office). From UBC’s extensive food-sustainability initiatives, five promoting awareness
and involvement in the campus community are showcased below.
The Sustainability Pledge, found on the UBC website, acts as a portal to other UBC initiatives.
It adds signatories to an email list promoting upcoming events and campaigns, and offering tips about
sustainable living (UBC Sustainability2, n.d.). By signing the pledge, UBC students make a commitment
towards living more sustainably as part of a network of like-minded students on campus (UBC
Sustainability2).
Another tool used to increase awareness about ongoing and past initiatives is The SEEDS
(Social, Ecological, Economic, Development Studies) Library (UBC Sustainability1, n.d.). Through the
SEEDS Program, senior level undergraduate and graduate students work in collaboration with UBC staff
and faculty to produce recommendations advancing sustainability in campus operations (UBC
Sustainability1). Their reports are stored in the SEEDS Library to provide easy accessibility for future
students and researchers (UBC Sustainability1, n.d.). In addition to providing access to the research
findings, the online library also clearly shows who the students worked with within the structure of the
university. Contact information is available for those wanting to continue or to advance projects (UBC
Sustainability1).
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
4
The UBC Dietician Program brings registered dieticians to residence dining halls to give two
monthly presentations on nutrition topics (UBC Food Services2, n.d.). The dieticians educate students
living away from home for the first time about making the best choices in residence dining and counsel
students on individual dietary concerns (UBC Food Services2). In addition to hosting these dieticians,
UBC Food Services has undertaken numerous campaigns promoting sustainability (UBC Food
Services2).
Two recent campaigns by Food Services focus on encouraging waste reduction through the use
of reusable containers: The Way-To-Go program involves a frequent user system. For every ten
transactions with a reusable container, the customer can enter a prize draw (UBC Food Services2, n.d.).
The campaign ECO-To Go is a membership based, container exchange program where customers
exchange used containers, which are washed and sanitized, at a participating food service outlet. In
return they receive a membership card (UBC Food Services1, n.d.). To become a member, customers
must simply buy a container from participating food service outlets (UBC Food Services1). Both of
these campaigns seek to increase consumer participation in creating a sustainable food system (UBC
Food Services1; UBC Food Services2). To further encourage participation, Food Services also provides
each resident with a reusable container at the beginning of the year (UBC Food Services2).
The University of Guelph
The University of Guelph enrolls just under 20,000 students (Enrolment Services, n.d.). On
campus, the one-hectare Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming (GCUOF) provides hands-on
learning in organic market gardening, urban agriculture, and resource conservation; education about
food security, and opportunities for mentoring primary and secondary school students (Organic
Agriculture Program, n.d.). Along with their academic programming, many campaigns and initiatives
are emerging surrounding the concept of sustainable food (Organic Agriculture Program, n.d.).
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
5
The University of Guelph has a similar program to UBC encouraging the use of reusable
containers (Hospitality Services, n.d). Their EnviroCard program allows students to choose between a
$0.25 discount or a stamp when they purchase an entree using their own container or dishes. After 10
stamps, the customer is entitled to a free entree. Another frequent user program rewards students who
eat whole fruit and good breakfast on a regular basis (Hospitality Services, n.d.). With the Fruit Card
and Breakfast Energy Card students receive one stamp with the purchase of two or more of the
following items: whole fruit, milk, toast, cereals with milk, eggs of any type, yogurt, and bagels. After
ten stamps the customer gets a free fruit or breakfast entree. The later frequent-user program is a joint
effort between Hospitality Services and SNAP! (Student Nutrition Awareness Program).
SNAP! is a program run by two senior level students from the faculty of Applied Human
Nutrition (Hospitality Services, n.d.). SNAP coordinators act as a resource for students, answering their
questions and concerns about nutrition. They also create display boards, which are set up in the main
dining facilities to provide students with information and free pamphlets on biweekly nutrition topics (p.
21).
In addition to educating students about nutrition, Hospitality Services at the University of Guelph
supports sustainable food by purchasing local produce, dairy, eggs, and meats (Hospitality Services,
n.d.). To promote this local food, the menus in the campus dining halls showcase a 'Seasonal Special'- a
seasonal dish or local product in an attempt to both increase the awareness about the availability of local
food on campus and encourage students to choose the seasonal and local option (p.22).
Guelph not only focuses on promoting sustainability to students but also seeks to involve the
faculty and staff (Sustainability Office, n.d.). The Green Department Challenge, is a three phase
program incorporating goals and initiatives in areas of waste reduction, energy conservation, and
community involvement, (Sustainability Office). In relation to creating a sustainable food system, phase
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
6
one of the challenge involves 'freeing' the department from coffee cups (uses only reusable coffee mugs)
and becoming a 'bottled-water free zone'; phase two involves each member of the department packing at
least two waste-free lunches a week; phase three has the department takes responsibility for its own
composting (Sustainability Office).
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, located in San Louis Obispo, enrols just fewer than
20,000 students (Cal Poly Public Affairs, n.d.). The school’s College of Agriculture, Food &
Environmental Sciences (CAFES) is a multi-disciplinary program offering hands-on training and
courses to students in eighteen different majors (CAFES, 2010). Over 9,000 acres are allocated for
agricultural instruction on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus and at the University’s Swanton Pacific
Ranch in Santa Cruz County (CAFES). Rangeland, orchards, vineyards, vegetable and field crops,
greenhouses, an arboretum, and facilities for livestock, meat, dairy, fruit, and vegetable processing are
all available for educational use. (CAFES)
Cal Poly also has a multi-program focusing on nutrition and health (STRIDE, 2009). STRIDE
(Science through translational Research in Diet and Exercise), the program initiated by the Kinesiology
department, conducts research and runs programs at the university and in the community (STRIDE,
2009). One such community program is Pink Chefs and Dude Chefs, offering cooking classes to
children ages 12 - 14 at two middle schools in the area (Cal Poly Mustang Daily, 2010). The program
aims to engage children in learning about food and nutrition through basic cooking skills. STRIDE is
also undertaking a research project, FLASH, to investigate the status of health among college students
(FLASH, 2009). By studying 7,000 Cal Poly students through online questionnaires and physical
assessments, FLASH will create health and fitness profiles of the students and identify trends in healthrelated behaviours among college students (FLASH, 2009).
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
7
The student-led group Empower Poly coalition, a consortium of twenty-eight student clubs, also
has a number of initiatives surrounding sustainability (Empower Poly, n.d.). They initiated The Green
Initiatives Fund (TGIF), a grant-making fund which re-directs student fees into available resources for
student-led projects (Empower Poly). A five-dollar raise in student fees makes approximately $300,000
available to fund projects each year (Empower Poly). Empower Poly is also active in the nation-wide
movement known as the 'Real Food Challenge' (Empower Poly). The movement encompasses hundreds
of universities across the United States, all campaigning for ‘real food’ on campus - food that is local,
humane, and that supports ecologically sound farming practices. (Empower Poly).
Another interesting initiative from Cal Poly Students is Punchd! (Campus Dining, n.d.) This
phone application, created by two computer science students to replace the frequent user, 'Buy-1-Get-1Free' cards used in Cal Poly's dining facilities, is another example of the creative projects emerging from
this university (Campus Dining, n.d.).
McGill University
McGill University in Montreal, Québec is home to over 36, 500 undergraduate and graduate
students (McGill University, 2010). McGill is engaged in several innovative efforts to build a
sustainable food system on campus. Profiled in the existing OCBR food inventory (McDonald, 2010) is
the school’s ‘edible campus,’ a container garden that transformed underutilized urban space into a green
and edible community space (p. 18). McGill also has multiple initiatives that encourage awareness of
and student participation on issues of food security and sustainability. Some of the most prominent are
profiled below.
McGill’s Organic Campus is a non-profit student group that brings local, organic fruits and
vegetables, baked and lunch goods to students once a week (McGill University’s Organic Campus, n.d.).
The group aims to provide these local products at affordable prices, while also offering education on
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
8
“healthy and sustainable food practices” (para. 1). The Organic Campus blog is a resource for
information about food-related events such as film screenings, panel discussions, forums and
workshops. As a student group, Organic Campus receives funding from the Student’s Society of McGill
University(SSMU).
The McGill Food Systems Project (MFSP) brings together students, professors, McGill Food
and Dining services, and the McGill Office of Sustainability in an effort to make the campus’s food
systems more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable (McGill Food Systems Project1
[MFSP] n.d.). By facilitating “student research, community engagement, and stakeholder collaboration”
the MFSP facilitates collaborative efforts to better the food system (MFSP2, n.d., para. 1). The project
supports two key initiatives: Local Food Days and Applied Student Research. Local Food Days, held
once monthly in each residence dining hall, feature local and seasonal produce, meat, dairy, eggs, and
grain products (MFSP3, n.d., para 1). These food days have moved beyond showcasing local
purchasing; they provide a place for students to learn about regional growing, to participate in foodrelated workshops and events, to ask questions about the “sustainable food movement,” (MFSP3, para.
2). Applied student research has the MFSP working closely with student courses to generate applicable,
food-related research (MFSP4, n.d., para. 1). This branch of the project is valuable for two reasons in
particular. Firstly, it involves students in the dissemination of food-related research to a wider portion of
the student body. Secondly, it institutionalized the products of Applied Student Research, making it an
educational
tool
reaching
students,
faculty
and
staff,
and
administration.
One Applied Student Research success story is Meatless Monday McGill (MMM), an
educational campaign “to inform people about the health and environmental benefits” of vegetarian
eating once per week (Meatless Monday McGill1 [MMM], n.d., para. 1). This once weekly event is an
ongoing marketing and educational initiative aimed at McGill students. It exemplifies collaborative
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 1
9
engagement on food sustainability, bringing together McGill Food and Dining Services, the MFSP,
students, and the Sustainability Projects Fund, which has recently awarded funding to the MMM
initiative. Using promotional tools such as posters, brochures, online pledges and informational videos,
and a one-stop website, MMM spreads the word about the value of a meat-free lifestyle ( MMM2, n.d.).
This campaign exemplifies the collaborative and participatory nature characterizing education and
marketing for food sustainability at McGill.
Ryerson University
Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario is comparable in size to UVic at 25,000 students
(Ryerson University1, 2010). It is noted in the inventory for its interdisciplinary Centre for Studies in
Food Security (McDonald, 2010). Since 1994, this centre has promoted research, professional practice,
knowledge dissemination and community action on issues of food security. The centre “works at local,
regional and global levels to facilitate dialogue and share information that will inform policy
development and community action” on food security (p. 20). This section discusses educational
strategies at Ryerson by expanding on the centre’s work and exploring additional educational avenues.
The Centre for Studies in Food Security takes a research-oriented approach to raising
awareness about food security. One of its core goals is to create dialogue that discusses aspects of
health, income, changing food system dynamics, ecological sustainability and sociocultural diversity
(Ryerson University2, 2010). Dialogue is promoted primarily through lectures, symposiums, forums and
conferences featuring research on food security. The centre brings students into the dialogue through
Graduate Students Discussions. These discussions take place through two initiatives: the Grad Food
Colloquium and the Working Paper Series. The colloquium allows graduate students to share their foodrelated research with other graduate students (Ryerson University3, 2010). This initiative also
contributes to information sharing amongst universities in the region, primarily Toronto, Ryerson and
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
0
York. The Working Paper Series, launched in September 2009, allows graduate students to conduct and
publish food-related research (Ryerson University4, 2010). While these initiatives are creating
opportunities for graduate student research, noticeably absent from the centre’s work is an undergraduate
presence.
The Ryerson Community Food Room (CFR) is an equity service, funded by the Ryerson
Student Union, offering a food bank for students, faculty or staff in need. The Food Room also provides
the Good Food Box service. Students can purchase these food boxes from the CFR; for every ten boxes
sold, the CFR receives one free. The box program promotes healthy, local food at prices that students
can afford (RSU Community Food Room, 2010). The CFR is also an advocacy and resource centre,
providing food nutrition and safety information for students, referrals to community services and
recipes. Although the CFR website mentions the group’s role in coordinating food security, none were
listed at the time of research and efforts to contact the Student Union’s Equity and Campaigns Organizer
yielded no response.
Discussion and Analysis of Findings
Objective One: Significance and Challenges
Efforts to systematically gather, document, and present the history of food-related conferences,
forums and film screenings at UVic contribute to marketing and educational campaigns in two
capacities. Firstly, this research adds to the ongoing work of compiling a campus-wide food initiatives
inventory. This inventory is itself one strategy for furthering awareness of past and present efforts to
foster sustainable campus food systems. As a comprehensive archive of initiatives, the inventory is also
an educational tool. The campus memory of past actions on food sustainability is reinforced with this
document, instead of relying on the recollection of those who come and go from campus. Future events,
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
1
upon referring to the inventory, will be able to build upon past experiences and expertise, rather than
starting from scratch or repeating what has already been done. Contributions to the food inventory,
which can be understood as an educational or marketing tool, help to promote the process of institutional
learning. As such, ‘consumers’ are not only made aware of past actions and hopefully inspired to
participate, but are also allowed the opportunity to build on past successes thereby deepening levels of
food sustainability on campus.
We also encountered several challenges in conducting this research. Of particular relevance to
marketing and education is that the research methods themselves revealed the ways in which UVic’s
marketing strategies could be improved. UVic Communications is responsible for all media interests
related to events taking place at the school. However, they do not formally keep records of past events.
UVic’s event website has a searchable history until 2005, which made our intended baseline of 1997
difficult to maintain. We were advised over the course of our research to consult individuals who may
have had some memory of certain events that predated this time. Not only is this research method
unreliable, it also begs the question of who was attending these events, and how they heard about them.
Marketing of events, discussions, and forums at UVic is generally carried out in the form of posters, and
in recent years, the occasional Facebook update if the event-holder is related to a student group. UVic’s
own website does not engage in outreach and their events page is not interactive. Hence, our research
into what events had been held in the last few years shed light on the ways in which UVic is lacking in
its marketing of sustainability initiatives.
Our research highlights the need for community resources within the local food movement to
play a greater role in UVic activities. The UVSP has many community partnerships that have potential
for collaboration. Successful marketing campaigns should reach local members and promote community
alliances. The inventory provides a solid foundation for identifying where partnerships could occur and
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
2
where common interests lie. Our contributions are intended to assist in the creation of a comprehensive
document that can be used to present the administration with concrete data on the status of food
sustainability initiatives at UVic. It is also important to note that the inventory is a work in progress. In
light of this, we identified the following gaps in the inventory:
1)
Research and Teaching:
The Division of Continuing Studies offers many courses related to food and sustainability, and helps
to sponsor lectures on food security topics.
2)
Research Centres:
a)
The Center for Co-operative and Community Based Economy: James Rowe is part of a project
related to food co-ops. They've also been responsible for a lot of speaker series related to
sustainable food.
b)
VIPIRG: public interest research group, published papers related to food security, including
profile on the Food not Bombs campaign (in itself a form of marketing/awareness-raising),
among others.
c)
The UVic Community Mapping Centre, home of The UVic Community Green Map and the
Coastal Community Green map; a food-related resource for locating dining outlets, native plants,
like blackberry bushes and apple trees, and areas of regional urban agriculture and local farms.
d)
Extended information on UVSP’s involvement in food-related sustainability issues:
UVSP's website features advertisements of events happening in the greater Victoria community,
such as workshops put on by the Compost Education Center, and the Hillside-Quadra (Whark St.
Commons) collective. The UVSP also had a hand in fundraising to save Madrona Farm. This
indicates student relationships the broader community on food security issues on Vancouver
Island. They also provide resources on food sustainability, like West Coast Seeds. They have
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
3
their own food-related additions to the Sustainability Action Plan (2007) pertaining specifically
to the Student Union Building. Their off-shoot "Think Outside the Bottle" was created in 2009 to
lobby for the ban of bottled water on campus. They've screened films related to water resource
sustainability in addition launching awareness-raising campaigns about bottled water, the second
of which just launched this year. UVSP also helped OSP retrofit water fountains.
3)
Community Partners:
a)
Dogwood has sponsored food-related events, and together with LifeCycles and Transition Towns
Victoria created the Robin Hood Gardening Campaign, intended to "promote food sovereignty
and equality in Victoria."
b)
Vancouver Island Community Research Alliance (VICRA): is an OCBR led project related to
food
Objective Two: Challenges and Future Research
This section addresses some of the challenges encountered in researching best practices in
educational and marketing initiatives. As mentioned previously, the five schools discussed above are
identified in the OCBR food inventory as best practice institutions in food sustainability. Our research
further identified best practices in promoting awareness and participation in sustainable food systems
using educational and marketing initiatives. From these findings, recommendations for best practices at
UVic are made in the penultimate section of this report.
As a caveat to our research on best practices, we recognize the shortcomings of this approach to
identifying target universities and best practices. While these schools are home to exceptional food
sustainability and security initiatives, these are not always matched by efforts to engage students through
marketing or education. For example, although Ryerson has a Centre for Studies in Food Security
(CSFS), best practices in related educational and marketing campaigns were more difficult to identify.
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
4
The CSFS mandate is to “promote food security through research, dissemination, education, community
action and professional practice”, and yet, its ability to generate awareness and participation on campus
seems limited by its exclusion of undergraduate research activities (Ryerson University1, 2010). By
identifying these research challenges, we emphasize that the five institutions studied here are not the
only examples of schools with best practices.
For future research on best practices, we suggest three possible tools for identifying appropriate
schools:
o
Grist List of the 15 Top International Green Colleges and Universities;
o
US Eco League Site Describing US Liberal Arts Colleges that Specialize in Education for
Sustainability, and
o
The College Sustainability Report Card.
Keeping in mind the importance of adapting best practice solutions to fit with UVic’s internal
environment, the College Sustainability Report Card is a highly recommended option. Its comparative
function allows for analysis of practices across schools.
Meeting Objective Three:
Recommending Marketing/Educational Strategies at UVic
This report has so far identified food-related initiatives at UVic, and best practices in marketing
and educational initiatives at other schools. Both objectives have pointed to the goal of identifying
marketing and educational campaigns to implement at UVic, in an effort to raise consumer awareness
and participation in sustainable food system initiatives. To round out this goal, and drawing on our
findings to this point, we have developed the following recommendations for educational and marketing
campaigns at UVic:
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
5
1. Making a Sustainable UVic Homepage:
The university homepage should promote sustainable initiatives taking place on campus. Making the
information easily accessible and visually appealing. Students want a ‘one-stop-shop’ where they
can view all their options, and interactive choices, graphics, and pictures (Selby et al., 2009). In our
research, many of the university’s websites were disjointed with information about sustainable
initiatives spread over many different faculty and department websites. For example, we noticed that
some dining outlets at UVic do, in fact, publish menus for the coming week online. A good way to
improve this feature and to tie it to UVic’s broader sustainability goals might be to also show how
much of the menu is locally sourced that week. The existing menu service is not easily accessible to
the general student population, but could be incorporated into USource’s new “My Page” format.
This way, every student who logs into their UVic account can see where UVic’s food services are
sourcing their products, and what they can expect from dining services that week.
2. Campus-Wide, Post-Disciplinary Involvement:
By marketing sustainable practices to the entire campus community (students, faculty, and staff),
sustainability becomes part of the campus culture (Selby et al., 2009, p. 548). One example comes
from the University of Guelph where the Green Department Challenge engages faculty and staff in
developing sustainable practices and individual responsibility in the workplace. This challenge, a
form of internal marketing, is one way to address issues such as composting within buildings. Part of
the pledge that departments take when participating in the challenge is to take responsibility over
their own composting - collecting all of the department’s food waste and taking it out to the main
composting areas thereby alleviating the task from the workload of the custodians.
3. Marketing Mediums that Engage Students:
By utilising web-based resources and media to frame sustainability messages, the information can be
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
6
presented in a way which appeals to the student body (Selby et al., 2009). Many of the initiatives we
investigated had social networking components such as Facebook pages, blogs or Twitter.
4. Group Engagement to Promote Behaviour Change:
Group activities have been shown to promote shifts in social norms and habits, thereby promoting
new behaviours (Junxion/Ethos JWT, 2007, p. 2). Local Food Days and Meatless Monday McGill
educate students on the respective importance of eating locally and vegetarian. These initiatives have
become group movements and fixture in residence dining halls. Through events, pledges and
information sessions, a broad range of students participate in a mass movement for food system
sustainability.
5. Institutionalizing Initiatives: Creating a Culture of Sustainability:
The ultimate goal of marketing and educational initiatives is to see their messages translated into
increased awareness and participation in sustainable food systems, and ultimately, to increased
“quality and depth” of food sustainability (Selby et al., 2009, p. 553). Key to this process is
institutional involvement with marketing and educational initiatives. The SEEDS Library at UBC
makes students’ research reports easily accessible and clearly shows who the students collaborated
with within the university. Applied Student Research at McGill is a collaborative effort between the
McGill Food Systems Project, professors and students to foster applied research. Meatless Monday
McGill, a product of applied student research, has since become incorporated into Food and Dining
Services McGill. Because UVic leaves much of the marketing to the individual, workshops on
networking or marketing in sustainability movements could be very useful in generating a larger
following. UVic could also be more actively involved in surveying students and faculty for
satisfaction in sustainability initiatives, as such data can be insightful for creating future campaigns.
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
7
Conclusion
As the largest educational institution on Vancouver Island, UVic has the ability to significantly
influence the state of food security and sustainability in the region. It is clear that momentum around
issues of sustainability and food security is growing on campus, however, many of the past initiatives
and events surrounding food security have gone unnoticed by many members of the campus community.
Our research focused on how increasing and improving marketing and educational initiatives could both
enhance the movement and help to educate the campus community about what is already being done.
Building on the inventory of food-related projects Trina McDonald has been creating, our group
focused on creating a comprehensive list of food-related events, specifically conferences, forums and
film screenings. The list showed considerable variety, both in terms of the topics and issues focused on,
and in the departments and organizations involved in promoting sustainable food systems on campus.
Also highlighted was the invaluable relationship between community organizations and student groups,
such as the UVSP, who can act as an advertising medium to inform the campus community of upcoming
events. Our research also involved looking at five other universities - UBC, University of Guelph,
CalPoly, McGill University, and Ryerson University- and their 'best practices' in food-related marketing
and educational campaigns in hopes of providing ideas for possible areas of growth at UVic.
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
8
Our research stresses the importance of stimulating awareness and participation amongst
all members of the campus community as a means of building sustainable food systems on campus
and creating a genuine culture of sustainability. Future research could build on the
recommendations briefly mentioned in the preceding section, as well as consider ways in which
'best practices' from other institutions could be applied to UVic's unique setting and populace. It
is also important to continue to develop marketing and educational strategies to promote the
existing initiatives on campus, and to fuel the momentum around food-related issues that has been
growing in recent years.
Work Cited
Assadourian, E. (2010). The rise and fall of consumer cultures. 2010 state of the world: Transforming
cultures from consumerism to sustainability [pdf document]. Retrieved from:
http://blogs.worldwatch.org/transformingcultures/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Chapter-1.pdf
Bonfield, C. (2009). How sustainability education? Solutions summit report. British Columbia
Working Group and Network on Sustainability Education
Burkitt, H., Zealley, J. (2006). Marketing excellence: Winning companies reveal the secrets of their
success. John Wiley & Sons, ltd: West Sussex, England.
CAFES. (2010, August 3). College of Agriculture. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from CAFES Center
For Sustainability: http://www.sarc.calpoly.edu/about/college_of_agriculture.html
Cal Poly Mustang Daily. (2010, November 9). Pink Chefs and Dude Chefs. Retrieved December 8,
2010, from Mustang Daily: http://mustangdaily.net/pink-and-dude-chefs- serves- up-nutritionto-local-students/
Cal Poly Public Affairs. (n.d.). Cal Poly Quick Facts. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from Cal Poly News
and Information: http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/quickfacts.html
Campus Dining. (n.d.). Get Punchd! Retrieved December 8, 2010, from Campus Dining: http://
www.calpolydining.com/getpunchd/
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 2
9
Empower Poly. (n.d.). Sustainability at Poly. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from Empower Poly:
http://empowerpoly.calpoly.edu/
Enrollment Services. (n.d.). Facts and Figures 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from Info:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/info/facts/
FLASH. (2009). What is FLASH? Retrieved December 2010, from Stride: http://
stride.calpoly.edu/programs/flash.html
Hospitality Services. (n.d.). Hospitality Services Local Sustainability Plan. Retrieved December 8,
2010, from Hospitality Services Sustainability Initiatives: http://
hospitality.uoguelph.ca/sustainability/downloads/HospitalitySustainabilityInitiatives.pdf
Ipsos Reid Public Release (2006) Canadians see many benefits of locally grown food [pdf
document]. Retrieved from: http://moodle.uvic.ca/file.php/15176/Week_nine/
November_1/Canadians_see_many_benefits_of_locally_grown_food.pdf
Junxion/Ethos JWT (2007, June). Sustainability Awareness and Action: Best Practices and Key Lessons
Maibach, E. (1993) Social marketing for the environment: using information campaigns to
promote environmental awareness and behavior change. Health Promotion International 8(3),
209-225.
McDonald, T. (2010). Building healthy food systems at the University of Victoria: Research,
initiatives and people supporting food sustainability on campus (Draft). Victoria, BC: University
of Victoria, Office of Community Based Research.
Meatless Monday McGill1 (n.d.). What is MMM? Retrieved December 10, 2010 from
http://meatlessmcgill.tk/
Meatless Monday McGill2 (n.d.). Promotional Materials. Retrieved December 9, 2010 from
http://meatlessmcgill.tk/
McGill Food Systems Project1 (n.d.). Welcome. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 3
0
http://mfsp.wordpress.com/
McGill Food Systems Project2 (n.d.). About. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from
http://mfsp.wordpress.com/about/
McGill Food Systems Project3. (n.d.). Local Food Days. Retrieved December 9, 2010 from
http://mfsp.wordpress.com/events/local-foodMcGill Food Systems Project4 (n.d.). Applied Student Research. Retrieved December 9, 2010
http://mfsp.wordpress.com/applied- student-research/
from
McGill University. (2010). Students. Retrieved December 4, 2010, from McGill University
General Information: http://www.mcgill.ca/about/quickfacts/students/
McGill University’s Organic Campus. (n.d.). McGill University’s Organic Campus. Retrieved
December 8, 2010 from http://organiccampus.blogspot.com/
Organic Agriculture Program. (n.d.). Hands-on Learning at the GCUOF . Retrieved December 8,
2010, from Organic Programs: http://www.organicag.uoguelph.ca/learn/gcuof.html
RSU Community Food Room. (2010). Good Food Box. Retrieved December 11, 2010 from
http://www.foodroom.ca/index.php?section_id=24
Ryerson University1. (2010). About Ryerson. Retrieved December 10, 2010 from
http://www.ryerson.ca/about/
Ryerson University 2. (2010). Welcome. Retrieved December 11, 2010 from Centre for Studies in
Food Security http://www.ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/
Ryerson University 3. (2010). Graduate Food Colloquium. Retrieved December 11, 2010 from Centre
for Studies in Food Security http://www.ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/ graddiscussions/colloquium/
Ryerson University4. (2010). Working Paper Series. Retrieved December 11, 2010 from Centre for
Studies in Food Security http://www.ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/graddiscussions/series/
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 3
1
Selby, D., Jones, P., & Kagawa, F. (2009). Sustainability promoting and branding: Messaging
challenges and possibilities for higher education institutions. Sustainability, 1, 537-555. doi:
10.3390/su1030537.
STRIDE. (2009). About Stride. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from Stride: http://
stride.calpoly.edu/about_us.html
Sustainability Office. (n.d.). Green Department Checklist. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from Living
Green: http://www.pr.uoguelph.ca/sustain/livinggreen/greenchecklist.htm
UBC Development Office. (n.d.). CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS AT UBC
FARM.
Retrieved December 8, 2010, from Supporting UBC: http://www.supporting.ubc.ca/2010/
priority-projects/land-food-systems/centre-for-sustainable-food-systems-at-ubc-farm
UBC Food Services1. (n.d.). Eco-To Go: Container Exchange Program. Retrieved December 8,
2010, from Food Services: http://www.food.ubc.ca/sustainability/eco-to-go
UBC Food Services2. (n.d.). Sustainability Initiatives. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from UBC Food
Services: http://www.food.ubc.ca/sustainability/sustainability-initiatives
UBC Public Affairs. (n.d.). UBC FACTS & FIGURES (2008/2009). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from
Public Affairs: http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/services-for-media/ ubc-
facts- figures/
UBC Sustainability1. (n.d.). SEEDS Library. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from Sustainability
Initiative: http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/seeds-library
UBC Sustainability2. (n.d.). Sustainability Pledge. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from
Sustainability
Initiative: http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/pledge
Vermeir, I., Verbeke, W. (2006). Sustainable food consumption: Exploring the consumer "attitudebehavioral intention" gap. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 19, 169-194.
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 3
2
Appendix A: Past Conferences, Seminars, Forums, & Screenings
2005
Date
Sept. 27
Event
Format
Seminar
Topic
3 part presentation on food and drink trends in modern
Japan, and their implications for Canada.
Sept. 28
Lecture/
Seminar
"War by Other Means: Genetically Engineered Food Aid
and the History of Agricultural "Improvement." Shiri
Pasternak, interdisciplinary M.A. trace the discourse of
“improvement” from its seventeenth century use by
John Locke to justify the appropriation of Aboriginal
lands in North America to the inter-locked languages of
improvement and development in the twenty-first
century in the context of genetically engineered food
aid. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the
food sovereignty movement as a possible practical and
epistemological break for farmers in the Global North
and South from the hegemony of this war by other
means.
Sept. 29
Lecture/
Seminar
Genetically Modified
Cornucopia?
Organisms:
Frankenfood
Speaker/
Contact
Dr. Joseph F. Kass
CAPI Japan chair and
Linguistics Professor
at UVIC
Shiri Pasternak,
interdisciplinary
M.A
or Edward Ishiguro,
Department/
Organization
Centre for Asian
Pacific
Initiatives
Centre for
Studies in
Religion and
Society.
Continuing
Studies
Professor in
Part of the "In Pursuit of Knowledge" series. Sponsored Biochemistry and
by Elizabeth Bowmen
Microbiology Depts.
Oct. 26
Screening
"The Future of Food"; International Campus
Sustainability Day.
Sponsored by Sarah
Webb
Office of
Campus
Planning and
Sustainability
Sponsored by
Anita Narwani
Biology
Graduate
Studies
2006
Feb. 20
Symposium
Biology Graduate Student's Symposium: Themes
included "Levels of environmental contaminants in
traditional coastal BC First Nations foods"; "How much
mercury in fish can you safely eat."
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 3
3
May
Event
Format
Conference
Sept.30
Conference
Date
Banquet
Speaker/
Department/
Contact
Organization
"Lighting a Fire" Aboriginal Health Research
Aboriginal Health
Aboriginal Health
CLOSING
THE INFORMATIONResearch
GAP: 3Group
Conference, Indigenous Food Systems, Health and
Research Group
4
Well-Being; Aboriginal Health Research
Re-Imagining Restoration Conference Banquet:
Catered by Laura
Sponsored by
Organic menu with locally grown and harvested foods
Moore
Peggy Faulds
and wines. Presentations on Ecocultural restoration.
'Good for you
organic catering' a
division of
“Conscious Kitchen
Cooks."
Topic
2007
Jan. 10
Lecture/
Seminar
Centre for Studies in Religion and Society Distinguished
Speakers Lecture Series:
Contact: Leslie
Kenny
Continuing
Studies
Speaker:
Laurie Zoloth
Continuing
Studies
Acceptable Genes? Religion, Culture, and the GM foods
debate
Feb. 4
Lecture/
Seminar
Responses from the major religions to Genetically
Modified Animals. Interested in the ethical and animal
warfare implications of the use of cloned and transgenic
animals in agricultural animal biotechnology.
Centre for Studies in Religion and Society Distinguished
Speakers Lecture Series
Acceptable Genes? Religion, Culture, and the GM foods
debate.
"When you plough the field, your torah is with you:
Acceptable genetic modification and GMO Food in the
Jewish Tradition(s).
Feb. 11
Feb. 14/
15
Date
Feb. 21
Feb. 25
Lecture/
Seminar
Screening
Event
Format
Lecture/
Seminar
Lecture/
Seminar
Professor of
Medical
Humanities, North
Western
University.
Centre for Studies in Religion and Society Distinguished
Speakers Lecture Series:
Speaker:
Nancy Turner
Acceptable Genes? Religion, Culture, and the GM foods
debate
UVIC School of
Environmental
Studies.
"Why Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Beliefs
Matter in the debate on GM Foods."
Fast Food Nation
Topic
Mining Fish from the Sea "Are we past the point of no
return in mining fish from the sea?"
Launched the All-day forum at UVIC "Are we killing the
World's Oceans?"
Centre for Studies in Religion and Society Distinguished
Speakers Lecture Series
Acceptable Genes? Religion, Culture, and the GM foods
debate.
Continuing
Studies
Cinecenta
Cinecenta
Speaker/ Contact
Department/
Organization
Royal Society of
Canada
Speaker:
Dr. Daniel Pauly
Director of the
Fisheries Centre at
the UBC.
Speaker:
David Loy,
Besl Family Chair
of Ethics, Religion
and Society at
Continuing
Studies, CSRS.
Jan. 11
Lecture
Preentation: "Notes from the Field." Nathalie Chambers Nathalie Chambers TLC: The Land
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 3
(Madrona Farms) and Bill
(Madrona Farms)
Conservancy of
5
Turner (TLC)
and Bill
British Columbia
Turner (TLC)
Jan. 12
Screening
"Food, Inc."
Commerce
Students Society
Commerce
Students Society
Jan. 21
Workshop
“Native Plant Study Group: Gardening with Nature.”
Instructed by Abe
Lloyd, MA
Jan. 25
Screening
"Flow." Film about water resources, UVSP
Jan. 28
Forum
“Think Outside the Bottle: Water Sustainability.” Dr.
Tony Clarke- founder of the Polaris Institute, with
Maude Barlow, co-author of Blue Gold: “The Fight to
Stop the Corporate Theft of the World’s Water (2003)
with Maude Barlow”; Inside the Bottle: An Exposé of
the Bottled Water Industry (2005).
“Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in
Indigenous communities in Guatemala and Canada.”
Latin American Research Group Presents: Lorenzo
Magzul. Thanks to Office of Indigenous Affairs. Sponsor:
Paula Ceroni.
“Fish Farms: Taking Stock” Speaker Alexandra Morton,
author and biologist researching fish farms on BC coast
UVic Sustainability
Project
Dr. Tony Clarkefounder of the
Polaris Institute,
Department of
Environmental
Studies
UVic Sustainability
Project
UVic Sustainability
Project
Jan. 28
Lecture/
Seminar
Maude Barlow, coauthor of Blue Gold
Speaker:
Lorenzo Magzul
Thanks to Office
of Indigenous
Affairs
Sponsor: Paula
Ceroni.
Speaker:
Alexandra Morton
Department of
Biology
Feb. 25
Discussion
Mar. 6
Workshop
Growing Food in Containers Workshop. Hillside-Quadra
Gardens Group. UVSP
UVic Sustainability
Project
UVic Sustainability
Project
Mar. 9
“Veganism 101: An introduction to veganism.”
Mar. 10
Lecture/
Seminar
Screening/
Panel
Discussion
UVIC
Vegan Association
UVIC's POLIS
project
Mar. 13
Workshop
Food Roots workshop on small scale market farming
Sponsor: Niilo Van
Steinburg.
Sponsored by
Greater Victoria
Water Watch
Coalition
Food Roots
Mar. 18
Lecture/
Seminar
"Back to the Future: The Re-storying of Camas
Landscapes."
Speaker: Brenda
Beckwith
Mar. 21
Workshop
Raising Bees in the City Workshop.
Hillside-Quadra
Gardens Group.
Department of
Environmental
Studies
UVic Sustainability
Project
Speaker/
Contact
Department/
Organization
A call out: Sharing Food and Knowledge: Bridging
Community and Campus Research and
Action for a More Sustainable Food System on
Vancouver Island.
Resistance is Fertile: A Food Democracy Teach-Out
Sponsor: Charlotte
Charlie
Office of
Community Based
Research
“Food Matters!” Regional Food Security Conference.
CR-FAIR invites you to an annual food and farm
networking event and celebration of Regional Food
CR-FAIR
CR-FAIR
Date
Event
Format
Mar. 23
Forum
Mar. 24
Seminar
Mar. 26
Conference
“Tapped.” , featuring Susanne Porter-Bopp of UVIC's
POLIS project.
Topic
Food Roots
CLOSING THE INFORMATION GAP: 3
6