P LANNING A S UCCESSFUL L OCAL F OODS D AY Richard Phillips & Andrea Allison

S OURCING Determine a radius for local items Assess local items available Meat Lockers/Butcher Shops Dairy Farms Apple Orchards Farms with a variety of in-season produce Financial Limitations What cost are you willing to incur? Local presence at event? Cost?

M ENU D EVELOPMENT Contact local producers to determine availability of proteins, vegetables, and other necessary items to create a full, balanced meal Determine cost per item attained Ensure amount of product available is enough to feed the number of students and campus employees Prep time for fresh items Cooking staff has enough time to prepare all of the fresh items Extra time needed to slice and soak all necessary items

E DUCATION Signage and information on each item at each station Where the item was purchased from Encourage students to make the effort to buy locally Local vendors stationed within dining hall for face to face education Invite campus nutritionist and produce director to educate students in separate rooms regarding health benefits of buying local

C AMPUS C OMMUNITY I NVOLVEMENT Coordinate with professors on campus who work with students on sustainability Many professors are, in some way, involved in a sustainability project Farms, gardens, nature preserves Campus wide Service Day Local Foods Day becomes a discussion point in class Feedback from students about sustainability program campus wide Improvements or changes that need to be made Forward thinking in continuous improvement projects

C OMMUNICATION & A DVERTISING Communications department on campus to reach out within the Pella community as well as on- campus communications Contacted the Des Moines Register regarding the “All Iowa” meal to feature in the Iowa Live section of the paper Contacted students via and community crier

P OSITIVE A TMOSPHERE Feedback from students & campus employees Encourages students to think about buying local – not only food, but local merchants and eateries Students excited about sustainability Re-usable cups Points per use and incentive program Reusable to-go container program

N EXT S TEPS We found students were excited about sustainability! Increased involvement with campus garden Increased student feedback regarding things transitioning in Dining Services Student initiated understanding of Dining Services role in sustainability Composting, recycling initiatives, re-usable products

Q UESTIONS ?