meeting minutes - 25 april 05

Coogan, Visnja, Stephanie, Alice, Katherine, and Tim met.

The orders of bizness:
1) Events for next year:
a) Activity Fair - We are planning to have a table at the activity fair in the fall, to publicize.
b) Field Trips: We'd like to organize a field trip or two in the fall. Probably something simple, to Added Value. Any suggestions are welcome.
c) Dinner @ John Jay - Another one?! Yes! This time around we know what we're doing - and will have more to work with. STEPHANIE may be able to contact Ann Cooper to see if she's willing to help out.
d) Harvest Festival - We'd like to organize an on-campus farmer's market/event in late September/early October. So far, we've thought of maybe asking to move the Columbia Market on-campus one day (can we do that? TIM is skeptical.) as well as sponsoring some related activities. TIM would like to have a cider press. We will be working on this first thing in the Fall - but email ALICE, TIM, or STEPHANIE if you have any ideas over the summer.
e) Waste Audit - This will be a project with Dining Services. Most likely, it will be a week- long initiative in John Jay. We need to think about raising people-power for this project, as well as the logistics of collecting and weighing lots of garbage.

2) Going on NOW:
a) STEPHANIE will look into getting space in Lerner for meetings next year.
b) STEPHANIE will also contact Katie about publicizing to incoming first-years.
c) TIM is researching and meeting with people who know more than him about a green space. Our first step will be a meeting with Facilities.
d) STEPHANIE will get 'the binder' for Tim to store.

3) And the incredibly-exciting section:
a) ALICE, STEPHANIE, and TIM will be working on a Green Map/Sustainable Food Map of Morningside/Harlem/Upper West Side this summer. By the end of the summer, we hope to have a compilation of sustainable food (and related) resources in our hood. If all goes well, we can turn this into a fundraiser as well.
b) ALICE has a garden in Brooklyn! (who knew?) If you feel compelled to spend some time in a garden this summer, drop her a line.
c) WE would like to start a monthly newsletter next school year in conglomeration with the Co-op and CSA. (VISNJA will talk to co-op and CSA peeps about this.) We are thinking a one-page newsletter with an article from each group, a recipe or two, and maybe an update/calendar would be good. A monthly newsletter would help form a more cohesive food-community at Columbia, as well as publicize events.