First Draft of Mission Statement for Garden

Living in the dense urban environment of Manhattan, Columbia students are particularly disconnected from the natural environment and the processes that bring food to our tables. The Columbia Food Sustainability Project proposes to reconnect students with the soil by creating a garden on campus. Many of our peer universities, including Brown, Stanford, and Yale, have established successful student-run campus gardens which provide their dining services with delicious seasonal fruit and vegetables. The timing is perfect for Columbia University to follow suit by tapping into broad student and faculty interest in health and sustainability.

A garden will provide a much-needed space for students to gather and work with their hands, to balance out as well as apply the academic learning that takes place in the surrounding buildings. In addition to promoting physical activity, a campus garden will raise awareness of healthy eating habits and the importance of sustainable local produce. In the garden students will collaborate to grow fruit and vegetables for their own consumption, and to sell to campus dining services and perhaps at the farmer’s market.

Finally, by becoming intimately involved in preparing the soil, planting the seeds and growing their own produce, students will better appreciate the processes of food production. This project will be part of a broader program of educating our campus about the importance of local and sustainable agriculture. Students who are interested in the issues raised by the campus garden will have the opportunity to become involved in our organization through farm visits, panels, and the integration of more local food into campus eateries and students’ diets.

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