A Sustainable Dining Hall

CORRECTION APPENDED

On Tuesdays this fall, a small village of tents outside Memorial Hall has perplexed passers-by. Those who took the time to take a peek inside on their way to class enjoyed a rarity on campus: a local farmers market that provided a feast of fresh carrots, blueberries, and watermelons and all manner of other delicious comestibles. The market, which has been operating for the past two summers, ended its season last week. Fortunately, however, the organization that sponsors the market—Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS)—has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and local food that extends beyond the market.

For instance, HUDS has made a concerted effort to buy as many local ingredients as possible, and has initiated a number of waste-reducing initiatives to reduce its environmental footprint. Local produce, for instance, has many benefits that most undergraduates frequently ignore. Besides the fact that locally grown produce is invariably fresher and tastier than the same stuff grown in Mexico, buying locally supports local agriculture. It also substantially reduces the fossil-fuel consumption necessary for transport.

Besides improving environmental sustainability, HUDS has also been refreshingly responsive to student initiatives on a number of issues in this vein. For instance, HUDS agreed to use cage-free eggs and free-trade coffee after students raised concerns. [see correction below] It would have been easy for HUDS simply to ignore both of these inconvenient and presumably expensive initiatives. HUDS’s willingness to go to lengths to make such changes demonstrates genuine concern for student opinion on its part.

We commend HUDS for being so friendly to environmental and student concerns, and look forward to enjoying the farmers market again in the spring.

CORRECTION: Monday's editorial "A Sustainable Dining Hall" incorrectly said that HUDS agreed to use free-trade coffee in response to a student initiative. In fact, HUDS agreed to use fair-trade coffee, not free-trade coffee. The Crimson regrets the error.