Green Monday launched at WashU in January 2015. The program encourages members of the WashU community to reduce the environmental and global health impacts of their food choices, or their “foodprint,” by following a vegetarian diet at least one day per week. This semester, the Office of Sustainability’s Food team enhanced Green Monday through education and outreach, new partnerships, and an expanded community supported agriculture (CSA) program. They also exceeded their semester goal for pledges. Scroll below for an overview of semester highlights and impacts.
Pledge Goal
Pledge drives took place during the Health Fair at the School of Medicine campus and Earth Week at the Danforth campus. Our goal was to reach 1,200 pledges by the end of the semester. To date, 1,364 students, faculty, and staff have taken the pledge!
Education and Outreach
The Green Monday team collaborated on weekly messages that went out via e-newsletter and social media. This semester’s messages ranged from food policy news such as the release of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to guides on getting involved with food-related initiatives. Campus guides included a highlight of student groups like the Burning Kumquat and hunger relief efforts such as the PB&Joy food drive. Community guides featured information on food-oriented volunteer opportunities and overviews of local farmers’ markets and Green Dining Alliance restaurants. The team also discussed international Green Monday campaign efforts, with a focus on innovative initiatives in Hong Kong.
New Partnerships
The team developed partnerships with student groups across campus. For example, we participated in WashU’s Relay for Life event to raise awareness and support for the American Cancer Society and met with graduate students in Psychology and Earth & Planetary Sciences. During March and April, the team also met with Women’s Panhellenic Association chapters. Over 215 chapter members took the Green Monday pledge. Congratulations to Kappa Kappa Gamma on achieving the highest number of new pledges.
On the staff and faculty side, the team met with Wellness Champions, Green Office program representatives, and Environmental Studies and Psychological & Brain Sciences department members.
CSA Program Expansion
In April, Green Monday team members announced WashU’s new Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program partnership with Local Farmer CSA. WashU staff, faculty, and students can sign-up as a CSA member and receive a weekly or bi-weekly Crop Box filled with locally grown produce, fruit, eggs, dairy, and/or other artisan goods. CSA programs provide a convenient way for community members to eat fresh, seasonal foods and support local farmers.
The new weekly pick-up site is at West campus. To learn more and sign-up, click here.
Thank you for joining us in making every Monday a Green Monday. Together, we can have a remarkable impact. Consider: If everyone in the WashU community eats vegetarian one additional day per week, we will collectively reduce carbon emissions by as much as 5,000 metric tons annually. This is equivalent to taking 1,053 cars off the road!
If you are interested to take a more active role with messaging and event planning or would like to schedule a presentation, contact Jen Carter, Sustainability Coordinator, at jlcarter@wustl.edu.