Parkhurst, I have come to learn, puts a lot of energy into making sure that we eat fresh, sustainable food here on campus. Know Your Source is a program intended to inform consumers of where their food is coming from: local sources. Their program for locating and acknowledging local food sources is much more complex than I thought “local” foods entailed. The majority of foodstuff on campus comes from local sources, which implies a certain distance depending on the product. Milk, for example, I believe is delivered locally within 250 miles of the source. Some dining services go even farther, and even attempt to find products that use local ingredients. Parkhurst’s sustainability director, Jamie Moore, thinks that taking this extra step is far more challenging and nearly impossible.

While I have once researched the agriculture and animal agriculture industries, the depth of my findings weren’t comparable to what Jamie had to show us. The chicken industry was most shocking, especially finding out that “cage-free” eggs isn’t actually an improvement unless they are certified organic. Homogenized milk also intrigued me, as I probably drank it for the majority of my life. I am curious if drinking those hormones has impacted my body in any way. Agricultural pesticides on non-organic produce have always been distasteful in my opinion. It wasn’t until this year that I truly began enjoying fruits when I first tried organic. Organic fruits didn’t have the bitter, sour taste I associated with normal fruits, which is why I know there’s a difference.

Culinary services seem like a solid ground to implement numerous sustainable initiatives. Parkhurst takes any attainable step in furthering the sustainability of the services, from low impact take-out containers to local foods. I am confident in Parkhurst’s ability to continue striving for sustainability along with the rest of the campus.