"Only six of the 600 active ingredients in commonly used pesticides have passed safety tests mandated by Congress 13 years ago. So it is no surprise that an independent study found unsafe pesticide residues in 44% of the foods tested." - ALTER (March 1987).

Organic Lunch - April 2002

The idea for the Organic Lunch was conceived by MS3 students Heather House and Michele Gauger as a way to educate the campus community on the importance of food choices and impacts upon the environment. From this idea partnership were formed between various entities on campus to fulfill this idea. The Macoskey Center, Institute for Community Service Learning and NonProfit Leadership and ARAMARK teamed up for this first time event. On a minimal budget organic and local food was either donated or purchased for ingredients in several dishes that would be prepared by volunteers from the Center and the Institute. ARAMARK donated time and costs of using china, not disposable dishes and also aide with food preparations. The lunch was a success, while also producing educational materials to inform attendees of several topics related to sustainability; what organics are, pesticide issues, local/organic beef, shade-grown coffee, fair trade, food and its impact on the environment, and vegan/vegetarian lifestyle choices. Overall the lunch was a success and was also an influence of the Local Food Project embarked by ARAMARK.

PASA Field Day - August 2002

The Macoskey Center hosted an organic luncheon to celebrate the agreement between ARAMARK, with funding from PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture), and a farmer-owned cooperative PLOW(Pennsylvania Local Organic Works) to provide locally grown produce for a trial basis beginning in mid-June through harvest 2002 (The Local Food Project). This project is about supporting local farmers and supplying fresh food to the university dining halls.About 60 participants attended, including students, staff, faculty, and farmers.

Local Harvest Lunch - October 2000

Traditionally, the Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research hosted a Harvest Fest event in October. In the past, the event has suffered from low attendance or has been canceled all together due to inclement weather.The Macoskey staff expressed an interest in trying something different in replacement of the traditional Harvest Fest. Building on the success of the meal-based Valentine's Day Dinner, another annual event held at the Macoskey Center, and an Organic Lunch held in April 2002, the staff agreed to host another meal-event. On September 5th, Michele Gauger from the Institute for Community Service Learning and Non-profit Leadership (AmeriCorps), Louise Liller of the Macoskey Center and Heather House, representing ARAMARK and the College of Health, Environment, and Science, met to create a vision for the lunch. With the help of Thomas Reynolds, director of the Macoskey Center, we outlined three main goals for the lunch:

• Use the opportunity to educate students about food systems with the hopes that students will, in turn, ask for more local foods to be used in the University dining halls.

• Celebrate the local harvest and local farmers.

• Have fun

This lunch was intended to be an opportunity for students and the campus community to think about their food consumption habits while enjoying a delicious, fresh meal.All of the dishes presented will be prepared by volunteers, RAMC staff, and ARAMARK (for any meat products) and served buffet style in the Multi Purpose Room in the Student Union. A total of nearly 200 people were served at the lunch.

The Good Food Lunch - April 2003

The traditional methods of food production in the United States have an enormous affect on the environmental, social, political and economical components of every American's life. Unfortunately, not many people are aware that their food choices involve a much bigger picture than simply picking a box off the shelf and standing in line to pay for it. The purpose of the 2003 Good Food Lunch is to provide a positive, enjoyable opportunity for the SRU campus to learn about sustainable food choices through an educational event focused on something everyone loves, food.

This event followed the same plan as the previous lunches with project partners including the Macoskey Center, the Institute, the College of Health, Environment and Science, PlanetKeepers, Gamma Theta Upsilon, and the MS3 Seminar Series. This lunch included a guest speaker, Kim Seeley, an organic dairy farmer from central Pennsylvania discussing the importance of consumer choices and support of local farms.

Once again the lunch was a success, a recipe booklet was given out as a take home reminder and also information where local, organic, and humane ingredients to the dishes could be purchased.