Letters & Opinion
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
There is something huge happening right now on the UW-SP campus of which students must be made aware. The prime vendor food contract is currently being rewritten for the next three (up to six) years. This is the perfect opportunity for students to jump onto the sustainability train.
The prime vendor contract currently mandates that 10 percent of food expenditures for the campus must come from local sources. This is the absolute minimum allowable by state law under the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Initiative passed in 2007 by Sen. Julie Lassa. While 10 percent is admissible by state standards, it isn’t acceptable for a campus that strives for sustainability. The campus we support sits right in the center of an absolutely fantastic fertile agricultural area. The supply of local and organic foods from local farmers to campus is more than feasible, and the farmers are knocking on the university’s door. Answer the door, students!
Local and organic foods create many health benefits for those who consume them. Organic foods, for example, boast a pesticide- and chemical-free goodness found only in nature. Local foods support our local economy and offer the ability to know exactly where consumers’ food is coming from.
A study on ‘food miles’ or how far food travels to reach the consumer shows that the average distance produce travels is 2,500 miles from source to supermarket. 2,500 miles, six gallons of gas, cost for a transporter, chemical preservative and pesticide spraying and handling by at least 12 different people for an apple when you can get one at Casey’s Orchard for half the cost and twice the benefits to the environment? Let’s take a better look at our habits and how they affect the community we love and support.
Sincerely,
Sarah Lang
