UI Sustainable Food Systems Project PI: Leah Wilson Advisor: Rex Honey

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UI Sustainable Food Systems ProjectPI Leah
WilsonAdvisor Rex Honey
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UI Sustainable Food Systems Project

• This project was funded in part by a grant
  from the Leopold Center for Sustainable
  Agriculture Marketing and Food Systems Initiative
  and receives additional support from
• The Johnson County Local Food Alliance
• Iowa Valley RCD
• ICASH (Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and
  Health)
• Organic Greens
• Kalona Organics
• IMU Catering
• Applecart Orchard
• HIM Hearth n Home Cooking and Catering

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Who is Leah Wilson?

• According to http//www.leahwilson.com/
• Leah Wilson is a Nevada City based artist and
  whitewater kayaker whose work has been seen in
  gallery and museum venues since 1994. Her work
  has been exhibited at Julie Baker Fine Art in
  Grass Valley, California and the Oakland Art
  Gallery in Oakland, California.

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Who is Leah Wilson?

• Dr. Leah Wilson, University of Adelaide,
  Australia
• Area of research
• Disabilities and Ageing.
•  
• Psychology Research Interests
• My research interests are primarily in the areas
  of ageing and aged care. My particular interests
  are in the specific areas of decision making,
  control, quality of life and satisfaction of
  older people living in Residential Aged Care
  Facilities. Other interests include the
  assessment and training of driving skills in
  older people and the management of people with
  disabilities.
•  
• Recent Key Publications
• Wilson, L. Kirby, N. (in press). Ideal versus
  actual levels of decision-making in South
  Australian aged care resident committees.
  Australasian Journal on Ageing.
• Wilson, L. Kirby, N. (in press). How resident
  committees function in low-level residential aged
  care facilities. Australasian Journal on Ageing.

http//www.adelaide.edu.au/psychology/members/wils
on.html
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Who is Leah Wilson?

• According to amazon.com
• Leah Wilson is the coeditor of King Kong is Back!
  and Mapping the World of Harry Potter and the
  editor of Welcome to Wisteria Lane. She lives in
  Dallas, Texas.

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JCLFA Mission

• The Alliance assists farmers, business
  people, consumers and related organizations in
  working together cooperatively to foster local,
  sustainable food commerce in Johnson County

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Structure
Farmers
Food Businesses
JCLFA

• Consumers

Related Organizations
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JCLFA is committed to

• Local Food
• Earth-friendly practices
• Food Democracy
• Ethical Business
• Caring for Community

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UI Sustainable Food SystemsProject Goal

• Use a Factor-10 approach to enhance the
  sustainability of the University of Iowa food
  system in the areas of
• Human Health and Well Being
• Ecological Health
• Regional Prosperity

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Factor 10

• The Factor 10 Approach to Sustainability
• Factor-10 was developed by Frederich
  Schmidt-Bleek in 1991 as a tool to move from a
  high-waste economy to a low-waste economy. Key
  features
• Reduce waste at every point in the system
• Account for externalities
• Build social capital
• Quantifiable Environmental Policy
• Use ecological benchmarks sustainability
  indicators

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Project Objectives

• Objective 1 Convene, for a total of 5 meetings,
  a diverse working group consisting of at least 20
  total key university members, farmer networks and
  supporting organizations who agree to assess and
  improve the University of Iowa food system in the
  key areas of a) Human Health and Well Being, b)
  Ecological Health and c) Regional Prosperity.
• Objective 2 Draft a five-year strategic plan
  and a preliminary set of indicators for the
  university that would take measurable steps
  toward improving sustainability of the UI food
  system in the key areas of a) Human Health and
  Well Being, b) Ecological c) Health and Regional
  Prosperity.
• Objective 3 Sustain the work. Actively
  strategize about actualizing the goals in the
  strategic plan with the working group and include
  those strategies in the five-year plan

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Rex Honey

• UI Faculty Member since 1974
• Political Geographer
• Research strands
• Grassroots political organizations in Nigeria
• Cultural struggles over human rights
• Examination of state policy as a factor in
  development

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Perspective
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Cultivating Common Ground

• show Respect
• value Fairness
• pursue Inclusiveness
• emphasize Teamwork
• facilitate Communication
• demonstrate Receptiveness
• practice Humility
• build Community

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Excerpts from Food System Sustainability at the
University of Iowa
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Background

• UI home to over 29,000 students
• 6 million per year spent in residence halls and
  IMU alone
• Growing interest in food system issues
• UI seeks more local food
• Obesity and nutrition issues come to forefront
• Concerns about agricultural impact on
  environmental quality grow
• Desire for vibrant regional economies

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Food inputs

• the University has agreed to buy 70 of its food
  to be served in the residence halls and the IMU
  from Hawkeye Foods
• UI sources local products, though the percentage
  of food total is probably quite small
• Food generally travels far

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A typical UI meal
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Energy Use in the Food System
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Energy Use and Consumption Patterns
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Waste

• Using a 32-week year, the range of water used
  annually is between 375,616 and 900,960 gallons
• The University pays 4.0828 per hundred cubic
  feet (or 5.4582 per 1000 gallons) for sewer
  disposal to the Iowa City Waste Water Treatment
  Plant
• There are about 9,650 meals per day in UI
  Residence Halls with 0.165 pounds of waste per
  meal over 224 days the result is 356,664 pounds
  per year or 178 tons of food waste annually

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Sustainability Indicators
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Examples of Sustainability Indicators

• Total energy consumption on campus
• The percentage of energy that is from renewable
  sources
• Total water use
• Total impervious surface area
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Total solid waste produced
• The percentage of solid waste recycled
• Building use
• (Source University of Michigan Environmental
  Task Force Advisory Report, 2004)

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Sustainability Indicators for a Food System
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Recommendations by group

• Increase the use of local, sustainably produced
  food
• Reduce food waste through improved menu planning
• Circulate food waste through composting,
  biodiesel or animal feed
• Reduce waste water through gray-water recycling
• Educate students, staff and faculty about
  sustainable food options and benefits
• Form a task force to work on food system issues

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Important Projects

• Iowans Fit for Life
• Vision Iowans will enjoy balanced nutrition,
  lead physically active lives and live in healthy
  communities
• Woodbury County
• Policy to promote the economic vitality, and
  public health and safety, of its rural
  communitiesWoodbury County shall
  purchaselocally produced organic food when a
  department of Woodbury County serves food in the
  usual course of business
• Vivid Picture Project
• 2.4 Million project for food systems change in
  California
• Farm-to-College Projects

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Current UI Initiatives

• Engineers for a Sustainable World
• UI Environmental Coalition
• Farm Animal Welfare Network (FAWN)
• ICASH
• Energy Conservation Strategic Plan
• University of Iowa Compost Project
• UI Weight Management Program

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UI Student Work in Progress

• Mapping Food Inputs
• Examining Purchasing Policy
• Survey of Student Perceptions of UI Food System
  and Consumption Habits
• Ad hoc Project Support

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Objectives and Strategies

• Objective 1 Convene, for a total of 5 meetings,
  a diverse working group consisting of at least 20
  total key university members, farmer networks and
  supporting organizations who agree to share and
  assess data, to build on group assets, to
  constructively discuss values and goals and lay a
  foundation of trust and respect upon which the
  strategic plan can be built
• Strategy 1 Form a core steering committee of at
  least 5 people for the working group that will
  meet monthly to help work through specific issues
  and keep the project on track
• Strategy 2 Use an asset-building approach to
  pool data, assess skills and resources
• Strategy 3 To keep differences from becoming
  insurmountable barriers to progress, establish
  rules of courtesy and conduct that participants
  agree to at the start of the project
• Strategy 4 Provide local refreshments for
  meetings
• Strategy 5 To ensure a diverse and relatively
  balanced group, list participants by category (UI
  faculty, UI staff, UI student, Farmer, Business,
  Support Organization, Community Member, etc.)
• Strategy 6 Report on or locate information
  regarding similar efforts, previous research
  conducted at UI or other relevant data to inform
  group activities

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Objectives and Strategies

• Objective 2 Draft a five-year strategic plan and
  a preliminary set of indicators for the
  university that would take measurable steps
  toward the sustainability of the food system
• Strategy 1 Consider an external meeting
  facilitator to assist with planning process
• Solicit in-kind donation of professional services
• Solicit external funds for contract services
• Strategy 2 Determine the baseline data needed
  to develop indicators
• Baseline data currently available
• Data that need to be collected before meaningful
  indicators can be developed
• Data that can be collected after the indicator is
  articulated in the 5-year plan
• Strategy 3 Develop sustainability indicators
  that are achievable and measurable
• Draw on current published data regarding
  sustainability indicators developed and used by
  other institutions or organizations

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Objectives and Strategies

• Objective 3 Sustain the work. Actively
  strategize about actualizing the goals in the
  strategic plan with the working group and include
  those strategies in the five-year plan
• Strategy 1 Plan beyond the plan. Articulate
  specific short term and mid-term action steps
• Strategy 2 Assign discrete tasks to working
  group members
• Strategy 3 Solicit funds and other support to
  sustain the working group beyond the requirements
  of this proposal

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Role of Project Partners

• Provide existing data relevant to food system
• Gather new data
• Provide specific project support as possible
• Sponsorship
• Monetary
• In-kind
• Harness student resources
• Take on specific aspects of work
• Enhance network

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Evaluation

• Surveys at midpoint and end of project
• Project indicators
• Adequate and diverse participation
• Productive meetings
• Good communication
• Useful and adequate reports
• Accessible project information
• Email updates
• Website

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Project Timeline

• Today
• Introductions and overview of project goals
• Review existing data of food system, begin
  pooling existing data not yet accounted for and
  begin soliciting necessary data not yet collected
• Discuss and achieve consensus on process
• Assign participants to begin formulating their
  values and goals and possible indicators

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Project Timeline

• First week of May, 2007
• Updated view of the food system
• Working in small groups, begin articulating group
  assets, values and goals and possible indicators
• Discuss areas of contention and areas of cohesion
• Create a working draft of group values and goals
  and possible indicators
• Review and discuss existing models
• Vivid Picture Project
• Similar campus initiatives

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Project Timeline

• First week of September, 2007
• Updated view of the food system
• Discuss emerging issues
• Draft strategic plan
• Develop next steps

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Project Timeline

• First week of October, 2007
• Present a draft of strategic plan to University
  of Iowa community
• Collect feedback

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Project Timeline

• First week of November, 2007
• Review reactions from public
• Revise the plan
• Discuss next steps
• Exit surveys

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Project Timeline

• First week of December, 2007
• Announce and publicize the final strategic plan
  to public
• Draft report for Leopold Center

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Next Steps

• What data/resources do you have or know about
  that are pertinent to this project?
• What is your niche in this project? What spaces
  do you occupy in the food system?
• What new data do we need?
• What are your values and goals regarding food
  system sustainability?
• What sustainability indicators would you include
  in the strategic plan?

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Contact

• Leah Wilson
• Coordinator, Johnson County Local Food Alliance
• Graduate Student, Department of Geography,
  University of Iowa
• 319-621-3009
• leah.wilson_at_netzero.com   
• www.jclfa.org