Peak Dual-Suspension Mountain Bike: Kristen Leach

Smart Strip: Hanna King, Holly Fetter, Stephen Quinonez, Becca del Monte

Power Meter: Jin Yu, Diane Wong

350 Eat Climate Consciously T-shirt: Nicole Guido Estrada, Kristine Tom, Henry Tsai, Anthony Bosman, Megan O’neill, Jamie Erickson

*Winners please contact Matt Rothe, Sustainabile Food Coordinator, (mrothe@stanford.edu) to claim your prize!*

We are omnivores and we respect that. But the reality is that the modern food system delivers meat to our plate at an incredible cost to the climate (and to our health, to our water resources, and to our biodiversity as well). Consider:

Eating one pound of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gasses as driving an SUV 40 miles.

If every American had one less meat-containing meal per week, it would be the same as taking more than 5 million cars off the road; one meat-free day would be the same as taking 8 million cars off our roads.

Certainly nothing is as refreshing as a milkshake on a warm summer day or as savory as baked brie on a cool autumn evening, but dairy products come from livestock. Consider further:

According to the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector equivalently generates more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation.

Livestock generates 65% of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the global warming potential of CO2. Livestock also accounts for 37% of all human-induced methane, which has 23 times the global warming potential of CO2.

Stanford Dining hosts an annual Eat Local Week and monthly Eat Local Dinners that feature seasonal food and bring local farmers, ranchers and fishermen into the dining halls to talk with students. Student gardeners and local producers offer tastings from on-campus gardens and signage helps tell the story of the food. See a Stanford Daily article about the first Eat Local Week:

See a Stanford Daily article about the first Eat Local Week.

Stanford Seafood Sustainability Week (November 10 - 14, 2008), all nine dining halls, Schwab Executive Conference Center, and Stanford Hospitality & Auxiliaries’ retail cafes (Union Square, The Axe & Palm, Olives @ Bldg. 160, Alumni Café), Stanford Catering, and Stanford Concessions at Stanford University all focused exclusively on offering sustainable seafood items.

“Learning about Sustainable Seafood in the Global Market and How You Can Make a Difference” panel discussion event, Wednesday, November 12, 2008.

In 2007-08, Stanford Dining partnered with the Ethics in Society Program at Stanford on the “Ethics of Food and the Environment” series, which included speakers like Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle and movies like King Corn and Our Daily Bread. Highlights included…

Hosting King Corn’s Director and Producer at Ricker Dining for an intimate seasonal dinner and vibrant discussion with students, faculty and staff.

Stanford Dining’s Executive Director, Eric Montell, and Sustainable Foods Coordinator, Erin Gaines, participated in a panel discussion with journalist Michael Pollan about the challenges and successes of bringing sustainable foods to university campuses.

Stanford Catering chef, Andrew Mayne, made omelettes on site and served seasonal fruit at an intimate breakfast and discussion between Marion Nestle and interested students, faculty and staff.

We aim to provide comprehensive labeling of our sustainable food items so students can have more of a connection to their food and make healthy, sustainable food choices.

Visit an organic farm and training center in Salinas, CA. Stanford Dining, the Stanford Student Community Garden Group, and the School of Earth Sciences bring students to the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA)on a quarterly basis to meet the farmers, see sustainable agriculture in action and harvest directly from the fields.