University of North Florida

• Type: Public, 15,000-25,000, Suburban, 4 yr
• Region: Southeast
• Address: 1 UNF Drive
• City: Jacksonville
• State: FL
• ZIP: 32224
• URL: www.unf.edu
• involvement in the Real Food Challenge?
  Level 2: Active in the network
• Food budget: 650,000
• Provider: Chartwells (Compass)
• On campus concessions: Sabarros, Quiznos, Starbucks, Salsa Rita, Chick n Grill
• Dining Services Director/Executive Chef: Korey Konopasek Director/ Paul Rich Executive Chef
• Needs and challenges: We need to develop a holistic understanding of the food that chart wells is purchasing (where it is coming from, how it was grown, what the farm worker’s conditions were, etc...). We need to compile solid data so that we have a strong leg to stand on as we begin to influence a positive shift in our campus food system. A network called Fair Food Jacksonville has been created to achieve these ends. We have begun talks with Chartwells and hoping to complete the calculator in 2011. Awareness and education also need to be created throughout our campus, so that we can bring about real change at the individual consumer level. Fair Food Jacksonville will also develop educational campaigns that spread awareness about the importance of creating our own local and sustainable food economy, and about the holistic benefits of supporting and consuming real food.
• Successes and achievements: We have successfully started an UNF community garden by our Wildlife Sanctuary (they are the only vegetable gardens on our campus) with clubs/organizations adopting plots. Many different organizations, the V.E.G.A.N.S. club, nutrition club, and wildlife sanctuary volunteers, are coming together to create and maintain these gardens. We will begin to develop educational resources that create awareness about the importance of conserving natural resources, responsible landscaping, and maintaining biodiversity. Our nature trail system (through the Wildlife Sanctuary) is used by so many people every week from our campus and local community. We hope that simply offering this information will spark change in our community. We are also in the process of planning how we will go about offering sustainability workshops to our campus and community. They will begin by focusing on composting, how to grow your own, and how to conserve water (rain barrels and targeted irrigation systems). I have received help from individuals from two different community gardens, and from the Urban Gardens program (they plant gardens in people’s yards). All in all, I feel that I have united many motivated and talented individuals who are not only laying the foundation for our own sustainable and local food economy in Jacksonville, but who will help to further progress this movement. My friends and I are also planning on how to go about Food Not Bombs. I feel like we should really make a holisitc effort to change our community's food system; so I am going to begin working more closely with the Urban Gardens program coordinator, plant gardens at all of our friend's houses and supply Food Not Bombs with home grown food. Just from bringing people together a lot of positive movement has already begun : )
• Composting: other organic waste
• Food activities: student farm/garden, student organizations
• Farm functions: food consumed by volunteers, food donated for hunger relief , other
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