Even more local purchasing needed in Tufts Dining

As the hill defrosts and the grass grows under the (finally) forthcoming sun of spring, it’s hard not to sprawl out on the President’s Lawn in appreciation of the undeniable beauty of nature in full bloom (as you can see, we've missed the grass). But with the privilege of being able to enjoy such a beautiful landscape comes the responsibility to care for it and to preserve it, and to do so consciously and consistently, not just when attention is drawn to it by the change of seasons. Often times, it's the little things that we can all do that help protect our planet. Here at Tufts, there's a very simple way to reduce our footprint, and it even involves our good friend General Gau and his fowl.

We are faced with the decision of how we want to impact the planet upwards of three times a day: when we choose what to put on our plates and, likewise, into our bodies. Opting to avoid meat and animal products is an obvious choice when it comes to reducing the size of one’s carbon footprint, but the options to eat more sustainably are not limited to a vegan or vegetarian diet. A genuinely sustainable dinner calls for locally grown produce so as to simultaneously reduce the fossil fuels necessary in transportation of these foods and -- yet another benefit -- support local farmers.

While responsibility for sustainable practices falls largely on producers, perhaps the way we think about this issue is that an equal -- or arguably greater -- portion of that responsibility should fall on the consumers. From our wallets comes the money that financially supports this industry. But while the theory behind eating “locally” is good and grounded in real and important issues, it can also be critiqued. "Locavores" must have enough disposable income to purchase foods from small-scale producers who inherently must charge more for their goods than large-scale factories that have the financial benefits of assembly line production and market monopolies. Regardless of whether individual students are fortunate enough to choose to eat sustainably in this way, it is the unfortunate truth that a middle man exists between our guilty consumer standing and the impact of our decisions. That middle man is manifested in Tufts Dining and the meal plans many students purchase. While Tufts Dining has made considerably more eco-conscious decisions in the past few years, there is still more that can be done. University-supplemented farmers markets on campus, more farm-to-table nights and greater education about the origins of every piece of food we eat are all valid ways to help mitigate damage to the environment; they allow for us to be more conscious and informed consumers.

Our social responsibility is, in many ways, reliant on the university as an upstream consumer. This makes it all the more important that we request that they act and use their purchasing power in an ethical way. The dining halls should work to source as much of their food from local farms as possible while remaining financially viable institutions. This shift will require systematic change in which Tufts -- as both a business and a consumer -- realizes that its large-scale purchases have the potential to make tangible changes in the health of the environment.