Partnering with Freight Farms

Think of your favorite fruit. Imagine being able to grow that ALL YEAR round, wherever you want, and harvest a fresh, juicy piece of fruit that only requires 10% of the water that other farming methods require.

Sounds like a tough task, right? How is it possible to make it easy to grow tomatoes in the middle of December on the east coast? Or an basket of strawberries in the Sahara Desert?

A Leafy Green Machine™  might be able to help!

Freight Farms is a company that has made it their mission to empower individuals and organizations with the ability to grow fresh,  sustainable produce all year round - in any condition. With the LGM - or, Leafy Green Machine™ - Freight Farms has created a sustainable way to grow anything, anywhere, anytime! They have sold over 160 LGMs in 10 countries and provided their services to over 20 college campuses world wide.

But, what is a Leafy Green Machine™? In simple terms, it’s a portable farm that can grow items in any climate during any season! The farm-in-a-box is an upcycled shipping container outfitted with all the tools, technology, and growing equipment needed to harvest some goodies. The LGM can harvest up to 150 pounds of produce a week, using features like vertical crop columns and an sensory controlled environment. Even better, the LGM requires no previous farming experience and is designed for easy operation. The use of hydroponics allows these farms to use 90% less water than traditional farming methods, while also cutting down the impacts of food transportation.

Why is this relevant?

Rensselaer Dining Services is looking to partner with Freight Farms to purchase an LGM and begin our own local farm.  Freight Farms is able to provide modern universities with an opportunity to integrate sustainable, high quality food production into campus culture. Each LGM is tailored specifically to fit the needs and wants of each campus. Freight Farms has been able to promote sustainability, health, wellness, and transparency to students all across the country, educating students on the farm-to-table benefits and journey.

We even had an opportunity to take students from Rensselaer’s Student Sustainability Task Force and Hospitality Services Advisor Committee on a tour of a working LGM. They loved it and hoped to see it on campus sooon.

Check out what Freight Farms has to offer!

2017: a Year in Review

Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Taylor Swift's comeback, The Women's March, Beyonce's Pregnancy announcement, etc.-- all things that made 2017. Here are Rensselaer Dining Services, we have had quite the eventful year as well. From zero waste Commencement Day to compost bins in the Rensselaer Union, 2017 has been full of positive, sustainable changes on the Rensselaer campus. Let's take a chance to look back and reflect on our sustainable year at Rensselaer.

Zero Waste Commencement Day: The class of 2017 was honored with a joyous celebration at the ECAV football stadium. Though the graduation celebration was obviously the highlight of the event, coming in close second was the fact that it was entirely zero waste! This means that all the garbage produced by the event was either recycled or composted-- none of it was destined for a landfill.

Red's Best Sustainable Seafood: Every Friday on campus, a Red's Best fish is served in each of the dining halls. Red's Best provides sustainably caught fish meaning the process minimizes energy expenditure.

Campus Composting at Rensselaer: Student's at the largest retail location on campus, the Rensselaer Union, have the opportunity to utilize a compost bin in order to dispose of leftover foods and napkins. This minimizes the amount of landfill waste that we, as a campus, create.

Reusable Mugs/Bags: All students on a meal plan received a free reusable mug and bag to use throughout the year. This was an effort to reduce coffee cup waste and plastic bag waste on campus.

Clean Water Aid: When trouble struck campus, in the form of a boil advisory, Rensselaer Dining Services was there to save the day with free bottled water for students as well as canned sodas and juices inside the dining hall.

Straight A's on Vegan Report Card: Peta2 came out with vegan report cards for 2017 and Rensselaer scored straight A's. Scoring was based on the availability of vegan services. Rensselaer currently fulfills 7 out of the 10 criterion, earning us an A.

Get Local Meals: Locally sourced ingredients have become an integral piece of our dining halls. Twice a month we host "Get Local" meals in which all the ingredients are locally sourced from New York. On a daily basis, we also feature dairy products sourced from Byrne Dairy in Lafayette, New York.

What an incredible year it has been! The progress that we have made within dining services and as a campus is inspiring. Looking ahead, 2018 is going to be filled with even more of a sustainable push toward an even brighter future.

RPI Scores Straight A's on Vegan Report Card

Peta2 is the world's largest youth animal rights group. It exists for young people who want to begin to make meaningful changes for animals in their everyday lives. One of the main focus points of the group is to expand vegan options in cafeterias across the country. In doing so, they have created the Vegan Report Card which assesses vegan options and awareness on college and university campuses. The average for schools in New York state is a B. However, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has exceeded this average and received an A.

This rating is based on a multitude of factors including: offering vegan entrees and nondairy milk, labeling vegan entrees and desserts, promoting vegan options, partnering with students to distribute vegan food, offering an all-vegan station, including a vegan member on the student advisory board, participating in Meatless Mondays, and operating an all-vegan dining facility. Rensselaer covered all but three of these categories as seen on the list from peta2's website.

For those students who have eaten in the dining halls on campus, it is clear to see that veganism is respected by Rensselaer Dining Services. From the vegan chicken tenders at the grill to the nondairy milk in the coolers to the entire room of vegan treats in MyZone, Rensselaer Dining Services truly does go above and beyond when catering to vegan needs.

One factor that was not taken into account in peta2's report card, but is also a central part of Rensselaer Dining Services, is the dietitian, Kimberly Mayer. Students who have special dietary needs such as those who eat vegan can meet with Kim to discuss the options available to them on campus. Not to mention, she can work with those who are vegan to ensure they are incorporating enough protein into their diets. She is one of the greatest assets available to students on a dining plan and a facet of Rensselaer Dining Services that sets us apart from other dining services at other colleges and universities.

With all this in mind, Rensselaer Dining Services looks toward a future in which Rensselaer's ranking is an A+, the highest mark available, and accreditation on the Vegan Report Card Dean's List-- an honor only the highest-ranked colleges and universities receive. To make this possible, we the students of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute need to get more involved, whether it be by promoting Meatless Mondays and participation of vegan students on the student advisory board or simply just by educating others on veganism.