1. Results Sodexo at Gonzaga has been exploring the local farm community to establish connections to increase its local network of farm to fork suppliers. This work also included locating area partners who were like-minded, educationally focused, and willing to be involved not only from the supply end but as educators as well. Sodexo's sustainability focus creates opportunities for learning, such as internships, both on campus and at local farms. With the Real Food Calculator, Sodexo will provide an unprecedented level of access and information for students and universities—allowing them to better advance their real food goals. It also demonstrates Sodexo’s collaborative approach in addressing the interests of a growing student food movement and supporting academic inquiry into institutional food systems. Food service professionals and interested consumers—be they in the higher education, healthcare or the corporate sector—now have the ability to perform detailed assessments of the food in their cafeterias and see their ‘real food’ purchasing grow over time. Sodexo is continuing to expand on the work already done by: creating more local focus and access for farmers, assist LINC in expanding its mission to becoming a processor, which will allow Sodexo to access local produce throughout the year, expand local access to include protein products, continue to broaden educational opportunities for students to be involved with the local community and food access concerns. However, this also requires shifting the thought process of a large corporation which has strong proven supply chains and methods to become more accepting of local suppliers. Sowing Seeds: An academic-corporate collaboration to bring ‘real food’ to campus Dan Harris, Sodexo Resident Dining Director; Greg Gordon, Assistant Professor: Gonzaga University Sowing Seeds: An academic-corporate collaboration to bring ‘real food’ to campus Dan Harris, Sodexo Resident Dining Director; Greg Gordon, Assistant Professor: Gonzaga University Integrating sustainability into the academic curriculum can often present challenges to classroom instructors immersed in a traditional academic setting. How does one achieve appropriate learning outcomes while piloting students through the real world complexity of sustainability in the compressed time frame of a semester? Collaboration between educators and institutions such as local non-profits, the university itself, and corporate partners can bridge the gap between the classroom objectives and putting sustainability into practice. This particular case study examines the collaboration between a student club, a senior capstone course (ENVS 499) and Sodexo dining services at Gonzaga University. Abstract Timeline Moving Forward September 2011 –Zag Dining toured various farms associated with sustainable, organic practices in the area to establish access to local products. January 2012 – Zag Dining managers met with county extension office and alumni farmers in the area requesting access to their produce. Spring 2012 – Zag Dining introduced to Real Food Challenge. Chuck Faulkinberry attended real food workshop with students in order to gain a better understanding of the real food wheel, calculator and program. September 2012 – First Farm Dinner hosted by Zag Dining. This important event brought together 30 community stakeholders including: farmers, distributors, agricultural agencies, regulatory agencies, corporate officers, students and Gonzaga University faculty and administrators. Fall 2012 – Real food calculator work begins. Gonzaga EAT (Ethical Awareness Together) club in cooperation with Zag Dining by Sodexo collaborated on researching invoices from food purchases on campus. Spring 2013 – Zag Dining created educational programs and hosted tours to various farms and workshops regarding food access, student menus, and supply chain challenges. March 2013 – Sodexo Corporation signed a national partnership agreement with Real Food Challenge. September 2013 – 2 nd Annual Farm Dinner hosted by Zag Dining. Participants decided to create a local farm cooperative to open access for small to midlevel farms to institutional organizations. April 2014 – Real Food Calculator is completed. Zag Dining scored 19.8% real food on campus. May 1, 2014 – Gonzaga University and Zag Dining sign the Real Food commitment establishing the goal of 25% real food on campus by 2020. Gonzaga University becomes the first Jesuit University in the nation to sign the Real Food commitment. May 3, 2014 – 3 rd Farm Dinner hosted by Zag Dining. 95 farmers and interested guests celebrated the formation of LINC (Local Inland Northwest Cooperative). This organization’s purpose is to support and create accessibility of small to mid-level farms products to institutional markets and allow institutions like Gonzaga access to more local farm products. Corporate Viewpoint Benefits Students: empowerment, involvement, experiential-learning opportunities, opens career pathways Community: creation of food hubs, support local farmers and producers Environment: decrease carbon footprint, decreased reliance on pesticides University: promotes Jesuit mission, raises university profile, fosters community relationships. Pedagogy Designed as a practicum course in grassroots organizing, ENVS 499 requires students to apply their interdisciplinary studies toward solving a real world environmental problem by investigating an issue, employing research methodologies from various disciplines, making recommendations, and participating in the decision making process. Drawing from previous coursework in food ethics and environmental effects of traditional agricultural practices, students collaborated with Sodexo and the Real Food Challenge to bring "real food" to Gonzaga University. In cooperation with Sodexo and building off the advocacy of the student club, Gonzaga Ethical Awareness Together (Gonzaga E.A.T.), students spent two semesters conducting the Real Food Calculator to determine Gonzaga’s percentage of real food baseline. Joining 25 other universities, on April 30, 2014, Gonzaga University became the first institution of higher education in the Pacific Northwest and “the first Jesuit university in the United States to commit to the “Real Food Challenge,” a pledge that 25 percent of food served on campus will be sourced from ecologically sound, fair and humane, and local- and community-based providers by 2020. Learning Outcomes Students discovered the potential of collaborative efforts between academic coursework and corporations in working toward sustainability on college campuses. Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh (left) and Chuck Faulkinberry of Sodexo (right) sign the Real Food commitment. Between them is GU senior Breanne Flynn. The Real Food Challenge breaks “real food” into four categories: Local and Community-Based: Food produced by locally owned and operated farms and businesses. Fair: Workers in food production, distribution, and preparation receive a living wage, can self-organize, and have equal employment opportunity Ecologically Sound: Farms and businesses use practices that conserve biodiversity and natural resources while minimizing toxics and fossil fuels. Humane: Animals are raised in a low- stress environment without hormones or unnecessary medication.