Vassar College will host a;Farm to College Symposium; to explore strategies for bringing locally grown food into school dining halls and cafeterias on April 4.

The Vassar Farm to College Coalition will host "1,500 Miles to Lunch? A Farm to College Symposium," on Friday, April 4. Educators, students, dining service directors, farmers, and local food advocates from three states will gather to explore strategies for bringing locally grown food into campus dining halls and school cafeterias. Symposium participants will learn how to initiate a Farm to College project, incorporating K-12 Farm to School projects and school gardens, and how to launch a "buy local" campaign.

The symposium's title refers to the fact that the average bite of food in the United States travels 1,500 miles from farm to table. Farm to School projects across the country have been initiated to create alternatives to this 1,500 mile food commute, thereby supporting local economies, preserving agricultural land, reducing environmental costs associated with food distribution, decreasing dependence on oil, and promoting healthier eating.

The symposium features keynote speakers Anna Lappe, cofounder of the Small Planet Fund and author of "Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet," and Gary Valen, former director of agriculture at the

Humane Society of the U.S. and author of "Local Food Project: A How-to Manual." Workshops and panel discussions will be guided by leaders from Breezy Hill Orchards, Cornell University, Scenic Hudson, Vassar College Campus Dining, Culinary Institute of America, First Harvest Café, the American Friends Service Committee, Green Teen Urban Youth Gardening Project, and Middlebury College.

The event is sponsored by the Vassar Farm to College Coalition, the Vassar Greens Student Environmental Organization, and the Poughkeepsie Farm Project. The symposium is free, but space is limited. For more information and to register, email farmtocollege@vassar.edu or call (845) 451-3593. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cathy Jennings, Office of Campus Activities, (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2003.