40% Local and Sustainable Panel Meeting – 12/7/17

Agenda:

  • Workgroup updates
  • Definitions and Criteria
  • Sourcing, Data Metrics and Transparency
  • Communications
  • Governance
  • Curriculum Integration
  • Review meeting schedule for Spring 2018 semester
  • Workgroup progress report reminder
  • Visit from the Provost and Dr. J

Participants:

Present:

Zia Ahmed

Kate Bartter

Matt Brown

Sophie Chang

Mike Folino (alternate for Julie Jones)

Emily Hayden

Gina Hnytka

Casey Hoy

Nick Kawa

Gina Langen

Nicole Pierron Rasul

Tom Reeves (alternate for Molly Calhoun)

Leslie Schaller

Ryan Schmiesing

Mike Shelton

Brian Snyder

Colleen Spees

Kareem Usher

Thelma Velez

David Wituszynski

Unavailable:

Jill Clark

Mallory Reynolds (or alternate Stephanie Li)

Minutes:

Workgroup updates:

Definitions and Criteria:

  • Decision points document is the workgroup’s product highlighting work during the second half of 2017; not a finished document – to be further discussed at an upcoming panel meeting

Sourcing, Data Metrics and Transparency:

  • Working on reporting bullets for end Dec 2017 web-based reporting deadline
  • Have recently added Eric Stucke from Dining Services to workgroup and he will attend meetings on behalf of Dining Services

Communications:

  • Working on getting data from Data Metrics group for web-based reporting deadline
  • Early in 2018 a joint meeting for Definitions and Criteria and Communications will be scheduled to discuss communicating local and sustainable definitions

Governance:

  • Have met with Dining Services and Medical Center Nutrition Services to learn how they make purchasing decisions; will meet soon with Athletics and Business Advancement for this same discussion; will deliver report with findings to the full panel soon
  • In early 2018, look forward to collaboration meetings with other workgroups

Curriculum Integration:

  • Panel recommends acknowledging in the revised charge for the workgroup that there is an opportunity currently for food to be written in as part of the GEN ED curriculum during the present review process; there is not currently a sustainability requirement for OSU students as part of the GEN ED curriculum
  • Casey Hoy has a postdoc that he recommends as a member of the Curriculum Integration workgroup
  • The recommendations that the panel will deliver to OSU administration should include a note that the curriculum component will need continued engagement across the university in the years to come

Review meeting schedule for spring 2018 semester:

  • As discussed at our last meeting, we will meet two Mondays a month from 3-4pm, dates to be identified and circulated prior to end of 2017

Workgroup progress report reminder:

  • All workgroups are required to submit a progress report by December 31, 2017

Visit from the Provost and Dr. J:

  • 40% is a stretch goal for us – no one has achieved
  • Notion of special attention to those vendors that meet multiple criteria is good
  • As we get closer to 40% we need to think about how we continue to improve
  • Example of how we might meet 40% local and sustainable: 15% local, 15% sustainable, 10% both categories – we would call that 40% in regards to meeting our goal
  • If we can accomplish this at a place like OSU, it will be noticed by our peers and partners
  • Kenyon is an example of an institution that has entered into multi-year contracts with local producers, which can change a producer’s business model due to guaranteed business
  • How we impact policy is a complex question – our best approach is to offer a defined set of principles and socialize those and anchor to those; efficiency for the university is enhanced by bringing everyone to the same processes; we will need to heavily socialize our ideas as part of the process of change
  • Appreciate that the group has been thinking holistically about the original charge – what are the foundational underpinnings that we need to be thinking about as an institution related to food and sustainability? Once we figure out the foundational principles, then we can think about how it translates to policy
  • Something that makes our work more durable is that we are building in a system with flexibility
  • There is a level of pragmatism in regards to how we present this to the world – focus groups to test ideas may be needed
  • This is a systems problem – we cannot solve the problem one piece at a time
  • We should request an in-person meeting annually with the Provost/Dr J – meet again next fall when we have our full recommendations ready for OSU administration