Earth Dinner on Campus "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
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- Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist
Are you an active student looking for a unique way to make a difference on your campus? Or maybe you're looking for a fun, yet meaningful, activity for you and your fellow students this weekend?
How about organizing an Earth Dinner?
Earth Dinner is an event held at least once a year where you sit down with friends and family to learn about where your food comes from and appreciate the farmers who grew it and who care for the environment we live in. No matter the style – home-cooked, potluck, casual, formal – the key to a successful Earth Dinner is having meaningful discussion about the food on your plate: How was it grown? Where did it come from? Do you know who grew it? What’s its environmental impact? What’s your earliest food memory? If your dessert could talk, what would it say?
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Use your own ideas, download free sample cards, or better yet, order the full Earth Dinner Card Deck!
No pre-requisites required
There are many ways you can host an Earth Dinner on your campus (and it isn’t only for your school’s environmental club either!). You could organize a house dinner, host a fundraiser for your campus group or a favorite charity, arrange a student / professor banquet for your department, or even throw a dorm dinner with your floor-mates. Student teaching or need a fun idea for a course project? Use the Earth Dinner to bring some fun food education into the classroom!
The way to their hearts is through their stomachs
Whether your dinner is potluck-style or a catered multi-course banquet, try to find foods that are local, sustainable and organic. Why? The short answer is because choosing local, sustainable and organic foods is a great way to support our local farmers, our environment, and our future. Go to About the Earth Dinner and check out the links on our Resources page for more information.
If you’re planning a bigger event, do some searching for a caterer who has connections with farmers in your area, or who can at least tell you where the food originated. Or for smaller events, make it shared event by gathering a few friends to go shopping at your local food co-op and cooking the meal together.
Don’t forget the decorations!
Set the mood with an earthy theme. Take a walk around campus and pick flowers, grasses and find rocks to create a natural centerpiece. Or ahead of time, tell your guests to bring something to decorate the table. Be creative with what you have on hand.
The ultimate question…
…Who’s going to pay for this? Visit our Resources page for free stuff! Download materials that will make planning easier and fill out a donation form to request food, fundraiser supplies, Earth Dinner Card Decks, and even monetary grants from Organic Valley to get your dinner off the ground.
Celebrating the Earth – One Day at a Time
In the strange parallel universe they call “college,” we are easily distracted and can suddenly find ourselves feeling disconnected from the earth. Big or small, special china or paper plates, the Earth Dinner is about connecting or re-connecting with the land and the people who care for it through good fun, good food, and good conversation among great friends.
