Can farms be sustainable at Northwestern?
Students and faculty have explored the possibility of NU creating its own sustainable farm.
The efforts, however, are still restricted in their planning stages, and it remains unclear what immediate impact a project like a sustainable farm can have on the University.
Students for Ecological and Environmental Development Co-chairman Sam Eckland said a sustainable farm is characterized by its maintenance of both the surrounding land and environment and uses no pesticides, animal manure fertilizer and no-till farming procedures to avoid tearing up holes in the land. He added although these processes are not easy to incorporate due to a farm’s large expenses and low year-to-year yields, the process can still be beneficial, and payoffs are measured in more than just dollar signs.
“Sustainable farming at NU could be a way to offset some our own emissions,” the Weinberg senior said.
McCormick seniors John Scheineson and Justin Gavil are two students already working on this project, and they said they want to enhance food supply. Scheineson devoted time in his industrial engineering senior design class toward creating a sustainable farm.
Scheineson and Gavil will create a proposal this quarter with three group members, and next quarter’s class will be responsible for selecting and executing the winning proposal.
From this, Scheineson said the group plans to “bring faculty and students closer to the idea of doing social and environmental good,” and although the group is taking one step at a time, he said he hopes “this could be a worldwide outreach” in the distant future.
Gavil said the classroom setting offers an opportunity for the free labor and input of 50 to 60 students, which could be an important component in shaping the project’s progression.
The two group members emphasized they are still in the beginning stages of planning their idea and are contacting faculty and additional sources with expertise on the subject. Scheineson said he hopes to use the farm for educational research and outreach and eventually offer internships, work-study and additional positions.
Like NU Sustainable Farm, Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern is also working toward impacting the way NU students view sustainability. ISEN hosted this year’s “One Book One Northwestern” based on Thomas Friedman’s book, “Hot, Flat, and Crowded.”
Jeff Henderson, this year’s project coordinator, said he thought Friedman’s book inspired ISEN to establish campus outreach efforts.
“One Book” and ISEN worked with Facilities Management and Norris University Center to identify a plot of land which would be appropriate on campus, Henderson said.
Considerations had to be made for drainage, foot traffic and the availability of space. Henderson said this project was created to engage students and allow them to develop the space, growing plants, flowers or produce.
A similar project has also been attempted by SEED. The organization currently has a small plot of land off-campus in which they have created a sustainable garden.
Eckland said the groups working to elevate NU’s green presence hope to yield the same three-pronged result: create a cleaner-emitting campus, provide students with better food and enhance the overall education experience and student appreciation for sustainable techniques.
“Sure, we may not be able to feed the entire Sargent dining hall,” Eckland said. “But if students can gain this appreciation with the University’s name on it, that’s pretty cool.”[email protected]
