Food Studies Faculty Propose a Greenhouse of Their Own

Jennifer Berg, director of the graduate program in food studies, and Joy Santiofer, adjunct faculty member, Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, are the recipients of an NYU Sustainability Fund Grant for their proposal, "Grow, Cook, Eat, Learn," a selfcontained sustainable food system and urban agricultural working laboratory. The proposal was submitted in response to a campus-wide proposal request for innovative, effective and feasible projects that could help the University reduce negative environmental impacts and raise awareness of the importance of its sustainability agenda. Their proposed rooftop or groundlevel greenhouse/garden would serve as a microcosm of the entire food production cycle, incorporating harvesting, cooking, nutrition, consumption, waste, and composting into a working laboratory for the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health. Berg and Santiofer plan to use the lab for undergraduate research and are creating a K-5 agricultural science curriculum for the public school community.