While I agree that 20 percent Real Food is not where we should stop, the transition cannot happen overnight and exceeding 19% last year was a significant accomplishment.

However, I think sustainability at UVM goes beyond our food system.

The Eco-Rep program’s mission is to “promote sustainable practices and encourage environmentally responsible behaviors among peers.”

In regards to needing more education about sustainable living, we dedicate a lot of our time to helping students understand how they can personally reduce their impact on the environment during their time on campus and beyond.

For example, this semester we have gone door-to-door in residence halls doing mini energy and recycling audits where we were able to answer students’ questions and give tips.

We coordinate numerous events on campus each semester, ranging from sustainability trivia to environmental film screenings, and the Davis Center Eco-Reps coordinate dozens of events each Earth Week.

Plus, there are a multitude of other environmentally related student organizations on campus that work on similar issues, such as AERO, UVM Bikes, Real Food Revolution and Vermont Students for Environmental Protection).

Sustainably,

Matt Gelman

UVM Eco-Reps