2nd Place Winner: A Better "One Mizzou": How Permaculture Can Change the Campus Climate

Abstract

Walking into campus dining halls for a fulfilling dinner, college students usually have the following options: a hot dog, highly processed and covered in processed cheese substitute, a cheesy pasta with a side of “grilled” vegetables that are slimy and covered in oil, some frozen, mushy fruit, full of high fructose corn syrup, or a salad, complete with limp, browning lettuce, expired cucumbers and dirty celery sticks. It's no wonder that undergraduates are notorious for gaining the Freshman 15 in their first year of college, courtesy of all the times we chose the hot dog or pasta instead of a salad. Many college dining services are plagued with these problems with food that is too expensive and doesn't satisfy the students' taste, cleanliness or freshness expectations.