Harmony

On June 26^th, I and several other sustainability employees took an overnight trip to Suzanne Hansen’s farm to visit Luther College and learn more about their sustainable practices. We also visited one of Suzanne’s neighbors, Marty, who is part of Macalester’s farm-to-fork program, to see how some of the food Mac students eat is produced.

First, we went to Luther College and met with Toby Cain, their Sustainability Coordinator. She and her student workers were incredibly friendly and informative, spending the first few minutes getting to know us a bit before answering our questions. We learned that one of Luther’s goals is a 70% reduction in its carbon footprint by 2020, an ambitious target that they are on track to hit. Toby told us that they are already at nearly 54%, but it didn’t come in the way they’d expected. Initially, Luther assumed that energy efficiency would be a minor factor in their reduction efforts. However, their investments in efficiency alone brought them all the way to 40% of their footprint reduction. Luther also has the good fortune to have plenty of space to implement renewable energy sources. It’s location in the small town of Decorah, Iowa allowed the college to install a wind turbine that now provides about one third of all the electricity used on campus.

When I asked the other Mac students what their favorite parts of our trip were, Miriam Eide (’20) answered that learning about the “renewable energy progress made by Luther” was at the top of her list, tied with their attention to food justice. One of Toby’s student workers told us about the free food pantry available 24/7 to any student who needs it. Additionally, they maintain two edible landscapes (fenced in only to prevent animal herbivory), where anyone is welcome to walk and taste the many vegetables and leafy greens growing freely. Toby took us out to one of the landscapes and picked leaves right off the plants for us to try, sharing the names of the plants and some of the ways they could be incorporated into meals. We even tried some ‘weeds’ that were growing wild between the rows (they were delicious)! After that, we drove out to the full acre of garden land maintained by Luther that’s used to produce veggies for their dining service. Some plots are even given to the faculty and staff to raise personal gardens.

After saying goodbye to Toby and her students, Suzanne directed us to the nearby Seed Savers Exchange. We walked through their gardens, pet their chickens, and looked for the baby cow they told us was roaming around, with no success. Lauren Webber’s (’20) favorite moment from the trip was enjoying the gardens, and she said they made her “want to eat kale for the rest of [her] days.” As for myself, I bought some Chamomile seeds that are already starting to sprout.

After Seed Savers, it was time to go home and get dinner ready. Suzanne’s farm is a rustic and inviting place, with a composting toilet and hand-drawn water from her well. After a dinner of grilled veggies with rice and beans, we went to bed, the student workers sharing a tent in the back yard. Milly Cogen (’21) and I woke up at 2am for my personal favorite part of the trip: stargazing. The overwhelming number of stars reflected by hundreds of fireflies was dizzying, but stunning.

The next morning, the only thing on our agenda was visiting Marty’s farm. He and his family are part of a gorgeous Amish community and raise beef and produce for Bon Appetit. Milly’s favorite experience was learning more about the benefits of buying local food. Marty explained that everything grown on his farm is certified organic, and no pesticides are used beyond the occasional spray of a vegetable mixture. Additionally, selling locally means that Marty doesn’t have to worry about how soon his produce ripens after harvesting. He explained that produce travelling across the country must ripen on the delivery truck.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to stay more than an hour or two, but Marty made sure we got the most out of our visit. We met his chickens and children, saw his impressive line of handmade furniture, and visited his father’s farm in that short time. On our way home, we stopped to pick up a shipment of meat that Marty needed delivered to Bon Appetit. The irony of a van full of vegetarians delivering meat was not lost on any of us.