Athens, Ga. – Local Foods UGA, a forum designed to promote University of Georgia-based local food initiatives, will be held Oct. 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Room 123 of Jackson Street Building located at 285 S. Jackson St.
The event, which is being cosponsored by the UGA Office of Sustainability and the UGA certificate program in local food systems, is free and open to the public. The forum is a blue-card event for UGA students.
“Athens has such a rich local food culture, and UGA offers tremendous opportunities for students to engage in the local food movement on campus, in the community and across the state,” said Kevin Kirsche, director of the Office of Sustainability.
The forum will include a series of sessions and panel discussions that will highlight several university-related local food initiatives, including the local food systems certificate program, the UGArden campus community garden, Campus Kitchen, Athens Urban Food Collective, other local food-related projects offered through the UGA Office of Service-Learning, information on internships and careers in local foods and a workshop on food preservation.
A reception featuring local foods—with a cooking and preservation demonstration by Athens chef Sal Speights of Etienne Brasserie—will conclude the event.
“We hope to familiarize the university community with the local food systems certificate program and the career opportunities available to students interested in this field,” said Susan Varlamoff, director of the Office of Environmental Sciences in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The certificate program in local food systems at UGA includes the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Environment and Design and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The program is designed to provide students with a foundation for future careers or lifelong personal involvement in local food issues, she said.
For more information, see http://ugalocalfoodsystems.uga.edu.
UGA Office of Sustainability
The UGA Office of Sustainability coordinates, communicates and advances sustainability initiatives at the University of Georgia and seeks to promote a model for healthy living on campus and in the community. For more information, see http://sustainability.uga.edu/.
**Note to editors: updated with room number Oct. 18