Green Gown Awards 2019 - Schumacher College - Highly Commended

Food is central to learning at Schumacher College. We are a vegetarian organisation and grow much of the fruit and vegetables we eat, and we have a small flock of chickens and ducks. On our five and half hectares we also grow beans, nuts and a small amount of grains such as amaranth and quinoa.  

As a learning community all staff and students are encouraged to take their turn in the kitchen and gardens to help harvest and prepare food. It is this hands-on approach that stimulates debate about healthy food choices and how we consider supply, sustainability and seasonality of produce.  For the food we cannot produce, we seek out local suppliers where possible, attempting to minimise food miles and carbon impact.    

We also encourage our learning community to eat a wide variety of edible plants, flowers and herbs for their beneficial properties and we compost leftover food. 

Top 3 learnings 

• Making conscious choices in how we source and eat our food is educational and empowering. 
• There are social, cultural, creative and organisational benefits of eating communally. 
• Conscious, sustainable eating strengthens relationships and develops partnerships with other organisations. 

Videos

• Green Gown Awards 2019 - Schumacher College - Campus, Health, Food & Drink (click to hide)