NMCC prepares Sustainable Maine Meal
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Northern Maine Community College is inviting the community to join in a campus event to mark the coming 40th anniversary of Earth Day and what has since expanded to Earth Week. The College, in partnership with its food service provider, Aramark, will host a Sustainable Maine Meal featuring food products from throughout the state, with special emphasis on foods grown and raised in Aroostook County. The event will take place on Friday, April 23, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Reed Dining Commons at NMCC.
Among the items on the menu will be locally-raised organic beef from Mount Ash Farms in Frenchville, potatoes from both Finn’s Organics of Woodland and Guerrette Farms of Caribou, ployes from Bouchard Family Farms in Fort Kent, ice cream from Houlton Farms Dairy, as well as Maine broccoli and blueberries and Maine lobster bisque.
“Both the NMCC campus and Aramark are committed to promoting and encouraging environmental stewardship. This campus community takes very seriously its efforts to ‘go green’,” said Rob Ottaviano, NMCC food service manager. “The sustainable meal we have planned for Earth Week provides an opportunity for our students and community visitors to both understand and better appreciate the importance of supporting local farmers and their efforts to help sustain both the local economy and our environment.”
In addition to numerous measures taken across campus in recent years to maximize energy efficiency and introduce curriculum to support new and emerging industries in the green economy, the food service provider for the college has made several changes to do its part.
Thousands of gallons of water and a significant amount of dish washing detergent have been saved since the College dining commons removed trays from the cafeteria last fall. At around the same time, the food service provider began recycling all fryolator oil by passing it along to a company that converts it to biodiesel fuel.
The Sustainable Maine Meal is not just a one-time effort on behalf of the campus community. Over the past year, Aramark has been using local vendor Aroostook Foods of Caribou to save the expense of fossil fuel consumption of having a truck sent from other providers as far away as Boston.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend the Sustainable Maine Meal at NMCC on April 23. Cost for the meal is $5.50 and is payable at the door. For more information, contact the college relations office at 768-2809.
