The 2017 Mayor’s Greenovate Awards – Sustainable Food Nominees
Learn more about the businesses, organizations, and individuals nominated for the 2017 Mayor’s Greenovate Award nominees in the Sustainable Food category.
Access to healthy, local food is a clear community priority for Bostonians. Urban farming, local farmer’s markets, community garden plots are all starting to shape the rich culture of local food in our City and will help support a local food system that will make Boston more resilient in a changing climate.
You can vote for your favorite Greenovate Award nominees, based on the description above, now through April 7th. Votes will determine the top 3 finalists, and the winner will be announced live at Greenovate’s Earth Day Party on April 19th — be sure to save the date and stay tuned for more details! Vote for Greenovate Award winners
The Daily Table – Dorchester
As a new business startup in Dorchester, Doug Rauch and Daily Table are pioneering efforts to provide healthy, fresh, local, affordable food to people who might not otherwise have access to it. In pursuing its mission, Daily Table is also significantly reducing the amount of food waste in Boston’s food system, thereby increasing the resiliency and carbon integrity of the food system. Learn more about The Daily Table.
Boston Food Forest Coalition – Mattapan
The Boston Food Forest Coalition (BFFC) is a two-year old nonprofit community land trust for neighborhood “forest gardens” with member sites in Dorchester, JP, East Boston, West End, and Mattapan. BFFC has helped in 125 garden raisings across the city including the neighborhoods of Roxbury, JP, and Roslindale. Over 125 neighbors have joined hands to transform their unused yards into food forests – an oasis of fruit trees, shrubs and vines, sharing skills, food, laughter and friendship across class, race, language, and Boston geography. Learn more about the Boston Food Forest Coalition.
Eastie Farm, a member of the Boston Food Forest Coalition, was awarded a Greenovate Award for Community Engagement in 2016.
Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts – Citywide
In 2016, the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) hosted the 7th annual Boston Local Food Festival. A highlight among the organization’s many activities, the event featured a diverse range of food and community vendors for the public to enjoy. The annual festival promotes and connects citizens and visitors of Boston to the local economy, fishing industry, and farming community. It continues to be a staple of the Rose Kennedy Greenway summer event line-up, as well as a vital affair in supporting sustainability and the local economy in Boston and Greater New England. Learn more about the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts here.
Fresh Truck – Dorchester
Fresh Truck operates two renovated school buses as mobile food markets, stocked with fresh fruit, vegetables, and healthy snacks. They partner with health centers and other community organizations to combine their services with access to affordable, healthy food.
Fresh Truck programs celebrate healthy neighborhood food culture while providing access to fresh food for families that need it the most. Learn more about Fresh Truck.
The Juice Box – South Boston
The Juice Box, located in South Boston, provides a product with goods sources from local producers. The Juice Box practices a zero waste environment and donates 1% of their sales to nonprofit organizations. Learn more about The Juice Box.
The Food Project – Dorchester
The Food Project serves to create a productive community for youth and adults from diverse backgrounds in order to build a sustainable food system and provide healthy food for residents throughout the Boston community. The Food Project offers many youth leadership opportunities, reaching out to youth in Boston’s urban core. They continue to provide a common ground for education and access to local, sustainable, healthy food while inspiring positive chain in their own community. Learn more about The Food Project.
We Grow Microgreens LLC – Roslindale
Lisa Evans and Tim Smith of Roslindale left their careers to follow their dreams of growing local, sustainable, healthy food, while also educating the community on the health benefits of microgreens and edible flowers. They have a strong farmers markets presence with a long term goal to engage people of all ages to become actively involved in the food growing process. Having been highlighted in the Boston Globe and Edible Boston, Lisa and Tim continue to provide local and sustainable food to the Boston community. Learn more about We Grow Microgreens.
Boston University Dining Services – Fenway/Kenmore
In serving 6 million meals per year, BU Dining Services strives to serve delicious food while making the most positive impact on the environment and our community. By prioritizing the purchase of food grown, caught, and raised locally, they contribute to a healthy, equitable, self-sustaining food system in New England. They promote agricultural practices that are ecologically sound, socially responsible, and economically viable with their purchasing strategies.
The incredible participation and support these programs receive from students make them especially successful. In 2014, BU committed to get 20% of our food from sustainable sources by 2018. After meeting that goal three years early(!), over the past year they ramped it up to 23% of food and beverage purchases meet AASHE STARS (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) sustainable food criteria. In addition, Boston University has seven Certified Green Restaurants certified through the Green Restaurant Association. Four of these restaurants have achieved a 3-Star rating and three a 4-Star rating. BU has the only Certified Green Restaurant food court in the country. For more information see BU’s 2016 Dining Sustainability Report: http://www.bu.edu/dining/report2016/
Boston University won a ‘Sustainable Food Leadership’ Greenovate Award in 2012.
Urban Farming Institute – Roxbury
UFI supports urban farms, farmer training and an annual conference that attracts 400+ people who are engaged in urban farms. Each year, UFI trains 10 – 20 new farmers, supports 4 farms in low-income neighborhoods, and is building out the historic Fowler Clarke Farm in Mattapan with Historic Boston as a center for fresh food access and education. UFI is creating a land trust, and regularly engages hundreds of residents in farmers markets and training to access healthy food.
Recent Comments