As our local institutions of higher education contribute in different ways, a common thread has recently emerged: programs, centers and student associations dedicated to sustainability.
You’ve probably heard of sustainability, a commonly misunderstood term often used as a buzzword by governments, toilet-paper brands and everything between. Let’s step back and review.
Sustainability is a framework that considers the environmental, economic and social impacts of human decisions. It begins with Earth’s life-affirming systems: the soil that nourishes food, the air circulating in our lungs, and the water taken in by our very cells.
Earth’s biosphere must be preserved and regenerated for current and future generations, as no society or economy can exist without it. Mitigating destructive impacts on these systems involves shifting away from polluting and wasteful practices, which also stimulates economic benefits. Cutting waste and excess can provide short- and long-term cost savings, create jobs and lead to new investment opportunities. Perhaps most important, individuals alone cannot do this work. It requires bringing businesses, organizations, governments, churches and households together. Our local colleges provide exciting and varied examples.
At Yavapai College the buds of sustainability are beginning to bloom at The Eatery. The dining operation recently made it the first community college in the nation to join the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, which supports integrating the three dimensions of sustainability across higher-education dining operations to foster fulfilling dining experiences for students, employees and their communities.
The Eatery’s team is all in. They source beef a few miles down the road at K4 Gourmet Beef, and flour from Hayden Flour Mills in Gilbert. Menu items align with seasonally available produce and allow chefs to feature new and exciting dishes. Kitchen-waste operations are dialed. Staff weigh and compost pre-consumer food scraps, diverting over three tons since opening in March 2024. Plastics, cardboard and other major food-service packaging materials are collected and sent back to suppliers for reuse and recycling. They are now expanding their collection systems to capture post-consumer materials while educating customers on proper sorting.
The Eatery staff also advise the college’s sustainability club, which has held papermaking workshops, film showings and other events to engage campus and community participants in sustainability education. When asked how this work is possible, sustainability staff member Rebecca Serratos leans into the social aspects: “Local communities have it in their capacity to be sustainable purely through their relationships with each other.” It all starts with “just trying,” challenging people to approach operations differently and showcasing changes that can mutually benefit people, the planet and local economies.
Prescott College takes a different approach. Its Green Mountain Center for Sustainability is a distinct campus hub to organize and lead gardening, cooking, seed-saving, composting, reuse and repair initiatives. The Center is staffed primarily with students, reflecting the college’s experiential-education mission. Yet partnerships remain vital. The Center works closely with Slow Food Prescott to plan community events like Seed Mania and a Fall Harvest Festival. These events bring community members together in an educational space to empower participants of all skill levels in becoming more sustainable, from their backyard gardens to beyond.
The Green Mountain Center also manages the campus Free Store, a room where everything is free: no money, no sign-in sheet, no hassle. Kitchenware, camping gear and hidden treasures stock the shelves. Snazzy outfits and quirky art decorate the walls. Free Store curator and senior student Miranda Morris expresses her bubbly passion. “We want visitors to think creatively about how they can use the items. The more people upcycle, the less that ends up in landfills.” The Free Store challenges dominant consumer mindsets in which anything of value must have a price tag. It demonstrates the power and joy of sharing. “It’s exciting to walk around and see people wearing each other’s donations. The act of seeing items shared brings us joy and brings our community closer.” Miranda and other ‘shoppers’ hint at an almost magical quality of the Free Store. “I tell people to manifest what they want, because the Free Store listens!”
Our local institutions of higher education contribute to making our community and world more sustainable, but they are just one thread in a web of action. During Earth Month, many are inspired to ask, “What can I do?” Sustainability does not ask this question. Instead, it says, “What can we do, together?” Gather your neighbors, your fellow churchgoers or your hiking buddies. Start a neighborhood compost bin, host a clothing swap, or build a community tool shed. The possibilities are endlessly fun! Together we exert our greatest power for sustainable change.
Chef Molly Beverly is Prescott's leading creative food activist and teacher. Photos by Gary Beverly.
