“Our students are really interested in different issues around food, whether it’s beekeeping, food access, food security or public health.  Students are looking for schools that are addressing food issues; they want more courses and involvement.” – Diane Robinson Knapp

The Urban Food Task Force unites faculty, students, staff, and volunteers who share an interest in healthy eating, sustainable food production and food policy.

Under the leadership of President Knapp’s wife, Diane Robinson Knapp, who is a nutritionist, the task force is working to identify and recommend ways to support scholarship, instruction and information on sustainable urban food policies, healthy eating and food preparation, and healthy and sustainable food choices for students, faculty and staff.

With events like George Washington’s annual Apple Day, in which teachers give apples to students, and the Eye on Food film series, the task force is also expanding and communicating knowledge of healthy foods, food preparation, on-campus food choices, the carbon ‘food-print,’ composting, edible landscaping and sustainable eating.

Another key achievement is a partnership with Founding Farmers to study honey bees at six new hives on the Foggy Bottom Campus, advancing George Washington research and biology studies – and eventually yielding honey for the restaurant.

The Graduate School of Education and Human Development is also working on developing and implementing a public school curriculum that uses food as a central organizing theme for inspiring and informing young students engaged in the study of science, history, and many other fields.

For more information, visit the Urban Food Task Force.