Featured Post from Georgia Southern University

Find out how sustainable dining at Georgia Southern provides fresh options for students

Feb 5, 2020

2 min

As more and more people are eating out – the expectations of customers of restaurants to be environmentally friendly are ever increasing. However, operating with a reduced carbon footprint all the while being sustainable and profitable are no easy task.

 

That’s where Georgia Southern University is making a difference.

 



The newest restaurant on the Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus offers diners comfort in knowing that some of the ingredients were grown just a few hundred yards away in the campus’ aquaponics farm in the Sustainable Aquaponics Research Center (SARC).


The agriculture and food industry is one of the largest users of water and producers of greenhouse gas emissions, but growing food by using aquaponics, a system of growing produce by using water fertilized by fish, cuts down on both significantly.

“SARC produce only travels a quarter mile from where it’s grown,” SARC curator Brigette Brinton said. “Locally grown food offers large advantages in terms of increased sustainability and freshness, and SARC produce is grown organically and using sound ecological principles that minimize water consumption.”


Brinton said minimizing emissions and water use does not diminish the quality or taste of the produce. To the contrary, it makes the food taste better because aquaponics produce often has higher concentrations of various compounds that give the foods their flavor, and they are grown in more ideal environments.


Brzycki said Georgia Southern wants to expand on using ultra-local, fresh produce and vegetables, as a part of the partnership with the aquaponics farm.


“When we consider redesigns of existing or new dining locations on the Armstrong Campus in the future, we want to see how we can incorporate these same principles,” he said. “But for now, Southern Cafe is the flagship unit for the aquaponics partnership, as well as sustainability and healthy eating, of Eagle Dining.”




Brinton said she hopes the Southern Cafe will inspire the students, faculty and staff who eat there to make healthier and more sustainable choices in other areas of their lives.


“Showcasing local, sustainable produce increases students’ awareness that there are better options, and Georgia Southern is going the extra mile to show them how to start making better choices,” she said. “Each time students see they made a sustainable choice at the Southern Cafe, they’re more likely to choose sustainable options on their own.”

 

Are you a journalist looking to cover this story or learn more about how Georgia Southern University is developing new programs that help traditional industries adapt to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly business model? If so – then let our experts help with your coverage.


Simply contact Melanie Simón at 912.344.2904 to arrange an interview.

Powered by

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University expert available to provide geopolitical analysis on the Iran war featured image

1 min

Georgia Southern University expert available to provide geopolitical analysis on the Iran war

The Middle East has entered an active state of war marked by a cycle of retaliatory strikes across Iran and the Persian Gulf. Three major uncertainties now dominate the global outlook: the long-term survival of the Iranian government, the fate of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, and the security of critical oil transit routes. Georgia Southern University Professor of Political Science and International Studies Jacek Lubecki, Ph.D., is available to speak about the military operation in Iran and its implications for regional stability and global security. Lubecki is an expert in comparative politics and military security studies, with a focus on the Middle East and Eastern Europe, particularly Poland. His research examines terrorism, counterinsurgency and military strategy. His work has been published in journals including Europe-Asia Studies, East European Politics and Societies, The Polish Review, The New Ukraine and The Armchair General. He has co-authored several books, including Globalization, Nationalism, and Imperialism: A New History of Eastern Europe (2023), which examines domestic and global security challenges, and Defending Eastern Europe: The Defense Policies of New NATO and EU Member States (2021). Lubecki speaks Polish, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian, German and Arabic with varying levels of fluency. Lubecki is available for interviews in person at Georgia Southern’s Statesboro Campus or virtually.

Georgia Southern University expert available for interviews about Venezuela's political shift after U.S. intervention and the Cuba-Venezuela Connection featured image

1 min

Georgia Southern University expert available for interviews about Venezuela's political shift after U.S. intervention and the Cuba-Venezuela Connection

The January U.S. military action in Venezuela is altering political connections and calculations across the Western Hemisphere, with deep implications for Cuba. The long-standing belief in the United States’ strategic patience regarding adversarial and destabilizing governments has been decisively overturned and threatens the Cuban government’s vulnerability to collapse. Georgia Southern University Associate Professor of International Studies Christopher M. Brown, Ph.D., is a recognized expert in the democratization and democratic theory of Latin American countries and the Caribbean Basin. He offers expert analysis on the shifting political landscape in Venezuela and the long-term resilience of the Havana-Caracas axis. Brown is a National Endowment for Humanities Scholar with the José Martí Institute at the University of Tampa and participated in a Faculty Exchange with the University of Havana. He has authored several books focused on the failed democratic systems in Latin America and most recently published a book titled “Responding to the Venezuelan Migration Crisis: Insights for the Caribbean” (with Georgina Chami Ph.D., University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, and Nalanda Roy, Ph.D., Georgia Southern University). His monograph, “Failed Democracies in Latin America and the Caribbean” (Palgrave-Macmillan) was published in August 2023 and he is currently completing, “Democratization of Cuba” (Palgrave-Macmillan), which will be published in June 2026. Brown is available in person at the Statesboro Campus or virtually.  Simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.

Georgia Southern professor to present “Steel and Sweat: Knights, Soldiers and the Making of the Tactical Athlete” featured image

2 min

Georgia Southern professor to present “Steel and Sweat: Knights, Soldiers and the Making of the Tactical Athlete”

The Georgia Southern University College of Arts and Humanities will host the next installment of the Moveable Feast lecture series with an in-depth discussion of the evolution of combat training from the tumultuous Middle Ages to the modern-day military. Professor of Spanish Grant Gearhart, Ph.D., will present “Steel and Sweat: Knights, Soldiers and the Making of the Tactical Athlete” Feb. 19, at 6 p.m., at Service Brewing in Savannah. Gearhart, who is also the coordinator of experiential learning for the Department of World Languages and Cultures, says the presentation is all about connecting modern military training with the physical contests of centuries past. “I wanted to bring back interest in research on the Middle Ages, considering there is a declining interest in the topic within academia,” Gearhart explained. “To connect the past with present in a way that’s digestible for all audiences is something that I feel passionate about bringing to the public.” His research focuses on the evolution of fighting styles and explores how these styles reflect the ethics and values of the cultures in which they were developed. “Today’s soldiers are more than just military personnel, they are athletes,” said Gearhart. “Being a former college athlete sparked my interest in doing this research on the connections between athletics and warriors. I want to show how our modern ideas of soldiers as tactical athletes have historical grounding in the Middle Ages.” The Moveable Feast series is an immersive learning experience that brings lectures into spaces relevant to their topics. The event is free and open to the public.

View all posts
Powered by