Fruit: (23,497 students) x (2.35 cups of fruit)/(1 student x 1 day) x (0.1875 kg)/(1 cup of fruit) x (1 ton)/(1000 kg) x (231 days)/(1 school year) = 2,391.6275 tons of fruit per school year consumed by UCSB students
Vegetables: (23,497 students) x (1.87 cups of vegetables)/(1 student x 1 day) x (0.2250 kg)/(1 cup of vegetables) x (1 ton)/(1000 kg) x (231 days)/(1 school year) = 2,283.7480 tons of vegetables per school year consumed by UCSB students
The USDA recommends 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables for men and women between 19 and 30 years of age, which encompasses the vast majority of college students at UCSB. (ChooseMyPlate, 2016)
Fruit: (23,497 students) x (2.00 cups of fruit)/(1 student x 1 day) x (0.1875 kg)/(1 cup of fruit) …show more content…
However, the study also found that 42% of students experience some form of food insecurity on a regular basis, ranging from deficient nutritional variety to even skipping meals entirely to save money for tuition, rent, and textbooks. (Martinez et al., 2015) With limited financial resources, UCSB students focus on maximizing caloric intake with processed bulk foods at the cost of a balanced diet, consuming only 1.87 servings of vegetables per day compared to the USDA recommended three servings. (Walker, 2009) Daily fruit consumption (2.35 cups) actually exceeds the recommended two cups, but keep in mind that for college students a large portion comes from sugar-sweetened fruit juices and soft drinks that are linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. (PBH, 2015) Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories, fat, and cholesterol and contain vitamins and minerals crucial to bodily function and growth, so they are universally recognized as playing a significant role in healthy lifestyles. (USDA, 2016) The lack of access to fresh fruit and vegetables at UCSB can be alleviated through the introduction of a network of gardens on campus dedicated solely to growing crops for student …show more content…
Such a project would have an enormous positive impact on the school community, specifically by increasing the on-campus distribution of organic fruits and vegetables to those college students suffering from deficient nutrition in their diets. Increasing the number of gardens and total farm acreage over time would significantly reduce the amount of fresh produce needed for all students to become food secure, resulting in better student health and superior academic achievement. The gardens would additionally engage the college community in shared activities by allowing students to farm sustainable food while enjoying the shared benefits of physical exercise and recreation in the outdoors. Not only would students save money directly by growing their own low-cost produce, but they would profit from access to new employment opportunities and job training in preparation for future careers. More research into the feasibility of campus gardens needs to be conducted to eliminate potential uncertainties, but the innumerable dividends to be gained by the program’s implementation at UC Santa Barbara make it clear that it should not be
Vegetables: (23,497 students) x (1.87 cups of vegetables)/(1 student x 1 day) x (0.2250 kg)/(1 cup of vegetables) x (1 ton)/(1000 kg) x (231 days)/(1 school year) = 2,283.7480 tons of vegetables per school year consumed by UCSB students
The USDA recommends 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables for men and women between 19 and 30 years of age, which encompasses the vast majority of college students at UCSB. (ChooseMyPlate, 2016)
Fruit: (23,497 students) x (2.00 cups of fruit)/(1 student x 1 day) x (0.1875 kg)/(1 cup of fruit) …show more content…
However, the study also found that 42% of students experience some form of food insecurity on a regular basis, ranging from deficient nutritional variety to even skipping meals entirely to save money for tuition, rent, and textbooks. (Martinez et al., 2015) With limited financial resources, UCSB students focus on maximizing caloric intake with processed bulk foods at the cost of a balanced diet, consuming only 1.87 servings of vegetables per day compared to the USDA recommended three servings. (Walker, 2009) Daily fruit consumption (2.35 cups) actually exceeds the recommended two cups, but keep in mind that for college students a large portion comes from sugar-sweetened fruit juices and soft drinks that are linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. (PBH, 2015) Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories, fat, and cholesterol and contain vitamins and minerals crucial to bodily function and growth, so they are universally recognized as playing a significant role in healthy lifestyles. (USDA, 2016) The lack of access to fresh fruit and vegetables at UCSB can be alleviated through the introduction of a network of gardens on campus dedicated solely to growing crops for student …show more content…
Such a project would have an enormous positive impact on the school community, specifically by increasing the on-campus distribution of organic fruits and vegetables to those college students suffering from deficient nutrition in their diets. Increasing the number of gardens and total farm acreage over time would significantly reduce the amount of fresh produce needed for all students to become food secure, resulting in better student health and superior academic achievement. The gardens would additionally engage the college community in shared activities by allowing students to farm sustainable food while enjoying the shared benefits of physical exercise and recreation in the outdoors. Not only would students save money directly by growing their own low-cost produce, but they would profit from access to new employment opportunities and job training in preparation for future careers. More research into the feasibility of campus gardens needs to be conducted to eliminate potential uncertainties, but the innumerable dividends to be gained by the program’s implementation at UC Santa Barbara make it clear that it should not be