Envisioning...

... a look back at this year's SSA highlights and ideas for the coming year.

Focus the Nation

Working as a subcommittee branched off of the main SSA group worked really well.

We did a good job outreaching and getting people on the listserve to participate.

This was a high profile event that garnered a lot of attention

We should distinguish ourselves more from the Sodexho booth (people thought we were the same! yikes!)

Tools we used for this event are being used for other events (the cool eating poster/cards)

Suggestion: Have the professional talks at the same place the booths were

Picnic Day

Tshirt/cookbooks fundraising, though not much money was made

Good outreach, but many people were not from Davis

We should try sharing a booth with other student orgs. (i.e. project compost, student farm, etc.)

Forgo this event, if we are lacking in time and energy

Local Foods Week

A lot of work, so we should have a subcommittee to plan this as early as January and not just one wonderwoman (i.e. Dani). and use some ASI grant money to pay people as an incentive

Went well with a variety of activities, FREE FOOD worked better than movies

Movies still a good idea but not for the amount of money – maybe just one movie

Highlight social justice issues – CIRS do a panel (maybe for ESLP). Instead of having a normal tabling event at the Taste of Coho, we could feature a social justice booth here to get more attention.

Whole Earth

A lot of activities back to back right before WEF

We need to get a better spot next year – by the stage?

The only reason we made money is because we were able to sell strawberries (bought from Capay Organic) to tri coops.

It would have been nice to have people manning the booth both days

Good to have stamps

Get really big posters to be more visible

If we do it for two days we will need to ask the CoHo for cold storage

We have to take responsibility for baskets (ask people to bring them back, or just sell them in paper bags)

Grant proposal

Alida and Luis wrote it

Student Farm/CoHo Poster project – part way done (check it out at the Coho!)

zine – on hold until Alida's thesis

art show – kelly wants to help out

we didn't actually get the money in our account but they are straightening it out

think about future sustainability grants for future funding

olive pick

Went great -- a lot of people came out

potluck afterwards should be in a more public place for people who might not know other people

ask Sean to write a “How to coordinate an Olive Pick”

citrus gleaning

Christy organized it and put it in the enterprise

find citrus trees and ask neighbors to come pick food

Ask Christy to add the letter to the smart site and write a “how to citrus glean”

house was volunteered for cooking and some citrus goods were returned

action research team

Going well

suggestion: eslp could plan local foods week through an ART

local dirt

we need new co hosts

dani is considering do it

rori is leaving

natalie will continue

first meeting of the year/quarters

maggie found it on a flyer at the co op

outreaching on list serv

davis wiki

we had a potluck and a student farm tour

we want more student farm workers involved

invite ASI out there

guide to publicizing an event

sustainability coordinators at dorms

talking to grad advisors for CRD, ECL and IAD

Blog

SSA blog is getting updated regularly for agenda items, pictures, news and event updates

Amber will continue working on it

Eat Local

There is a website on where to purchase locally

Overall/General

Have an orientation session on how to:

Reserve rooms for events

Add to SSA davis wiki

Add to SSA list serv and Smartsite

Food Systems ActionResearch Team

Is going really well. Want to continue into next year as part of SSA.

2. Next Year

Next year we could do an independent research to get credit for the continuation of the ART team. Maybe Ryan could sign off on independent study. ASI.

Real Food Challenge

Real Food Challenge is a way to build solidarity with other sustainable ag work across the country. Leadership training in Arroye Grande in late July. Want to send 2 or 3 people. Perhaps cover transportation with ASI funds. Want to work with RFC next year.

Other projects

Slow Foods Project – Could be the more enjoyment piece of SSA

i.e. collaborate on the olive harvest

Slow Food Conference in San Francisco. Get UC Davis people there.

Canning – Alida might teach a class on canning. Paige is interested in a canning activity too

Outreach brainstorm (email list serv, facebook, participatory activity on the quad with FREE food, flyering – besides school building – co op, farmer's market (?), delta, mishka's, newspapers (aggie and enterprise) lyra halperin – will write a press release and send things, signs at bowley, student farm, co ops, dining commons, co ho little table fliers, spac club days – go be out there and table, davis wiki, table at the DC, go to the core classes for grad groups, ryan's food systems class

SPAC positions

paige for president

someone for treasurer (list serv)

have a facilitating techniques class if club gets bigger

we like having non hierarchial governing structure

Critical activism work vs. socially accepted education presentations

We do want to incorporate more activism work. We think the ART this year is part of that and the Real Food Challenge for next year. We want to continue to push the envelope.

In the past SSA made a concerted effort to be on important committees at all time – made us seem big but at the same time we need the student body standing behind us. We need to get student demand through more education = Real Food Challenge

Glad to have representation on the ASI steering committee

rally for foods – thinking about collaborating with project compost and/or critical mass

SSA is going to vary and change by who is at the table

We should have a visioning after we get new recruitments to create a space for self empowerment.

also think of simple tasks for people to have responsibility for.

we like the idea of breaking off into smaller teams to do different things

having positions (not hierarchial) that people are responsible for to make sure things get done. i.e. listserv person, flyering person, davis wiki person, etc. everyone can take initiative, don't need to ask permission to do what one is interested in.

fate of the CCE website – great idea – someone needs to take that on.

sean can pass the baton of treasurer if someone signs up before he leaves (august)

get extra credit points to go to one of our presentations – i.e. kick off meeting

Think about our overlap with CSSC and ESLP. We could collaborate more?