Personal habits and behaviors regarding food offer an opportunity several times every day to make choices that affect agricultural practices, transportation demands, packaging, and personal nutrition—each of which have implications for climate change, ecosystem services, economic vitality, and personal health. The current obesity epidemic suggests that people might not be selecting the most healthful food, relying on easily prepared or simply fast options. Change is not easily accomplished, especially regarding cultural norms that involve preferences as personal as taste. Yet change is needed to bring about a healthy citizenry and a sustainable future.
Students in this course will have an opportunity to study theories of individual behavior change and concretely impact Gainesville’s local food culture. They will be engaged in two hands-on assignments. First they will reflect upon and experiment with changing their own behaviors regarding food choices. Second, students will engage with Gainesville residents to understand the barriers to and opportunities for choosing to eat food that contributes to environmental, economic, and personal health. Subsequently they will develop and implement a plan to promote the consumption of local, organically grown, or healthier food among resource-limited residents of Gainesville. Such behavior change campaigns are not ‘done to’ people, but designed with people, so interaction with community members will be a part of the course, as well as practicing skills of interviewing, listening, data collection, designing surveys, and evaluating change. In developing and implementing their plans, students will have many opportunities for making decisions and reflecting on the process of working together.
The course is designed to model experiential and interdisciplinary education for sustainability. It is a service-based learning opportunity that improves food sustainability in our community by encouraging reflective and conscious change for the environment, the economy, and the health of the people in our community.