FOOD FOR THE PARKS
The Institute at the Golden Gate’s Food for the Parks initiative aims to expand the availability of nutritious, local, and sustainable fresh food to park visitors nationwide. This program leverages the food purchasing power of the National Park Service (NPS) and its supply chain to affect food systems in the U.S. and beyond.
The Institute created two publications that parks and food service providers can use to take the next steps.
Food for the Parks: Case Studies of Sustainable Food in America's Most Treasured Places showcases parks and concessionaires that have healthy and sustainable food programs in place and highlights a variety of best practices that can be adopted by other regional, local, and national parks.
Food for the Parks: A Roadmap to Success works as a toolkit offering strategies and ideas to inspire collaboration among partners and encourage them to take steps to create new healthy, fresh, and sustainable food programs in parks and other industries across the country.
Implementing Healthy Food in Parks Across the Country
The Food for the Parks initiative also works as a model for incremental improvement within our large-scale food system beyond our nation's 10,000 parks. As the NPS requests concessionaires to improve their product offerings, more choices will also become available to concessionaire’s customers outside the national park system in places like hospitals, universities, and sports stadiums. This change has the
potential to create or expand markets for sustainable foods and
products, reducing impact on the environment and benefiting the local economies that surround parks.
Food for the Parks Spotlight: Muir Woods
The Café inside Muir Woods National Monument used to be a place where a visitor might purchase a sandwich as an afterthought on her way home from a walk on Muir Beach. Today, the Café is a destination in its own right. In response to a prospectus from the park that called for organically produced ingredients, local sourcing, and healthy menu items, Muir Woods Gift Shop and Café sought and found local partners to accomplish these goals. Learn more about The Café at Muir Woods >
Looking for a locally grown, organic, and sustainable meal in the Golden Gate National Parks? The Beach Hut Café and The Warming Hut Café along Crissy Field and The Café at Muir Woods are great options for enjoying a day in the park.
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Resources
Download and read Food for the Parks: A Roadmap to Success >
Download and read Food for the Parks: Case Studies
of Sustainable Food in America's Most Treasured Places >
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Bill McKibben and Food for the Parks
On November 7, 2010 author, educator, and environmentalist Bill McKibben, sat down with Acting Deputy Superintendent of Golden Gate National Parks Aaron Roth, and Bay Area sustainable food expert Larry Bain for a discussion about climate change and the global and national value of local food systems.
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Food: Getting It Right
Dr. Dean Ornish, Founder and President, Preventive
Medicine Research Institute in conversation with Alice Waters,
Chef and Founder, Chez Panisse Restaurant at the Institute’s Turning
the Tide 2009 conference.
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Feeding the World
Dr. Stephen Schneider, Alice Waters, Hai Vo, and Ruchi
Jain talk about food, community, and climate change at the
Institute’s Turning the Tide 2010 conference. Please
advance to 21:18 in this video.
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