By Chelsea Korth

The sky was blue, the sun was sparkling through the pine trees and the aroma of roasting meat mingled with the scent of burning wood smoking in a nearby bonfire. Bluegrass music played in the background.

Organizers said they couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Sunday afternoon. The warm weather had people out and mingling on Watab Island this weekend for a hog roast compliments of the PRP, OLC, Campus Greens and the Arboretum.

“The idea of a pig roast came up, and we thought, ‘Great, let’s make it happen,’” said Michael Short, a member of the PRPs. “The timing of this event is perfect, because it fits right in with Earth Week … it’s a commendable reason to be out here.”

Students enjoyed the day by playing catch, listening to music, storytelling, exploring trails and pacing back and forth past the barbecue waiting for the grill top to open and someone to yell, “Come and eat!”

Diners eagerly waited with paper plates and empty buns while watching as members of the PRP carved into the pig that would satisfy their patient stomachs.

The pig weighed nearly 100 pounds, and, at 1.5 to 2 pounds per person, it should have fed the entire hungry group. However, many who had a first taste could not help but want a second.

The hog was chosen from a local farm in St. Joseph and was fed leftovers from the Reef, creating an interesting circle of sustainability within our surrounding community.

“All of our food that isn’t eaten goes into pig barrels and a farmer picks it up weekly,” said Cheri Supalla, administrative manager and dietitian at St. John’s.

St. John’s dining services has partnered with a company called Full Circle Farms that collects its food waste products and converts it into processed food for pigs.

“It’s definitely in higher demand these days from students to get our foods from local sources,” said Supalla, “It seems to be the trend to make sustainable purchases.”

With the recent trend of living ‘green’ and students’ interest in doing their best to eat sustainable foods, the Reef has listened and stepped up to do their part in making environmentally friendly choices.

St. John’s dining services makes an effort to purchase food locally and offer seasonal menus to maximize the potential for local purchasing, said Dave Schoenberg, Executive Director of Dining and Events.

Minnesota grown produce included in the Reef’s menus are apples, strawberries, eggplant, green peppers, cabbage, radishes, cucumbers, green beans, potatoes, and sweet corn when in season. St. John’s Dining Services is also a patron of several local producers: Swany Flour, Klien Honey Farm, and Forest Mushrooms, to name a few.

Currently, St. John’s Dining Services has invested in a partnership with Thull Excavating, which collects frying oil on campus that is used for bio-diesel fuel production.

Sponsored by Campus Greens and the Refectory this Monday was another event scheduled for Earth Week. Students were able to enjoy a compostable dinner consisting of brats and hot dogs from St.Joe Meat Market, pasta salad from North Dakota Pasta Growers, a wild rice salad from Bemidji, as well as Kemps ice cream adorned with maple syrup from St.John’s Arboretum.

Filed under: Featured by Tan Tuohy