Welcome UVA students! Get ready for some fun activities and delicious food that will improve your health – body and mind – while also helping to address food equity and protect the planet.
Check out the Activities Directory to find 30 ways to get involved and learn about the importance of shifting our food system to be more ecologically sustainable and socially just. You’ll earn points for each activity you complete (it’s on the honor system!) and have a chance to win prizes at several levels in the overall challenge:
SIX POINTS
The first 80 students to earn six points will get their choice of designated items from the UVA Bookstore valued at roughly $15 (silicone sandwich bag, bamboo utensil set, etc).
TWELVE POINTS
The first 40 people to earn 12 points will have their choice of designated items from the UVA Bookstore valued at $30 (Hoos branded ball cap, umbrella, book on ecology, etc). If you had also earned the $15 prize, you can combine the two tiers for a total value of $45 from the Bookstore items.
TOP FIVE
The five students who are “runners-up” in total points will each get a $100 gift card to UVA’s Bookstore.
GRAND PRIZE
The student with the highest total points at the end of the challenge will receive a $200 gift card to UVA’s Bookstore.
SAMPLE PRIZES
HOW TO CHOOSE AND PICKUP YOUR PRIZES
Once our team has notified you by email that you’ve reached a new prize tier, go to the UVA Bookstore Customer Service Desk and indicate that you are picking up your prize for the Green Up Your Food Game Challenge. Make sure to bring your photo ID. There, they will show you the items are available for you to select from. You may choose one or combination of items to equal your total prize amount. At the end of the challenge, our team will notify those who qualify for the $100 and $200 gift cards with further instructions. The last day to log your points is May 1st, and you have until Friday May 12 to claim your prizes.
FAQs
Who is eligible?
All enrolled UVA undergraduate and graduate students.
Who’s sponsoring the Green Up Your Food Game Challenge?
This challenge is brought to you by the Office for Sustainability and the UVA Sustainable Food Collaborative which includes a diverse array of organizations within UVA and the surrounding community to further food sustainability, food justice and food equity on Grounds and beyond. Funding is generously provided by UVA’s Committee on Sustainability, whose members represent top University leadership and multiple schools and departments.
What is the goal of the challenge?
Our goal is to raise awareness and create student action around sustainable food, food justice and food insecurity on Grounds – as well as to help reduce UVA’s overall climate impact. UVA’s goal is to increase sustainable food purchases to at least 30% of 2010 levels by 2030.
Why is this goal important?
Globally, food production, transportaiotn, distribution and disposal accounts for 1/3 of hte climate crisis. Better dietary choices – such as choosing locally grown, choosing organic, choosing plant-based meals, etc – reduces this harmful impact. Importantly, making food choices that support farmers who are Black, Indigenous, women or other historically marginalized growers is a foundational principle of reforming our food system to be equitable for all.