By Patrick Greenwell

While efforts have been made to increase the variety of food options on the University of Louisville campus in the past year, it is clear that a nutritional deficit still persists within these expanded food options. 
New restaurant options like “Freshens” and “Jazzman’s” may offer some healthier options, but fast food still has a much larger presence on campus. “Quick Zone” may carry salads, but by Sunday afternoon there are only a handful left, and these are no longer fresh.
A group of students and faculty members have set out to bring a healthier option to campus, in the form of locally grown, farm-fresh produce.
This farm-fresh food is made possible through Community Supported Agriculture, or CSAs. CSAs allow consumers to buy a share in a farm, paying up front for the growing seasons. Through this share, the consumer receives weekly boxes of whatever the farmer is growing. Traditionally, the food provided is enough to feed a family of four.
“CSA’s are an opportunity to reestablish the connection between farmers and consumers,” said Eric Gross, a sophomore bioengineering major, “Society has kind of grown to accept this industrialized concept of food. CSAs provide an alternative to what many feel is a poor food system.”
Gross is one of the students involved in bringing CSA’s to campus. He became involved in the effort after enrolling in the Honors Local Food seminar taught by Professor Lisa Markowitz.
Together with classmate, and sophomore biology major Andrea Breaux, Gross began working with CSAs as an internship on campus suggested by Professor Markowitz.
Breaux and Gross have predominantly been responsible for getting word out about the upcoming CSA campus Sign-ups on Thurs., March 12. Together they have created a Facebook group, distributed online literature, contacted local farmers, designed advertisements and provided information to the SGA mail and student news. 
“It is really important to bring an event like this to campus. A lot of people don’t know about CSA’s,” said Breaux. “They aren’t aware of the alternatives to an industrialized food society. It’s important to illuminate people about healthier food options.”
The event on Thursday is geared more towards faculty and staff, given the relatively high cost of purchasing a CSA, which falls somewhere between 300 and 600 dollars.  However, the event’s organizers are expecting that options like being able to purchase half-shares or splitting the cost with another person will attract students. Most of all, they are hoping students will come to the event to show their support for local farmers and a healthy food alternative. 
The University of Louisville, though not directly involved in any of the transactions between students, faculty and the farmers, has been supportive of the CSAs. CSAs support sustainable agriculture and also provide an especially diverse crop mix, which parallels U of L’s plan to become a more sustainable campus by 2020. 
While Spalding University and the University of Kentucky have made efforts to include more local food, U of L is one of the first universities in the state of Kentucky to provide this kind of service. 
 “I think it’s great. It’s a nice movement. It can be a little hard to find CSAs,”  said Professor Markowitz. “It’s difficult to find farmers in Louisville, they are kind of elusive. Information is tricky. This kind of event can make it easy for faculty, staff, and students to meet farmers and learn about this service. The easier you make it to access, the more likely people are to purchase it.”
The CSA sign-ups and information fair will occur on Thurs. March 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Red Barn.