Durham College’s (DC) Centre for Food and its unique field-to-fork vision has been recognized internationally with the highest achievement – Gold – in the Green Colleges category at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP) Awards of Excellence. The college received the award at the 2016 WFCP World Congress held in Vitória, Brazil from September 23 to 25.

The CFF is being recognized for its demonstrated excellence in advancing environmental sustainability through knowledge, tools, practices and technologies, including both its facilities and programs. Along with the gold award, the college was asked to facilitate a best practices session about the CFF during the World Congress, and also participated in a Green Colleges Panel Discussion with an institution from Brazil.  

“Durham College’s Centre for Food brings the field-to-fork philosophy to life in a unique post-secondary setting,” said Kevin Baker, dean of the CFF.  “In just three years, the CFF has been recognized locally, provincially and now internationally for the sustainable practices we live every day in all we do. The CFF embodies the college’s focus on sustainability and social responsibility, and we’re honoured to be recognized with a gold award from this prestigious, global competition.” 

Focused on the field-to-fork concept, which is based on the planting, harvesting, storing, processing, packaging, sale and consumption of food – in particular the production of local food for local consumers – the CFF opened to students in September 2013. Supported by ambassador and celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy, it boasts numerous sustainable building features, including: 

• Glass curtain walls to maximize natural light.
• A fully automated building controls management system.
• A two-storey living wall that includes herbs on the ground level.
• A comprehensive recycling and compost program that includes food waste in order to reduce the CFF’s carbon footprint.
• A hydration station for filling reusable water bottles.
• Use of compostable take-out containers.
• Low-flow toilets, touchless sensor faucets and waterless urinal technology.

In addition, the CFF’s production methods have low environmental impact, demonstrate water stewardship and result in reduced energy consumption.

Home to a range of complementary post-secondary programs, the building boasts numerous sustainable features and extensive grounds that include an apple orchard, agricultural planting fields, an unheated hoop house, gardens and greenhouses that support applied learning and research while growing produce for use in the CFF’s kitchens and laboratories, as well as Bistro ’67, a full-service, teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a unique retail store for student-created goods, both of which are housed in the CFF and open to the public.

The south side of the CFF includes a ramped garden feature with a pollinator garden for native birds, bees and butterflies and a two-acre arboretum. These areas also feature trees, shrubs, perennials and fruit-bearing plants, providing a teaching and learning environment for students, the local agri-food industry, community organizations and the general public.

Along with the college’s keen focus on environmental stewardship, DC faculty and students are collaborating on unique, agri-focused applied research projects at the CFF, including the development of cold-frame technology, which harnesses the sun’s energy to support the growth of fresh, local produce year-round, and the improvement of drones’ data-collecting capabilities to help local farmers with crop management.

The CFF is also developing its global reach with the college working on a pilot project designed to investigate options for adapting its field-to-fork philosophy for the Centro Experimental de Formación Profesional (CEFOP), a technical and vocational college in Trujillo, Peru. The relationship is helping to reinforce industry engagement strategies, highlight the importance of inclusive management and student-centered teaching strategies and facilitate improvements to CEFOP’s revenue generation activities. 

In addition to receiving Gold honours from the WFCP, the CFF was recognized with an Eric Krause Innovative Plans/Policies/Initiatives Award (Eric Krause Award) for its commitment to conserving energy and protecting the environment in June 2016. It was also upgraded to a 3 Star Certified Green Restaurant® by the Green Restaurant Association for DC’s commitment to environmental sustainability in food and beverage preparation and presentation and honoured with a Feast ON designation in recognition of its support for local food producers in July 2016.

As a whole, the CFF’s many green and sustainability-focused initiatives thoroughly impressed the WFCP judging panel comprising committee members from China, Tanzania, the United Kingdom and the United States who determined this year’s awards recipients. Now in its second year, the WFCP Awards of Excellence recognize post-secondary achievements in a range of categories that includes green leadership, access to learning, applied research, entrepreneurship, higher technical skills, leadership and student support services.