My name is William Gregg. For my internship for the Climate Change Studies program I decided to work for the UM Gardens. UM produces food on campus at four different locations: an aquaponics garden and main garden at the Lommasson Center, a microgreens garden in the Food Zoo, and garden at on South Avenue. These gardens are a part of UM Dining, which has a deep and enduring commitment to sustainability. In addition to on campus food production, UM Dining invests in purchasing locally and sustainably produced food, composting food waste, conserving water and energy, educating our community, and collaborating with campus and community partners. My internship for the garden consisted of many different projects that are specific to each of the gardens where we work.
The microgreens garden in the Food Zoo has been a wonderful experience to be a part of because all of the microgreens that are grown every week go directly into the Food Zoo salad bar and into meals. I have learned how to seed microgreen trays, put them into a dark/light cycle to stimulate germination and growth, and harvested/weighed them for placement into the Food Zoo kitchen storage where they will be used by the chefs when needed. In the Lommasson Center aquaponics garden, I have learned how to manage the vertical garden by checking the PH of the water flowing through the drip system, feeding the fish that live in the aquaponics tank, and checking the temperature and flow of the water. At the Lommasson Center main garden and the South Avenue garden, I have worked on management, composting, harvesting a variety of vegetables and seeding the gardens for the spring/summer growing season.
My internship for the UM Gardens has given me insight into the importance of instilling knowledge and giving the opportunity to consumers to learn about sustainable food production, local food, and how they can purchase it in their own communities. The web of our food system in our nation and globally is powered by the choices of the consumer, and to change our food system we must change the mindset of the consumer. I have seen firsthand how creating a change in the consumer decision directly correlates to resilience and sustainability in our food systems on a larger scale. One of the highlights of my internship has been the opportunities I have to explain to students the importance behind having gardens on campus for the campus community to walk by and enjoy. The gardens that are intertwined into our campus allow the students and community to have a tangible experience with local food.
In regard to our changing climate, how we mitigate the changes we experience are in direct correlation with food security in our nation and on a global scale. Sustainable food production systems are imperative to building food security in our nation and globally. As our climate changes, land degradation will occur and growing seasons will change. Both large scale agricultural operations and community gardens will need to tailor their growing techniques and expectations to work with the changing climate.
It’s been incredibly valuable to me to gain insight into how sustainable food production can create community, mindfulness in consumers, and can play a role in mitigating the effects of our changing climate. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the components needed to mitigate changing climate and the politics associated with it. Working for the UM gardens has given me confidence and motivation to create and value community, reaffirm my beliefs in local food, and share my ideas and knowledge with those who haven’t made changes in their lifestyle to support sustainable food. I have also gained a strong appreciation for the power that food holds and how it sustains us in so many ways. I am proud that I have created such a strong passion in the garden for sustainability in hopes to mitigate climate change. I look forward to bringing this passion and providing insight to as many individuals as I can.
Climate Change Studies 
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