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Micro-Farms Help to Improve Sustainability on Campus

FROM MICRO-FARMS, PAGE 1

aesthetically. The company also claims that the use of its vertical products is great for places where space is limited.

Babylon remotely maintains Fordham’s garden. They can control the environment and atmosphere inside the case.

“For those interested, the garden is watched via the internet by Babylon. They control water and light and advise harvest time and provide preplanted seedlings to start the process over,” said Yaun.

The food grown at Fordham’s micro-farm goes directly into the food at the Marketplace. According to a video posted to the Ramdining Instagram, the produce is harvested directly from the cases by opening up the back and is then used in salads and other dishes.

Yaun said that using this display is more effective than shipping vegetables in terms of the adverse environmental effects and cost.

“These will become ingredients in the food prepared onsite. In addition to being garden fresh, shipping costs and energy used to get the greens to Fordham is much less, and there is less packaging used,” said Yaun.

Yaun said this initiative came about because of student’s interest to be more environmentally cautious.

“Most students come to us very educated and interested in sustainability. This is one way to take some of the abstract nature about our food supply and turn it into a tangible example. It should be educational and interesting at the same time,” said Yaun.

Climate change and the current method of food production are closely linked. The process of transporting food across long distances results in increased carbon emissions. Finding enough space to grow food can result in deforestation. Cattle and other livestock’s grazing and waste release methane which can lead to rundown land, causing floods.

The issue with mass food production was another motivator for Yaun when creating this display.

“[The display was prompted by] becoming as sustainable as possible, with the goal of someday being 100% sustainable is the big motivator. Worldwide, the rising temperature of the climate has slowed, and it has long been demonstrated that vegan/vegetarian diets are more sustainable than other diets,” said Yaun.

Yaun said that he hopes students engage with the display. According to Yaun, the new display provides a way for students to see how food grows , which they may not have had the opportunity to see before.

“Students should be excited about this first step in Fordham growing and supplying fresh ingredients to be used in dishes here on site,” said Yaun. “Some of us have never seen a garden grow, the remarkable speed that the same space can produce multiple harvests.”

Some students have noticed the micro-farm in the Marketplace and are excited about it.

“I was curious about the case when I first saw it. I think it’s cool that you can watch produce grow,” said Jeremy Fries, FCRH ’24.

Others have even noticed and taken an interest in the specific type of produce the case is growing.

“I’m really excited about the plants growing. I’m most excited about the basil, I can’t wait to see it incorporated into the food in the cafeteria,” said Claire Bickel, FCRH ’24.

According to Yaun, while the micro-farm serves as a way to source vegetables sustainably, it also provides a simple reminder to students of where food comes from.

“[The micro-farm] is a way for all of us to be in touch and to see and be reminded that produce does not have to always come cello wrapped,” said Yaun.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

The display helps to improve food sustainability on both of Fordham's campuses.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM Plants from the Babylon case are being used in food at Lincoln Center.

Tetlow on Twitter: A Change from McShane

FROM TWITTER, PAGE 1

A social media presence like this could be a big change for the university. For one thing, some have noticed the potential for Tetlow’s social media efforts to attract the attention of prospective students. It is possible that prospective students, intrigued by the idea of life in the big city, will identify with her bio alone, in which she calls herself “A New Orleans transplant exploring New York City.”

Students on campus seem to be responding positively. Gulru Aksu, FCRH ’26, and Ilayda Coskun, FCRH ’26, who both attended the President’s Ball, agreed that they wouldn’t mind taking a picture for social media if the president asked them.

Some students say they like it because Tetlow’s social media presence makes them feel closer to the president.

“I think President Tetlow having a Twitter makes her more relatable. A lot of students have Twitter so it’s a way that we get to interact with her more. It also feels like we can get to know her in a more casual way,” said Lusa Holmstrom, FCRH ’25.

Still, some on campus seem indifferent.

“It doesn’t really make a big difference to me if she tweets or not. I think it’s kind of inevitable. Trump has a Twitter. Elon Musk has a Twitter. It’s just the age we’re in,” said Dora Conrad, FCRH ’26.

COURTESY OF PIA FISCHETTI/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Others want to wait and see what the new president posts before giving their full support. William Ronac, FCRH ’25, said he really hopes she’s authentic. He wants her to post whatever she wants to without other administrators interfering. He added that it would also be best if she didn’t post everyday.

Although Tetlow is most active on her Twitter, another one of her accounts has seemed to elicit a more passionate response around campus. Her Instagram for her golden retriever, Archie, is already well known and loved by the Fordham community.

“I recall seeing a photo of President Tetlow’s dog on instagram and it was absolutely one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” said Fawwaz Omer, FCRH ’25.

This kind of personal connection with the campus community is no small matter. If social media is about outreach, it seems to be working well for both Archie and Tetlow.

COURTESY OF TWITTER