WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.000 [earnest, poignant piano music] 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:17.000 [Speaker One] Nationally, over 30% of college students have experienced food insecurity 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:20.000 in the past 30 days alone. 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:23.000 The Dallas area is home to 88 food deserts, 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:26.000 places lacking access to affordable and fresh groceries. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:30.000 These statistics highlight a need both in our home community of UTD 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:33.000 and in the greater Dallas area 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:35.000 for more widespread access to fresh food. 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:40.000 With this in mind, leaders on our campus have established several programs 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:42.000 aiming to combat food insecurity. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:45.000 We have our very own food pantry, known as the Comet Cupboard, 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:47.000 located in the library basement. 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:51.000 The Comet Cupboard provides food and personal care items 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:54.000 to any member of the UTD community who is in need, 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:56.000 serving a vital function in our University. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:01.000 More recently, the Office of Sustainability has also established the UTD Eco Hub, 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:03.000 which is a student-run and operated community garden 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:06.000 on 20,000 square feet of land. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:10.000 The Eco Hub donates its crops to the Comet Cupboard and the North Texas Food Bank, 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:15.000 an organization seeking to provide food to people experiencing hunger all across Dallas. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:20.000 [earnest, poignant piano music] 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.000 [Speaker Two] Since the majority of food deserts in Dallas 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:25.000 are concentrated around the South Dallas area, 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:29.000 a number of organizations are attempting to combat food insecurity here. 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:32.000 Bonton Farms and Restorative Farms are two key organizations 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:35.000 seeking to popularize urban farming in South Dallas and beyond, 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:38.000 and these two organizations have made enormous impact 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:43.000 in making fresh produce accessible to those experiencing food insecurity, 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:45.000 as well as providing opportunities for community members 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:49.000 to purchase fresh food and learn about urban gardening and urban farming. 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:51.000 Ultimately, expanding the availability of local food sources 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:55.000 is one of the most sustainable ways to combat hunger. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:58.000 More broadly, the key to feeding more people in the state of Texas 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:00.000 may be to re-examine the content of our food. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:03.000 Vegan and vegetarian diets can feed more people with less land 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:06.000 than the standard North American diet 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.000 while still providing them with nutritious meals. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:10.000 Furthermore, reevaluating our eating habits 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:12.000 to consider plant-based meat alternatives 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:14.000 can free up more land for biodiversity 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:18.000 and this in turn supports both the larger Texas ecosystem 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.000 and nature-based carbon capture solutions, 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:23.000 since trees and biomass naturally capture the carbon dioxide 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:26.000 that is a major contributor to climate change. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:28.000 [earnest, poignant piano music] 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:33.000 [Speaker Three] Hunger is not just a local problem. 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:35.000 According to the United Nations, 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:38.000 nearly 8.9% of the people in the world today are hungry. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.000 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:45.000 was designed to try to address this issue with its specific goals 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:49.000 of ending hunger, achieving food security, and improving nutrition, 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:52.000 and promoting sustainable agriculture. 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:56.000 At the current pace, we will not hit these goals by the target year of 2030. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:59.000 We need to make major changes to the way we approach the issue of food insecurity. 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:03.000 We can only begin to make steps towards other sustainable development goals 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.000 when everyone has access to nutritious meals. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:08.000 [earnest, poignant piano music] 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:17.000 [Speaker Four] Fighting global hunger can start right here, right now, in our own community. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:21.000 Organizations like the Comet Cupboard, the North Texas Food Bank, 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:25.000 and urban farms are always in need of volunteers and donations. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:30.000 To help out, you can volunteer your time by providing service directly to their projects 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:33.000 or even by running a fundraiser through external organizations. 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:35.000 Support the dietary needs of people on campus 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:40.000 by advocating for vegetarian, vegan and allergen-free options at dining facilities. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:45.000 You can also work towards making your personal lifestyle more eco-friendly. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:48.000 Try buying more of your produce from local farmers markets, 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:50.000 carpooling for grocery runs, 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:54.000 and maybe even transitioning into a flexitarian or vegetarian diet. 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:57.000 You don't need to overhaul your lifestyle overnight, 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:01.000 but making small changes to your lifestyle over time 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:04.000 can help you play a role in supporting more sustainable food systems. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:08.000 Together, we must work to create a future 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:09.000 where no person goes hungry. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:14.000 [earnest, poignant piano music]