This year the White House awarded students at UMass Amherst the "Champions of Change Award" for "transforming otherwise unproductive spaces and neglected landscapes into edible, educational and ecologically designed gardens."  Our campus can and should be part of a revolution in harnessing the potential of our surroundings to meet our needs sustainably. Please use your Northeastern email address to sign this petition. 

1. Urban food security is vulnerable and completely depends on cheap fossil energy ; increased local crop production supports the sustainability and resiliency of our food system

2. It creates and supports viable private enterprises ( and jobs with livable wages) which strengthen the local economy

3. It improves both the ecological and aesthetic vitality of our campus, while growing more than 10 times the food per acre than conventional farms

4. It could potentially integrate with local dining services or public schools to encourage both healthy eating and educational opportunities

5. It is a public statement demonstrating what kind of city  and campus we want to live in; a vibrant, lush, beautiful and sustainable place that supports socially and economically beneficial relationships between the public, public officials and small businesses. It affirms Northeastern's leadership among universities responding to our sustainability challenges through a viable, holistic and innovative publicly-supported project

6. It will have minimal impact, or even incredibly positive impact on precious outdoor recreational space

7. It could reduce expenditures on the maintenance and land care by sharing the burden of costs with producers.