SusTasty Festival for "Green" Minds

Its name sounds very tempting and tasty, but its content is even more inspiring and unique. SusTasty festival is not only a food festival, but mainly a step into the world of sustainable food. Taking place for the third year, The Green Office of the University of Utrecht organized this 4day festival in the city center for everyone interested in sustainable processes of managing, packaging, producing and distributing food with alternative and sustainable tools. Healthy Urban Living is not only a health strategy in Utrecht, rather, is a set of facts in the city figured by all different partners.

"Green Office Utrecht (GOU) is the platform for students and employees of Utrecht University where sustainable ideas are shaped, plans are put together and projects are launched, all with the objective to make the university more sustainable" as explained on the webpage of the Green Office Utrecht. This sustainable office together with the University of Utrecht and local students organized the 2017 edition of the SusTasty festival in the city center library square, Drift. The previous years, it was hosted at the University campus, Uithof, while this year they moved it to the city center so as to attract as many visitors as possible. In fact, the audience this year was wider and more students were introduced to the ideology behind this festival.





©Green Office Utrecht

The central library Drift was a meeting point for all those interested in wonderful topics concerning sustainable processes of food production and management. The University of Utrecht, the Green Office Utrecht,  private sector entrepreneurs, students and volunteers came together envisioning to educate, inform, facilitate and provide alternative tools for more sustainable food. All these partners put in practice the ideology of Healthy Urban Living and responsibly contribute to it by offering their expertise and knowledge through horizontal partnerships. It is not only a matter of subsidizing and financing projects, but this strategy is a matter of equally and consciously providing their own capacities for the entire community's benefit.

©Green Office Utrecht

Citizens and especially the students that had the opportunity to take part in the numerous activities got well informed and sensitized to sustainability related to food. With a great pool of activities varying from workshops, discussions and documentaries, SusTasty proved to be very successful in bringing together stakeholders for a common good. Workshops about vegan baking and growing one's own products, discussions and documentaries regarding food waste and food management aiming at educating citizens as well as numerous food trucks selling vegan food, were the main focal points of the festival.

©Green Office Utrecht

Madeleine Hardy, activities coordinator of the Green Office Utrecht, pointed out the objective and goal of this festival was to "implement sustainability in everyday life". By organizing various events, meetings, festivals and movie screenings related to sustainability topics, the Green Office of Utrecht intends to embrace local citizens by turning them into more conscious, aware and active citizens especially when it comes to sustainability and healthy lifestyle in the city of Utrecht.