Maricopa Community Colleges is a paid advertiser of Sonoran Living Live
If you've thought about learning how to grow and cook more nutritious food, the Maricopa Community Colleges have a program that may appeal to you. The colleges' Sustainable Food Systems program will teach you to complete the food cycle by learning to grow, cook food and compost food. You are taught to look locally for fresher, more nutritious foods, which eliminates transportation emissions from the transport of food all over the world. And there's an additional benefit: Eating more vegetables and less meats is very beneficial to the environment, because methane emissions from livestock contribute more greenhouse gases than transportation as a whole.
Buying foods in-season benefits both the consumer and the producer. Seasonal foods are fresher and are less expensive, compared to buying foods that are out of season. At the same time, buying from local farmers, ranchers and artisans, helps to strengthen local communities and their economies.
By taking classes in nutrition, sustainability, cooking, baking, gardening and food entrepreneurship, Maricopa students can achieve a 21 credit certificate of completion or 61 credit associate of applied science degree in Sustainable Food Systems.
The program is offered at Rio Salado College and Mesa Community College, and other Maricopa Community Colleges offer courses in sustainability as well.
To learn more about the program please visit www.riosalado.edu/food or the Cafe @ Rio website www.riosalado.edu/cafe or the Cafe @ Rio Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/CafeAtRio.
For general information about the program, prospective students may also call 480-517-8000 or make an appointment with an advisor -- or by calling Academic Advisement at 480-517-8580.
Maricopa Community Colleges is a paid advertiser of Sonoran Living Live
