A recent visit to UC Davis revealed many aspects of the university’s mission related to food, community, and health. Located in one of Northern California’s most productive agricultural regions, UC Davis represents many ambitions related to food quality, sustainability, and accessibility.  Known in the global community for its scientific programs for food and beverage research, the university is also committed to optimizing the quality of life for its on-campus community of students, staff, and faculty.

I was on campus to attend a fundraising event related to the Healthy Campus Network (HCN). An initiative implemented throughout the entire University of California system, HCN is aimed at making UC the healthiest place to work, learn and live. The UC Davis arm of this initiative, Healthy UC Davis, has enlisted a series of partners from both the Davis and Sacramento campuses to help create engaging programs focused on all realms of health.

UC references research that shows that people spend more time indoors looking at screens than they do outside enjoying nature, and that our health—mental, emotional, and physical—is suffering as a result. The Healthy UC Davis initiative aims to change this reality by making the campus the healthiest community in the nation. The initiative is focused on improving outcomes in each of the following focus areas:

• Food and nutrition
• Mental and emotional well-being
• Physical activity
• Smoke and tobacco free

The fundraising event, TASTE 2019, was organized to support Healthy UC Davis enhancements to the Good Life Garden, a wonderful space dedicated to the connection between good food and good health. The Robert Mondavi Institute, the Department of Viticulture and Enology, the Department of Food Science and Technology, and the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden partnered for TASTE 2019, which presented food and drink from the region’s finest wineries, breweries, and eateries. Proceeds from the event will help create a new outdoor community area in the Good Life Garden,

The courtyard of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, home to the UC Davis Good Life Garden since 2008, is a popular venue for weddings and high-profile university events thanks to the gorgeous, well-maintained, ever-changing edible landscape. The mission of the Good Life Garden is to expose and educate a wide audience to the relationship between good food and good health. The garden’s ever-changing edible landscape features organic and sustainably grown vegetables, herbs, and flowers accompanied by compelling food and health educational signage. A portion of the Good Life Garden is cultivated by Edible Landscaping interns into an aesthetically-pleasing, bio-intensive edible garden that builds community and increases student food access.