Discover Yourself

This year’s St. Clair Lecture will feature Dr. Devra Davis, professor of epidemiology at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health and former director of the first center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Dr. Davis is the author of When Smoke Ran Like Water, which explores the October 1948 atmospheric inversion that plunged Donora, Pennsylvania, into a smog so dark and thick cars were unable to navigate the streets—even with headlights on during the daylight hours. A third of the town’s residents fell ill within a few days and 20 people died.

Tales of Donora:

How what happened in a small steel town changed the nature of environmental policy around the world In the fall of 1948 twenty people dropped dead in five days when a dark, pungent cloud descended on the small Monongahela River valley town of Donora. The killer smog of Donora gave rise to the Clean Air Act and the study of chronic diseases and the environment.

University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg

Ferguson Theater

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

7:30 PM

Call for reservations: 724-836-7497

Changes to Wagner Dining Hall are making healthy lifestyle options a part of every day at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. All of the changes are part of a move toward 100 percent sustainability and the offering of healthy food options. Small changes, such as using napkins made from recycled paper and compostable straws and coffee stirrers, were already in place.

The most obvious change for the fall term is the removal of trays from the dining hall. According to Richard McMahon, director of Dining Services/executive chef, trays were removed to reduce the amount of water and energy costs needed to clean them and to reduce the amount of wasted food. Rather than piling multiple plates of food on a tray, students are now encouraged to fill one plate, then return to food stations for unlimited seconds.

McMahon, working with his culinary leadership team and Chartwells management team, eliminated the traditional five-week cycle menu in favor of a new 18-day menu that focuses on fresh vegetables, lean protein, and fruit. Called “Marketplace Hot & Fresh,” the new meal plan features locally produced diary, meat, poultry, fruit, and vegetables whenever possible, and 90 percent of the meals are made from scratch. Food is prepared in small batches and plated at various stations throughout Wagner Dining Hall, with many “made-to-order” items available to students.

“The biggest difference between the two menus is that the new 18-day menu does not repeat anything from meal to meal,” explained McMahon. “Under the five-week cycle menu, French fries and pizza were available at every lunch and dinner. We still offer pizza, but it’s not every day. Instead of serving 30 okay things, we’re serving seven dishes that we do really well—and that changes at every meal.”

Other enhancements include using antibiotic-free chicken, certified cage-free shell eggs, Fair Trade Organic Certified coffee, and products with zero trans fats. Only sustainable seafood is served in Wagner Dining Room, abiding by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium “Best Choices and Good Alternatives” program. The comprehensive Balanced Choices Health and Wellness Program provides healthy options that are organic, vegetarian, and vegan. Students may also complete an on-line nutritional diary and research nutritional analysis of most menu selections.