The American College of Greece (ACG) is proud to announce its recognition by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) initiative for its active and ongoing involvement in the Farmers’ Market activity in collaboration with the NGO Boroume. Since November 2018, ACG, through the Office of Sustainability, Public Affairs, has been engaging in this initiative, aiming to reduce food waste and combat malnutrition by adopting farmers’ markets. In November 2021, ACG adopted a second market, followed by a third in March 2023, expanding volunteer opportunities within the community.
As part of the initiative, ACG members, including students, faculty, and staff, gather at the farmers’ markets’ closing time to collect surplus produce donated by vendors. The gathered items are then handed over to representatives from recipient organizations, ensuring that the food reaches those in need.
Over the six years of ACG’s participation in this activity, the impact has been significant, with volunteers collecting over 16,000 kg of fruits and vegetables, equivalent to approximately 65,000 meals. The ACG community has contributed more than 1,200 volunteer hours to this cause.
Boroume, the partnering non-profit organization, shares ACG’s commitment to social responsibility and community engagement, working towards the common goal of reducing food waste and addressing malnutrition in Greece. The collaborative efforts align seamlessly with ACG’s sustainability initiatives.
This achievement is highlighted in an article published on the UNAI multilingual website, which you can read here. UNAI is an initiative that encourages higher education institutions to collaborate with the United Nations in promoting its principles, including human rights, education access, sustainability and conflict resolution.