Something silent happened before we left for Spring Break. You might even call it the most silent revolution this orange-and-blue-bathed city has ever seen.
Before we left to part ways for a week, Gators transformed campus with a BURGERevolution.
And leading the upheaval wasn’t who you think it might be.
The BURGERevolution reinvented Gator Corner Dining Center for one Monday in late February with Gators waiting in line a dozen deep for veggie burgers served up four different ways, including in a spicy mango stir fry and in green chili tacos — and it didn’t have a vegetarian at the helm, ready to charge.
The BURGERevolution, a Gator Dining Services food extravaganza planned as part of UF’s ongoing and evolving commitment to Meatless Mondays, didn’t have me as the Burgermeister either. Instead, it was you. It was The Gator Nation. And it was Gator Dining Services that lead the way.
And in a way, this revolution of sorts went by almost unnoticed and silent because it wasn’t a revolution at all. This latest reinvention of how we as Gators think of food was merely the most recent tangible product of our remarkable work to make UF a more sustainable, healthier and more ethical university.
This revolution was led by more than 5,000 of you who carried your pens like swords to sign a petition demanding a Meatless Monday and a healthier array of vegetarian options at your university. It was led by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Humane Society of the United States, GatorWell, UF’s Office of Sustainability, Gators for a Sustainable Campus and the EarthDay Network, which all publicly supported and endorsed our push for dining centers that are free of cruelty and easier on the environment. And it was led by the fine folks at Gator Dining Services who, believe me, are listening to all of your cries.
In one of the nation’s largest land-grant universities, we brought tofu to town.
If this latest triumph in our push for a humane and sustainable campus, this latest BURGERevolution, has taught us all one thing, it should be this, which Maya Angelo said best.
You think you may not be heard. Speak anyway.
Jared Misner
Campaign director, Campaign for a Meatless Monday at UF
