Northern Indiana VA wins Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence

Every year, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management awards the “Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence” in six different categories. Northern Indiana VA’s Nutrition and Food Service won the “2023 Greening the Government” category.

The governor’s awards are Indiana’s most significant environmental recognition awards. They are reserved for the most innovative, sustainable and exemplary programs that positively impact Indiana’s environment.

Through the combined efforts of multiple services, Northern Indiana VA’s Nutrition and Food Service has achieved reduction of food waste, garden-to-table produce production, harvesting its own maple syrup and have implemented new practices, such as bio-digestion, composting and the offset of harmful greenhouse gases.

Reduction of food waste and community hunger

The service has also successfully donated a total 2,522 food boxes through the food pantry.

“The total value of the boxes that have been distributed to our communities stands at $55,000 and continues to grow with each pantry event. We also donate what we can to our local mission so the food won’t go to waste,” said Lindsay Bartrom, chief of Nutrition and Food Service. “We also utilize a biodigester and compost to reduce our carbon footprint and help manage food waste. Our biodigester biologically digests organic material which can then go safely down the drain to divert waste from landfills.”

Harvesting maple syrup

Northern Indiana VA’s Marion Campus has also become the first facility to harvest its own maple syrup. In 2023, they collected approximately 825 gallons of sap and produced 17 gallons of maple syrup. The goal in future years is to produce enough pure maple syrup to replace what is being purchased and donate any additional maple syrup to the Veterans’ food pantry.

In addition to the food waste diversion, we have helped create and expand a facility garden that provides garden-to-table nutrition to the Veterans living in the long-term care units and, in 2020, we started utilizing produce from the garden for Veteran menus and services. “We grow key lime, lemon, banana, mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit, guava, cherries, pears, apples, peaches, figs, plums, pomegranate gooseberries, pumpkins, traditional vegetables, herbs and much more,” said Aaron Robinson, therapeutic garden program coordinator.