In an economy that seems to be deteriorating by the minute, many people are looking for ways to save money and at the same time better their lives. The Sam Houston State Student Environmental Organization (SEO) hopes to do its part to help make the world a better place in all avenues of global enrichment.

This past Saturday, the SEO presented its very first “SLOW FOOD” event at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum Grounds and duck pond. The inaugural event turned out to be a success and taught many people the benefits of knowing where the food they eat comes from and why it is important to support local growers and flavors.

“The food we used was locally grown and could be found from independent ranchers from the State of Texas,” Sara Massey, SEO president said.

The SEO had many goals in mind while executing the event, which followed the principles of Carlo Petrini, who founded the “SLOW FOOD” movement in the mid-1980s to resist the presence of fast food in Italy. The mission of “SLOW FOOD” is to return to local food traditions, and to inform the masses of the importance of knowing where your food comes from and supporting the locals that provide it. SEO took charge during this event, providing many of the attendees with many selections of food that was cooked on site, using Dutch ovens.

“In general terms, slow food is the opposite of fast food,” Massey said.

The event also provided guests with speakers, who offered a plethora of information regarding healthy eating habits and examples of how buying local food helps the economy.

The SEO meets every Thursday at 4 p.m. at South Paw, and anyone who is interested in joining is encouraged to attend one of these meetings. For more information, contact Sarah Massey at SEM012@shsu.edu.