Late night pizza calls, Chinese food runs, and endless burger or fries at the cafeteria are the epitome of college; eating healthy during these four years is extremely difficult. Desolate in North Philly, Temple students are especially further away from the convince of a fresh produces and healthy options. With the closest Whole Foods being two miles off campus, my fellow owls and I are stuck shopping at the pricey Fresh Grocer.

Since Junk food is simply a phone call away, what about options for different on-the-go meals?

For Temple students, there’s a place where you can have salads, sandwiches, fresh juices, trail mix and other sustainable snacks. Plus, it only serves food that is sourced locally within 150 miles of Philadelphia, AND functions as a zero-waste supply chain model.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Wrong.

A group of Fox Business, Geography and Urban Studies student have put their heads together to solve the college’s lack of fresh, sustainable food on campus. We’re announcing to you:

The Rad Dish Co-Op Café and Grocer

Coming this fall, my fellow Temple Owls and I will be able to snack on healthier options all on our very own North Philadelphia campus. With an overall goal of “creating a diverse and collaborative environment that seeks to enrich, expand and share ideas of health and wellness,” the Rad Dish Co-Op Café will be completely vegetarian and vegan-friendly with opportunities for carnivores to add meat into their meals if desired.

No more lugging fresh food back from Reading Terminal Market or making special trips to Whole Foods; my source of fresh fruits, vegetables and more will be only a short walk away. These Temple students are currently in the planning and fundraising phase of the Rad Dish Café, so we can’t wait to see the debut in September.

For those of you who don’t know, a food co-op is a distribution outlet owned and democratically governed by the members who use the co-op’s products.

Not fortunate to have the Rad Dish Café in your own backyard? Here are 3 of my favorite food co-ops in Philadelphia:

3 Philly Co-Ops Outside of North Philadelphia:

1. Mariposa Co-Op: Located in the heart of West Philadelphia, Mariposa is a cooperative grocery store that is open to the public, but owned and operated by is 1,500 plus members.
2. South Philly Food Co-Op: Started in 2010, a group of South Philly residents started this co-op in hopes of building a place where local residents could eat sustainably and support the local economy.
3. Kensington Community Food Co-Op: Also known as the KCFC, the Kensington Community Food Co-Op has provided access for locals to have regular access to local, fresh and affordable food options. Get Involved through their “eat and greets” or upcoming events!

Readers, what are your experiences with Co-Ops?

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Julia Knable was an Editorial Intern in 2014. She studied Marketing and Management Information Systems at the Fox School at Temple University. After a summer internship at Terracycle inspired her to learn about what she could do to help and protect our ever-changing planet, she ended up with a stint at Green Philly. Along with her passion for sustainability, Julia enjoys exploring Philadelphia and trying all the vegetarian hotspots she can get her hands on. View all posts by Julia Knable