Earth Day Teach In

Sustainable Food Waste on Campus

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Sustainable Food Waste on Campus Teach-in

Food waste is number twelve on the list of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, “the blueprint for peace and prosperity for all of mankind and the planet.”(1)  “The goal is to ensure sustainable production patterns and consumption through promoting energy, resource efficiency, providing access to basic services, sustainable infrastructure, and quality of life for all humans.”(1) 

 The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reports that 22 million pounds of food are wasted each year on college campuses, with the average college student producing about 142 pounds. (2) This accounts for $44 million wasted per year. (3) 


Indiana University South Bend can reduce 50% of food waste on campus by 2030 by improving sustainable food management practices that prioritize, prevent, and divert wasted food.  

Recommendations: Develop a collaborative strategy, set clear goals, integrate food waste reduction goals into a sustainability campus plan. Donation of food waste through a continued community partnership and Cultivate Food Rescue. Start a local Food Recovery Network Student Chapter that fights food waste and hunger by recovering perishable food from campus dining and donating to those in need. The Leanpath Program called Waste Watch available through Sodexo that can help prevent 50% of food waste.   

Action Steps: Form a committee or task force for food waste reduction. Empower student’s involvement with food waste recovery student chapter on campus. Develop a collaborative strategy, set clear goals, and integrate food waste reduction goals into sustainability campus plan. Work with food vendors and dining services on ways to reduce portion sizes, re-design plate or tray returns. Establish a redistribution and food collection system to serve food-insecure students on campus. Connect or expand the food waste reduction strategy including composting and the 3R’s: reduce-reuse-recycle. Work with administration and faculty to integrate food waste reduction into educational outreach experiences.

Triple bottom line cost-benefit analysis through Leanpath Technology. 





Home - 2019 - United Nations Sustainable Development. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment
 

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