Hello I am designing a step-by-step model to reduce the large amounts of food people take and waste at a university cafeteria. I am using the model laid out in the Fostering Sustainable Behavior book and was wondering if anyone had interesting suggestions or relevant studies to tie into my design.
Tina Randall
United States
Successful Campaigns to Decrease Food Waste in a School Cafeteria
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My school (University of California Santa Cruz) has implemented many successful programs including Trayless Dining, "Be a Taster Not a Waster", and food waste audits in dining halls where students see their waste weighed out in front of them. You can contact Clint Jeffries, [email protected], a unit manager for one of our dining halls and the Sustainability Programs Director, on details of our programs and metrics.
Dr. Marjorie Freedman at San Jose State University has done some fascinating studies on plate waste. They posted signs with pictures of correct portion sizes next to too-large portions and got people to not only decrease calorie intake but also plate waste. I think she's also done work on french fries serving container sizes. Her site is http://www.sjsu.edu/people/marjorie.freedman/ and you can email her.
You can name drop me with both of them, you might get a faster reply that way, haha.
I wouldn't skip ahead to composting programs like Kelly suggested. It sounds like your program is aiming to reduce waste, not just redirect the waste stream.
Gabi Kirk
University of California Santa Cruz
United States
Dear Ms Tina
First I would like to congratulate you for your endeavor. May be in step-by-step model you can include following issues to reduce the wastage of food.
1) Put some photographs in cafeteria with facts & figures which will display clearly the poverty in the world, how many people are just dying because of hunger.
2) Make available the food in all sizes of pack and price, for child may be a small size food plate/cup, teenage medium and big size for adult etc.
3) In India we relate the food with God, so if someone is wasting the food means he/she is dishonoring the gift (the food) of God. May be you can create awareness in childrens on this line.
With best wishes.
Sharad Pant
Mr.
Human & Environment Care Associaiton
India
Thank you all so much for your comments. This site is amazing and so helpful. Every environmental student at my school should be using this. Thank you so much Gabi for your input. Those were the perfect examples that are backed up with principles in the Fostering Sustainable Behavior book. I will contact those people to get more feedback. Thank you so much Kelly for taking the time to email me websites. I really enjoyed the Sustainability website and sent it to my friends. Thank you Sharad for the beautiful insight. I really think the underlying issue is that we don't respect food. We don't respect the culture of food or the time to eat it. So many people just eat in there cars and on the go. Actually taking the right portions of nutritionally rich food and enjoying the flavors is incredibly rewarding. At my school I am also fascinated with how many sweets are prepared and on display. This is a whole different issue of food choice, but it all ties in to how we view our food and our bodies. I find it interesting that Food is related to God, I would love to hear more on this.
Thank you everyone. This is really inspirational and just shows how important it is to talk to other people.
Thank you again
Tina Randall
Pacific University '11
Environmental Biology
Tina Randall
United States
Are you familiar with the Collegiate and University Recycling Council - http://www.curc3r.org. Many of the schools that are part of this group have set up composting programs. They have a listserv that might be useful.
Kelley Dennings
United States