Students' efforts can help reduce campus food waste
Food waste is an ever growing topic of concern as the effects of climate change are increasingly felt in today’s society.
According to Feeding America, 80 million tons of food are thrown away in the United States each year. WWF states, “the production of lost or wasted food generates the equivalent of 32.6 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions.”
Colleges and universities contribute much to this issue, as research shows campuses throw away approximately 22 million pounds of food each year in the United States alone.
The Augustana dining hall staff create satisfying and nutritional meals to help combat food waste. Executive Chef Ravyn Green collaborates with dining hall staff to plan meals with enough protein, provide vegetarian options and include allergy-friendly alternatives.
“I have control over the food in the kitchen. Once the food leaves the kitchen, it is much harder to control,” Green said. “As an example, we served beef roast for lunch, and not all of it was served on the line for service. My staff then uses safe food handling procedures to cool it and reheat it in another application to minimize waste.”
Composting is another way to reduce greenhouse gasses produced by food waste; however, Green said Augustana is not quite ready to apply composting to the college’s sustainability efforts.
According to Green, the university has done multiple feasibility studies over the years, both internally and with Augustana students.
“While there are many benefits to composting, which we support, all of the studies haven’t been able to overcome these core obstacles,” Green said. “Who will manage the process, where will the composting happen that won’t attract rodents and pests on campus and ultimately who will be the end user? Outside of yard waste, there is not an outlet for food composting in Sioux Falls or the surrounding area.”
Although there are no large compost sites in the Sioux Falls area, community members have taken matters into their own hands.
Deirdre Appel founded SoDak Compost in 2021 after noticing the lack of composting options available when she moved from New York City to Sioux Falls. Community members drop off food scraps at one of SoDak Compost’s two locations. Once fully composted, the scraps are sold back to people to use in their own gardens.
Appel has observed this practice rising in popularity.
“The number of participants continues to climb, and we keep getting new families and individuals,” Appel said. “Even small businesses have signed up. We have also had really big businesses reach out, like Costco.”
While SoDak Compost is too small of an operation to partner with large businesses such as grocery stores, Appel believes Sioux Falls City board members are beginning to notice a growing demand for commercial size composting. A recent waste characterization study concluded food scraps make up nearly 20% of waste in the Sioux Falls landfill.
Other colleges and universities are actively reducing food waste on their own campuses.
Since 2017, the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota has implemented strategies to negate this issue. The school sends food scraps collected at its dining hall to local pig farms for feed. Leftover, non-contaminated food is donated to local communities through the Food Recovery Network.
Although Augustana does not have plans set in place to start composting, there are other ways students can individually reduce food waste on campus.
“When coming into the dining hall, ask for an appropriate portion or even what looks like a smaller than normal portion, and come back for more after,” Green said. “I feel that sometimes students just take too much at one time and don’t realize it and subsequently can’t finish the food on their plate.”
Purchase a reusable to-go container provided by the dining hall and bring back extra fruits, veggies, fries or other food items for a late-night snack instead of tossing leftovers in the trash.
Buy snacks with minimal processing and packaging to reduce the energy required to produce these items. One way to do this is to buy in bulk. If you enjoy electrolyte drinks, such as propel, buy the powder and not the bottle.
Be cognizant of the various energy requirements needed for different foods. Reducing one’s meat consumption, for example, can have positive impacts on the environment. According to Sentient, “Meat production accounts for 57 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions of the entire food production industry.”
Last, but certainly not least, let’s band together and advocate for composting. As a community, we can help Augustana become a more sustainable campus for present and future generations.
