In the United States today, 30-40% of the food supply is never eaten. The numbers are staggering; the USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates that in 2010, 31% of the food supply was lost, amounting to 133 billion pounds of food valued at an estimated $161.6 billion. In 2015, the USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever domestic goal to reduce food loss and waste, aiming to cut both in half from their 2010 and 2016 baselines, respectively, by 2030. This will significantly reduce the food supply chain’s environmental footprint by saving:
- Over 300,000 km2 of agricultural land – greater than the area of Arizona
- 12 trillion liters of freshwater – equal to the annual water use of 29 million American homes
- 92 million MTCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents) GHG – equal to the annual CO2 emissions from 23 coal-fired power plants
Concern about emissions from food and climate change as it affects the food system has spurred many universities to include food and agriculture in their university-wide climate action plans or sustainability plans written by internal groups. Many cite the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among other national or international documents, as the impetus for setting goals related to sustainable food and agriculture. As IU continues to develop its Climate Action Plan, informing actions the university will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), it is imperative that food and agriculture be included in this plan. Several Big10 universities have committed far more to reducing the environmental footprint of food on campus.
The vast majority of Big10 universities utilize compostable or reusable dining containers, dishes, utensils, and napkins in their dining halls, as well as trayless/”all-you-care-to-eat” models of dining, to reduce post-consumer waste and assure excess food is not served. Almost every university has some form of food recovery program as well. This takes the form of either donating unused food to local partners or repurposing meals for distribution to the students. IU Dining donates surplus food to the Crimson Cupboard Food Pantry on campus. Additionally, most universities – barring IU – compost, though some do not specify whether they utilize pre- or post-consumer waste. These initiatives significantly reduce the amount of post-consumer waste generated by universities. The University of Wisconsin – Madison takes a clever approach to this by taking unsold food from dining halls at the end of the day and repackaging it into frozen meals that are provided to students for free.
Local food procurement takes a different form at every university, but most Big10 universities emphasize its importance. Generally, when defined, “local” food refers to any food that has been grown or processed within 250 miles of campus. Many Big10 universities have committed to directing a proportion of food purchasing towards local foods. One of the leading examples is the University of Maryland, who in 2020 served 32% of food on campus from sustainable sources (local, fair, ecologically sound, or humanely raised). Additionally, the University of Michigan is close to meeting their goal of purchasing 20% of all food from local or sustainable sources by 2025; as of 2020, Michigan Dining purchased 19.6% of all food from local or sustainable sources. IU currently sources 10% of their foods from REAL Food sources – defined by the national student campaign Real Food Challenge as foods that meet their qualifications for Ecologically Sound, Fair Trade, Humane, and Local.
Many Big10 universities’ dining programs source produce from campus farms and gardens. Several of these farms use organic or sustainable practices and donate produce to local food banks or other food recovery organizations. The University of Maryland’s Terp Farm provides thousands of pounds of seasonal produce and herbs to Dining Services every year. In their 2019 season, the University of Michigan’s farm sold over 34,000 lb of produce, much of which went to MDining on campus. Many of these student-run farms also provide in-class and volunteer educational opportunities for students.
According to a report by the EPA, animal products require the most land, water, fertilizer, and energy and emit the most greenhouse gases per unit of food out of all the food categories. In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, some Big10 universities have reformulated their menus to be more “climate friendly” – reducing meat consumption and serving more vegetarian and vegan meals. Some of the terms used to describe these new menus and offerings include “plant-forward” and “low carbon,” though these terms have not been quantified. For example, some universities have incorporated the blended burger – a burger made with half beef/half mushrooms – into their menus. Among Big10 schools, Northwestern University serves plant-based entrees in every residential dining hall on campus. Every Monday, the University of Michigan dining halls offer a more sustainable menu (reducing red meat) and see a drop by as much as 60% in their carbon footprint on Mondays compared to other days of the week.
A couple of Big10 universities divert waste to a biodigester, either on or off campus. Both the University of Illinois and University of Nebraska – Lincoln operate biodigesters that take food scraps. For the past 3 years, UI has been able to divert 95% of pre- and post-consumer waste to their biodigester. At UNL, their biodigester has reduced their carbon footprint by 95 tons, diverting over 50,000 lb of food waste from landfills since 2019. Diversion of food waste is a major potential investment into clean energy, especially for a college campus that generates so much food waste.
Many other universities outside of the Big10 are taking food and climate one step further in their food procurement, community outreach, and student involvement:
Local and sustainable food procurement
Food sourcing is becoming a greater and greater priority for many universities. Buying and serving local and sustainable foods not only reduces the university’s carbon footprint but also stimulates the local economy by supporting nearby producers. This also exposes students to a broader food system than they are perhaps used to; educating students about the climate impact of their food can happen more easily when said food is right in front of them.
By 2016, Yale University met a goal of sourcing 40% of their foods that met at least one of the following criteria: Environmentally Sensitive, Humane, Fair, Local/Regional. 18% met more than one criterion.
In 2009, the University of Colorado – Boulder created sustainable procurement guidelines for vegetables, fruits, and meat & poultry, emphasizing organic, local, ethical, and small-scale as top priorities. They also have a Fair Food Statement of Values, committing the university to supplying more local, organic, and natural foods, taking social and environmental justice into account.
The University of California – Davis has committed the university to a goal of 25% sustainable food service spending for campus and 30% sustainable food service spending for medical center food service operations by 2030.
At their zero-emissions electric food truck, Ball State University serves meals that students can purchase with their meal points. The selection features many vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, as well as responsibly-sourced seafood. All food is served in containers made with 100% renewable materials.
Community outreach
As part of the University of Virginia’s annual Sustainable Food Collaborative report, the group emphasized the importance of forging relationships with Virginia Black and brown farmers and made this a part of their goals for their 2021-2030 action plan.
At Boston University, the campus hosts a community shared agriculture (CSA) pickup site, collaborating with a new local farm every year.
Graduate students at Duke University in 2009 initiated a community-supported sustainable fishery that is still working today, connecting consumers with local fishers using sustainable practices.
Student involvement
At the beginning of every academic year, McGill University hires and trains 30 students as Waste Educators to work in dining halls. Their job is to help first-year students get accustomed to using the Ecostation waste system, educating them on what can be disposed in the various bins. This not only helps students develop proper waste sorting habits but allows students to get directly involved in reducing food waste. McGill attributes Waste Educators to greatly improving the quality of compost and recycling generated by students.
Similarly, at Cornell University, students living on campus can volunteer as Compost Managers and oversee the kitchen compost bins in their residential communities. This also gives them the opportunity to be peer educators on what proper composting is, and Compost Managers can even earn a residential compost certification.
Additionally, the Center for Transformative Action (affiliated with Cornell) sponsors a student-run nonprofit grocery store, Anabel’s Grocery, that acts as both a grocery store and a community space for students. They provide fresh, nutritious, local, and affordable foods to students (including produce from the campus farm); host weekly community dinners; and provide kitchenware rentals for students.
The importance of providing opportunities for students to make a direct impact, no matter how small, in their campus’ food system cannot be understated.
Conclusions
Every University has different assets and ideas for how to act on climate change and food systems. It is important to understand the people, infrastructure, and partners both internal and external, that will ensure goals can be met. Low and no cost actions are a great start and can include:
1) Shifts in purchasing without an increase in food expenditures as evidenced by numerous universities and IU’s work on the Real Food Challenge
2) Peer to peer capacity building and education – although behavior change may be the most difficult shift in climate actions, shifting the student culture from the first year on campus is a best practice
3) Engaging faculty, staff, students, campus units, and off campus partners in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to illuminate alignments and intent. For example, the City of Bloomington has a Climate Action Plan that addresses food system issues, in addition to a Sustainability Action Plan. Could there be alignment and intent to fund and co-design big-picture goals for our campus and community?
As IU continues its climate action planning, there is no question that food must be addressed. The benefits of local and sustainable food procurement, reduction and reuse of food scraps, greater student involvement and education, and community outreach will have greater returns than financial or the reduction of GHGs. Like a tree taking root in the ground, the breadth and impacts of our food system extend far beyond what we see on our plates. If we can rethink the role food plays in our daily lives, we unlock a wealth of opportunities for collaboration, education, and change.
To learn more about what IU Dining is already doing for a more sustainable food system on campus, visit food.indiana.edu.
Take Action! Click here to submit your ideas on the IU system Climate Action Planning process.
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