Main Content
Written by Carolina Dias, RES class of 2024
For my certification project, I am working to educate local schools and restaurants about ways they can reduce their food waste, by talking to restaurant managers about food waste and handing out flyers.
I was motivated to start this project after learning in the Rutgers Environmental Steward class that food insecurity affects around 800K people in NJ, while 40% of food produced is simultaneously wasted. Additionally, around 22% of New Jersey’s solid waste consists of food, adding more waste to landfills and contributing to a worsening climate crisis. Providing solutions to both food insecurity and the climate crisis, many nonprofits in our area provide services in collecting leftover food from professional kitchens and dining halls, and donating the food to local food banks. Alternatively, mobile apps like Too Good to Go provide novel solutions to the issue by allowing restaurants to put food leftovers for sale at the end of the day.
I focused my project on food waste because it is one of the few issues where the infrastructure for change already exists, whether it is through composting, donating excess food, or selling it. However, there is a big disconnect between the existing infrastructure for change, and the actual implementation of it. Despite all of our progress, food waste remains a large issue. The solution to this disconnect, and the key to implementing existing food waste solutions, lies in education and awareness. My hope for my project is that more awareness is brought to the issue of food waste, and its solutions. By simply spreading the word about these organizations, more businesses can begin using them, leading to less food in landfills, and more food for those in need. This helps the environment and those facing hunger all at once, ultimately making the world a better place.
Reach out to Carolina about this project by emailing i.carolinasotiriou@gmail.com
Resources
- Table to Table https://tabletotable.org/
- Share My Meals https://sharemymeals.org/
- Rescuing Leftover Cuisine https://www.rescuingleftovercuisine.org/
- Too Good to Go https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us
- Flashfood https://www.flashfood.com/