Think about what happens to the scraps of food left on a person’s plate in the campus dining halls. The chicken wing bones, cupcake wrappers, untouched macaroni, pizza crust, plastic straws and the Styrofoam cup that comes with a JuiceBlendz smoothie.
Considering how much food a student consumes, perhaps only a small percentage of it remains on the plate as it’s thrown into the garbage cans, out of sight. That small percentage, however, can equate to 22 million pounds of food per year, according to the national Food Recovery Network.
Chartwells, NSU’s food service, and Shark Dining are working extensively to reduce food waste by implementing a proprietary waste-reduction program in our units, said Chartwells Marketing Manager Amanda Goodwin.
Trim Trax is a food waste-reduction program that cuts operating costs and reduces our carbon footprint in landfills. It’s designed to be used by staff to increase operational efficiency and create awareness about the environmental impact of food waste.
The program tracks and measures food waste costs, focusing on the following categories: production waste (food thrown out prior to cooking/service, such as vegetable peels), overproduction (unusable food that has gone through production and must be disposed of) and unused/out-of-date inventory (expired, spoiled or overcooked).
Shark Dining is also looking to implement biodegradable alternatives in the upcoming months.
“There will be various water refresh stations throughout the Don Taft University Center to allow students to stop by at any time with their water bottle to fill up while running to class or grab some infused water with their lunch or dinner,” Goodwin said. “Also, for the fall semester, we are going to implement a reusable tumbler program across campus to cut down on paper waste from our cups.”
As for the leftover cooked food, Shark Dining has set up a direct pickup system with Broward Partnership.
Goodwin said Broward Partnership has a tremendous impact on NSU’s sustainability efforts.
In the past, Shark Dining has partnered with NSU’s Alpha Phi Omega and Food Recovery Network for a food donation program. However, the organizations decided not to continue the partnership due to issues with transportation. Goodwin said Chartwells has decided to move forward with Broward Partnership alone.
Despite Shark Dining’s efforts to become a more sustainable campus, Kristen Page, sophomore marine biology major and treasurer of NSU’s new Student Sustainability Club, Green Sharks, said NSU is not a sustainable campus.
“Although NSU has a couple noticeable ‘green’ alternatives on campus, such as the condiment pumps in the UC instead of individual packets, and the campus-wide recycling program, it’s not enough,” she said. “However, I think we are headed in the right direction.”
Page said she believes Shark Dining’s plans will help, but she would like to see bigger changes.
“We waste so much plastic and Styrofoam every day on utensils, plates and cups that are thrown away after each use. We are a huge step behind numerous other college campuses that wash their dishes and utensils every day for meals.” she said.
Page said students can help by recycling their used products such as water bottles and paper.
“Tons of recyclables are put in the garbage bins every day, oftentimes when there is a recycling bin next to it or nearby. Students could also have a recycling bin in their rooms instead of mixing it with their trash,” she said. “It’s an easy and healthy habit to get into.”
Students concerned with the bigger picture of sustainability on campus should start calling for action, Page said.
“We can make a difference if we speak up and ask for more eco-friendly alternatives. The Green Sharks aim to be one of the teams on campus that will help accomplish making NSU a sustainable campus,” she said.
For more information about NSU’s dining sustainability, visit dineoncampus.com/nova.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of dineoncampus.com/nova
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