Sustainable Tip of the Week

Reduce Food Waste

The situation is all too familiar: you enter the welcoming doors of the Pit and quickly find a premium seat. Your first choice is probably the high tables. Second, you may try a cushioned bench. And if you are highly unfortunate, you will be relegated to the loser corner of the Pit. Nonetheless, the wafting aroma from the southern kitchen station or the savory scent from the international grill force your salivary glands to work double time. In seconds you ravage through
the Pit and ultimately end up with three to four plates at your table--all for you.

The reality is, however, you are unlikely to finish all four plates. After your lengthy Pit-sit you collect your mound of plates and carefully balance them atop the moving dish room conveyor belt. Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the revolving plate-collector? Your food is most likely being thrown in the trash and then taken to the landfill via energy-costly trucks.

But it does not have to be this way. Next time you feel tempted by the extreme amount of options at the Pit, take a second and pick out your favorite food. Take one plate at a time and finish it before going back for seconds. This will significantly reduce your food waste!

Live off-campus or cook for yourself? There is an economic incentive to reduce your food waste as well. The amount of food going to waste in the US is astronomical. That means you are wasting money you use to buy food. Check out this article about a study conducted by leading scientists from the University of Arizona. Also, check this out for some easy tips to fix the problem!