Major
Anthropology
Second Major
Spanish
Minor(s)
Sustainability
Advisor
LaValley, Paul
Date
5-2020
Keywords
Sustainability; College Campus; Food Waste; Nutrition; Packaging Waste
Abstract
In the fall of 2019, almost twenty million students were enrolled in colleges and universities across the United States. While not all of these students lived and ate on campus, a good portion of them had at least one meal in a dining facility at the school they were attending. Roughly 5,600 students live in residence halls at the University of Rhode Island each year. While some opt out of meal plans, the majority utilize URI Dining Services to nourish themselves. Feeding this many students creates two forms of waste. First, through packaging. The plastic wraps, cardboard boxes, and Styrofoam containers vendors utilize for distribution to URI Dining Services adds up when there are over 5,000 students relying on the food. Second, food waste itself. How often do students throw away food on their plates due to the seemingly “limitless” amount offered? How much prepared food goes to waste if students don’t consume it before the day’s end? Where does all of this food go once it leaves URI? In addition to the waste aspect of URI Dining Services, nutrition is also something that many college students nationwide struggle with. “The freshman 15” describes how many pounds students usually gain in their first year of college—away from the watchful eye of their family for the first time, able to eat anything anytime they desire. How do students' diets at home compare to their diets at school? Do college students eat the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day? How do exams and the overall stress of college interact with a student’s overall nutrition? I set out to explore these questions through surveys, interviews, and personal experience. My goal is to demonstrate that these issues ultimately affect environmental and social responsibility as well as the health of students.