Make the Green Wave Green!

On-Campus solution to reducing food waste:

In 2024, there will be a food waste facts, reduction, and resources page attached to the REQUIRED incoming freshmen module. This will be a part of larger plan for my Senior Honors Thesis centered around making Tulane more sustainable through an educational program.

Tulane Freshmen will walk into their college experience under the impression that to be a Tulane community member, there is the expectation of reducing food waste, composting, and holding others accountable. Students will be inspired to do more research and play their part in the problem.

Incoming Tulane freshmen are about to dive into college life thinking that being a Tulanian means playing food waste detective, mastering the art of composting, and giving others the side-eye if they slip up.
 

Ask: For my year-long Senior Honors Thesis, I dedicated my project to making Tulane greener through implementing more waste reduction education around campus. There are no guidelines to the project besides it must be “related to your major” — which for me is Communications.

Truth #1: WE ALL DO IT! Whether you are throwing away the leftovers you forgot about, or you made too much salad that won’t keep for tomorrow, we all end wasting food to a certain degree.

Truth #2: Up to 40% of post-harvest food in the United States gets wasted and is sent to the landfill. An abundance of resources are used to produce food, and much of it gets wasted: 80% of the freshwater in the US and 50% of the US’s land is used for food.

Truth #3: Wasted food ends up in landfills and methane is emitted from the decaying food. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes greatly to climate change by trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere. Food waste produces more methane than any other landfill material because of how quickly the food can decay.

Truth #4: Tulane University students come from 50 states and more than 70 countries, making for a wide range of composting experience and knowledge. Many students have never been educated on composting and reduction of food waste.

Insight: The best way for students to take action to reduce food waste is through education.