By Emilie Vicario ’19, staff writer
The Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee is partnering with Metz Food Corporation to track and decrease the amount of food wasted at the College.
“Since the College first partnered with Metz for dining services, we have collaborated on many sustainability initiatives,” Michael Zeigler, co-chair of the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee, said. “Metz has been a great partner because not only have they undertaken projects that directly affect sustainability at LVC, as a company, but also they have committed to conserving our natural resources and protecting the environment.”
The committee’s communications interns work with Timothy Hartlieb, operations manager of Metz, to track the amount of food the College is wasting, both in and out of the kitchen. The food thrown away is weighed every two weeks and the interns are tasked to communicate those results to their peers through different media such as social media, PowerPoint and displays.
“I look forward to using the information from the waste studies to better improve the infrastructure of the College,” Hartlieb said. “Then, I will use the info to better understand what students are eating and wasting and to better understand why.”
The interns plan to study the College’s food waste for the whole year and hope that spreading awareness will help lower the amount of waste. Last year, students were made aware of the waste issue through a PowerPoint and a physical food display in the dining hall. This awareness brought the waste down from 120 pounds per meal to 90 pounds per meal.
ESAC feels it’s vital for students to understand that food wasted is money wasted. Last semester the waste equaled $33,000 worth of food. Wasted food directly impacts the cost of student meal plans, and as a residential institution, most students have and pay for a meal plan.
The goal this semester is to decrease food waste to 80 pounds per meal; it is currently around 110 lbs. per meal. ESAC and Hartlieb believe this goal should not be difficult to reach.