EXHIBITS

Food Waste: INTRODUCTION

Introduction

This project serves as an attempt to evaluate the major problem of food waste by integrating the history and rise of the issue to the modern science and culture that it encompasses.

Our focus is centered on Cache Valley in Utah, but does include broader research as well to illustrate its massive impacts and scope.

The United States currently wastes 40% of all food produced, which could serve 25 million hungry Americans. Just in Utah, 1 in 5 children live below the poverty line and have problems accessing food.

Food waste is so pervasive today that it contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Logan City currently sends 99% of its food waste to the landfill, accruing 6,395 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent.

These are just a few example. This presentation will illustrate the impacts of food waste, which go far beyond just the food itself, and propose solutions that can and should be implemented immediately.

Meet the Contributors

D Willey is an Environmental Engineering and Watershed and Earth System major. She is passionate about the environment and small-scale, organic farms. D is fanatic about art as well, and created the buffalo picture featured on the Northwestern Shoshone page. She researched various aspects of American food and food waste culture for the timeline featured in this exhibit.

Shandrea Hickok loves to travel and is looking forward to going to Europe this summer. She is a junior majoring in Liberal Arts/ Journalism with a minor in Hospitality and Tourism. She worked with D to research the history of food waste and create the impressive timeline featured in this exhibit. She also developed the interactive quiz in this presentation.

Hannah (Hodgson) Pendergast is graduating in August in Parks and Recreation, with minors in American Sign Language and Sociology. For this project, she researched what other cities are doing to reduce food waste, how Logan City can improve, and how that affects the environment.

Shaylee Ewing, pictured here with her adorable niece, graduates in fall with a degree in Exercise Science. She researched social impacts of wasting food, and conducted interviews with USU Dining Services and various grocery stores to discover how they are contributing to food waste reduction.