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Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education pp 399–413Cite as

Addressing Food Waste Through University and Community Partnerships

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Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

Abstract

The sustainability of local and global food systems is a significant challenge with far-reaching implications for all. The purpose of this paper, which addresses the specific issue of food waste, is to offer replicable practices from five different projects which aimed to reduce or reuse food waste. These were partnership projects between university staff, students and local organisations to facilitate extra-curricular student activity, support students’ sustainability literacy, and to contribute towards creating sustainable communities. Projects included a ‘Super Kitchen’, where food destined for waste was used to create nutritious meals, a ‘Feeding the 5000’ event in partnership with a local Council and three other projects. The paper details findings from the project evaluations to explore student participation rates, motivation, and student awareness of food waste issues as well as reflections on the most effective aspects of project design for student appeal. The projects themselves contributed to the reduction of local food waste and the majority of participants reported that the projects transformed their perceptions of food waste. The paper may be of interest to academics and researchers interested in student perceptions of sustainability and of particular interest to those looking to establish their own sustainability-themed partnership projects.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.unep.org/wed/2013/quickfacts/ (Accessed 18 February 2016)

  2. 2.

    https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Green%20Academy%20programme%20compendium.pdf (Accessed February 18, 2016)

  3. 3.

    http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ (Accessed February 18, 2016)

  4. 4.

    http://www.wrap.org.uk (Accessed February 18, 2016)

  5. 5.

    http://feedbackglobal.org (Accessed February 18, 2016)

  6. 6.

    http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/about-us (Accessed February 18, 2016)

  7. 7.

    http://www.trentstudents.org/volunteering-opportunities/foodshare-growing-to-give-climate-friendly-gardening–3/apply_for_opportunity (Accessed February 18, 2016)

  8. 8.

    http://www.emmanuelhouse.org.uk/site/ (Accessed February 18, 2016)

  9. 9.

    http://www.letsgetcooking.org.uk/ (Accessed February 18, 2016)

  10. 10.

    https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/ (Accessed March 4, 2016)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU, UK

    Petra Molthan-Hill

  2. Centre for Academic Development and Quality—202 Dryden Centre, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU, UK

    Helen Puntha

  3. Green Academy, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU, UK

    Aldilla Dharmasasmita

  4. School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU, UK

    Kirsty Hunter

  5. School of Education, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU, UK

    Beverley Lawe

Authors
  1. Petra Molthan-Hill
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  2. Helen Puntha
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  3. Aldilla Dharmasasmita
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  4. Kirsty Hunter
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  5. Beverley Lawe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Petra Molthan-Hill .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, University of Passo Fundo , Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  3. Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra , Coimbra, Portugal

    Paula Castro

  4. Office of Sustainability, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, USA

    Julie Newman

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Molthan-Hill, P., Puntha, H., Dharmasasmita, A., Hunter, K., Lawe, B. (2017). Addressing Food Waste Through University and Community Partnerships. In: Leal Filho, W., Brandli, L., Castro, P., Newman, J. (eds) Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education . World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47868-5_25

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