| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.54 |
| Liaison | Jay Price |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
IN-2: Innovation 2
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Preston
Jacobsen Sustainability Manager Facilities Services |
Title or keywords related to the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
The Food Recovery Network is a national organization that unites students at colleges and universities to fight food waste and hunger by recovering surplus perishable food from their campuses and surrounding communities that would otherwise go to waste and donating it to people in need.
At the University of Tennessee, our aim is to eliminate as much food waste as possible from sporting events, dining halls, campus convenience stores, and other dining locations. Currently, UT composts nearly all of its food waste, which releases large amounts of methane gas, which is far more harmful than carbon dioxide--Not to mention this food could potentially feed one of the nearly 250,000 people in East Tennessee that access emergency food supplies.
Using a strict safety protocol, all of our recovered food goes directly to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, which helps feed 18 surrounding counties. Instead of choosing only one or two local food shelters, we chose SHFB so we could maximize our impact on our community.
A brief description of any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation (if not reported above):
In the 2014-2015 academic year the FRN club collected and donated 2685 pounds of food. They have also participated in the Zero Waste Game Days during the fall 2014 football season, helping to collect and donate 3810 pounds of food that would have otherwise been thrown out.
A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise:
Which of the following STARS subcategories does the innovation most closely relate to? (Select all that apply up to a maximum of five):
| Yes or No | |
| Curriculum | No |
| Research | No |
| Campus Engagement | Yes |
| Public Engagement | Yes |
| Air & Climate | No |
| Buildings | No |
| Dining Services | Yes |
| Energy | No |
| Grounds | No |
| Purchasing | No |
| Transportation | No |
| Waste | Yes |
| Water | No |
| Coordination, Planning & Governance | No |
| Diversity & Affordability | No |
| Health, Wellbeing & Work | No |
| Investment | No |
Other topic(s) that the innovation relates to that are not listed above:
The website URL where information about the innovation is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.