Food Sustainability
Instructions: To obtain your Food Sustainability badge, it is recommended that you complete the following by February 2, 2024.
**Only submit the form once you have completed all of your actions. Remember, you only have to complete the prerequisite and 2 additional actions of your choosing. You do not have to complete all of the actions to earn your badge. |
Prerequisite:
Prerequisite Action: Create a Meal Using Food Items Already in Your Kitchen
Description: Reduce food waste by using food items in your fridge, pantry, or both to make a meal. Use , , or a similar app, to input food items from your pantry (or any local food pantry such as Weber Cares Pantry) to generate a personalized recipe.
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about the app you used and what you made.
Choose at Least Two of the Following Actions:
Action 1: TBD
Description: TBD
Time Commitment: TBD
Required Documentation: TBD
Action 2: TBD
Description: TBD
Time Commitment: TBD
Required Documentation: TBD
Action 3: Attend the Free Sustainability Film (Jan. 23rd)
Description: TBD
- When: January 23rd from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
- Where: Shepherd Union, Wildcat Theater
Time Commitment: 2 hours (may vary depending on film)
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about what you learned from the film.
Action 4: Volunteer With The Food Recovery Network
Description: The 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Chapter of the Food Recovery Network (FRN) regularly recovers uneaten food from dining services that would have been thrown away. Food recovered by FRN is taken to the Lantern House, a local homeless shelter, and/or the Weber Cares Pantry.
To volunteer with the food recovery network, sign-up through Givepulse TBD.
Time Commitment: Varies from 30 mins - 2 hours (dependent on the amount of the food recovered)
Required Documentation: Upload a photo of you with the recovered food.
Action 5: Take a Food Preservation Class and/or Preserve Your Food
Description: Food preservation (canning and freezing) helps reduce food waste and provides a way to eat local produce through the off-season. Utah State University offers (usually in Spring, but there are a few online or on-demand courses) and additional preservation resources .
Time Commitment: 1 hour +
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about the course you took or the food you have chosen to preserve.
Action 6: Take a "Create Better Health" Online Course
Description: Create Better Health classes are available online! This self-paced course is available at no cost to those who qualify. Lessons include stretching food dollars, meal planning strategies, quick and easy recipes that fit into a busy schedule, along with recipe demonstrations and an explanation of basic cooking skills. Learn more .
Time Commitment: varies
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about what you learned.
Action 7: Donate Money, Time, or Food to a Local Food Pantry
Description: There are a lot of ways to help out your local food pantry. Whether that is community service, money, or food donations, click here for information about Weber Cares Pantry and other local food assistance programs.
Time Commitment: varies
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about your experience and what you donated.
Action 8: Regrow Some Vegetables From Kitchen Scraps
Description: Eliminate the need to buy veggies from the store and regrow them from home using a small pot of soil or jar of water. Click for a quick overview of a few vegetables you can quickly regrow from cuttings.
Time Commitment: 15-30 minutes
Required Documentation: Submit a photo of your setup to regrow a vegetable.
Action 9: Reduce Food Waste
Description: Over the course of a week, track and/or weigh the preventable food waste your household produces and throws away. Per the EPA, "Preventable food waste is both food you bought to eat but has since spoiled and food that was prepared but not eaten and was then thrown away. Non-Edible food waste is everything you wouldn't normally eat, such as banana peels, egg shells, apple cores, and chicken bones." Click for an example log sheet. Utah State University has a on food waste and possible solutions.
Time Commitment: 1.5 hours over the course of a week
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about how much was thrown away & what changes could be made to reduce food waste in the future.
Action 10: Make A Plant-Based Meal
Description: Find a plant-based recipe of your choice, gather your ingredients, and create your meal! Plant-based meals are often just as tasty as animal-based meals. By reducing how much meat you consume, you can significantly reduce your carbon & water footprints. Check out "A Guide to a Sustainable Garden and Kitchen" for more info and some plant-based recipes.
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences on your experience. Don't forget to give yourself 5/5 stars!
Innovation Action:
Description: Innovative actions are welcome, but please email greenbadge@weber.edu for approval before submitting this as one of your actions.
Time Commitment: varies
Required Documentation: varies
Additional Resources