170
D. Fam et al.
1.2 The Food Waste Problem—Locally, Globally
and Campus-Wide
The food waste issue is not only a problem at local and campus-wide scales. Globally
it is estimated a third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted
which amounts to approximately 1.3 billion tons per year across the supply chain
from agricultural production through to household consumption. The severity of the
food waste problem is acknowledged in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12
which focuses on “responsible consumption and production”
5 with the goal of:
• substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling
and reuse and
• halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and
• reducing food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest
losses by 2030.
Recognising the complex inter-relations between the goals, the mechanisms for
addressing food waste also influence goals related to Zero Hunger (2); Good Health
and Well-being (3); Clean Water and Sanitation (6); Sustainable Cities and Communities (11); and Climate Action (13).
Taking into consideration the significant issue of food waste at local and global
scales, the University of Technology Sydney installed infrastructure and technology
to manage 100% of the food waste produced on-campus through industry funding in
2015. In addition to the technological management of food waste, university-wide
staff and student educational workshops on reducing food waste were conducted,
along with a semester-long course for a diverse range of design students focussing
on designing innovative solutions to food waste on campus.
In response to this industry-supported design program, the authors developed a
model for a Transdisciplinary Living Lab (TDLL). The TDLL sought collaboration
with industry, government and university operational staff, and also provided an
opportunity for students to engage with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
and the closely related concept of planetary boundaries while fulfilling their course
requirements. The decision to incorporate the SDGs and the concept of planetary
boundaries into the TDLL model was made to encourage students to critically reflect
on the impact of their design solutions on global systems, in this case—food waste
management systems. In addition, the TDLL helped to meet the two universities’
commitments to the SDGs outlined above.
When Western Sydney University became a signatory of the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), a number one priority was to make this commitment
visible via sustainability focused campus Living Labs. Western Sydney University
has a long history of experimental initiatives that have taken advantage of Western
Sydney University’s large, peri-urban campus to showcase best practice environmental management in an educational setting, including the Hawkesbury Water Recy5 http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/
(accessed
28/08/2017).
D. Fam et al.
1.2 The Food Waste Problem—Locally, Globally
and Campus-Wide
The food waste issue is not only a problem at local and campus-wide scales. Globally
it is estimated a third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted
which amounts to approximately 1.3 billion tons per year across the supply chain
from agricultural production through to household consumption. The severity of the
food waste problem is acknowledged in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12
which focuses on “responsible consumption and production”
5 with the goal of:
• substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling
and reuse and
• halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and
• reducing food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest
losses by 2030.
Recognising the complex inter-relations between the goals, the mechanisms for
addressing food waste also influence goals related to Zero Hunger (2); Good Health
and Well-being (3); Clean Water and Sanitation (6); Sustainable Cities and Communities (11); and Climate Action (13).
Taking into consideration the significant issue of food waste at local and global
scales, the University of Technology Sydney installed infrastructure and technology
to manage 100% of the food waste produced on-campus through industry funding in
2015. In addition to the technological management of food waste, university-wide
staff and student educational workshops on reducing food waste were conducted,
along with a semester-long course for a diverse range of design students focussing
on designing innovative solutions to food waste on campus.
In response to this industry-supported design program, the authors developed a
model for a Transdisciplinary Living Lab (TDLL). The TDLL sought collaboration
with industry, government and university operational staff, and also provided an
opportunity for students to engage with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
and the closely related concept of planetary boundaries while fulfilling their course
requirements. The decision to incorporate the SDGs and the concept of planetary
boundaries into the TDLL model was made to encourage students to critically reflect
on the impact of their design solutions on global systems, in this case—food waste
management systems. In addition, the TDLL helped to meet the two universities’
commitments to the SDGs outlined above.
When Western Sydney University became a signatory of the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), a number one priority was to make this commitment
visible via sustainability focused campus Living Labs. Western Sydney University
has a long history of experimental initiatives that have taken advantage of Western
Sydney University’s large, peri-urban campus to showcase best practice environmental management in an educational setting, including the Hawkesbury Water Recy5 http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/
(accessed
28/08/2017).