Today during our regularly scheduled Bi Sci class, Team Stratz was set up in the first floor of Gaige. We had our poster all set up and welcomed stragglers to learn about the work being done with the Food Recovery Network. Many people walked by and displayed interest into our topic. We discussed our board and had many great discussions with people walking by! In these two pictures, Team Stratz is shown as well as the board we produced! We look forward to presenting on Thursday during class!
Recently, our EACAP team ventured into the cafeteria on Penn State Berks Campus known as Tully’s. For an hour yesterday (4/13) and an hour last week (4/6) our group sat in Tully’s and observed the amount of people who returned various culinary objects (plates, forks, bowls, etc.) and how many of those objects still contained food. The results were as followed:
Monday 4/6: 43 people returned objects to the conveyor belt. Of those 43 people, 6 returned objects with only half of their food eaten, 16 returned objects with a quarter of their food remaining, 20 returned objects with no food remaining, and only 1 person returned an object with a full plate of food.
Monday 4/13: 32 people returned objects to the conveyor belt. Of those 32 people, 14 returned objects with only half of their food eaten, 8 returned objects with a quarter of their food remaining, 10 people returned objects with no food remaining, and 0 people returned a full plates worth of food.
A few things to note, throughout the time in Tully’s cafeteria workers walked around Tully’s and discarded odds and ends of trash. In total between the 2 days, we saw 3 garbage bags individually filled with garbage. Also, we found it interesting that as we were leaving, we noticed the trash can outside of Tully’s was practically overflowing while both recycling bins were practically empty.
Photos attached include the conveyor belt (no food present) and all three bins (Garbage, mixed paper recycling, and recycling).
On Monday (3/23) our team met with members of the Food Recovery Network parent group as well as the other groups involved through Bi Sci. We introduced ourselves and began talking about the first steps and what we would have liked to do. We ended up coming to the conclusion that it would be better and easier to open a chapter here at Penn State Berks. We believed it would be more beneficial for this class, as well as this campus, if we opened up a chapter and continued it throughout the next few years. After that it was discussed what each of the teams would like to contribute to the whole group and we were voted to construct a survey to ask commuters about. Some of the questions are as follows:
On a daily basis, how much food do you throw out? (A lot/minimum/none)
What is the top reason you throw out food? (It’s gross/I’m full/My friends did)
What can Penn State do to reduce Tully’s food waste? (Sell better food/More variety/Smaller portions)
How much food do you think your friends throw out? (A lot/minimum amount/none)
All of the group members are excited to be a part of this group and we look forward to working on this project!
Hello everyone, my name is Kyle Baker and I am currently a sophomore here at Penn State Berks. I transferred here from Elizabethtown College where I studied business administration. Currently I am double majoring in marketing/management and IST, while also looking to pick up a minor in professional writing. I am also a student-athlete here at Berks, being the starting goalkeeper on the soccer team. I am also currently looking to pursue a role in the Penn State Berks Student Government as a Financial Manager.
My name is Christina but I go by Tina. I am currently a Junior studying Psychology. I was born and raised in North Jersey and lived there all my life. Currently I am completing my 150 hour internship, babysitting, and taking 5 classes. I’m not sure what I want to do after graduation but my current focus in my field is Human Resources.
My name is Greg Zelinske. I am currently a sophomore at Penn State – Berks Campus where I am seeking a degree in Secondary Education with a focus in Social Studies. I was born and raised right here in Berks county in the town of Shillington, just outside of Reading. After graduation, I plan on becoming a middle school teacher (ideally in 7th, 8th, or possibly 9th grade) in the greater-Reading area. I hope to be able to teach some type of European History or Civics.
My name is Pearce Harhigh, I was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and lived there my whole life. I am a second semester freshman at Penn State Berks. I am currently deciding between majoring in business or criminology. My hobbies are snowboarding, hanging out with friends, and playing baseball. I currently play on the baseball team at PSU Berks. After graduation, I plan on moving to California and starting a family.
My name is Keeanu Erb. I currently attented Penn State Berks and I am seeking a degree in Security and Risk analysis. After graduation I plan to get a job in some kind of IST field. I plan to intern sometime next semester and hopefully get a job with a good company. My hobbies include playing baseball for the team here at berks, and hanging out with my teammates.
Due to all members of the group being commuters as well as athletes, we decided to partner with the school in hopes to bring a branch of the Food Recovery Network here to Berks. We are also interested in nutrition and the waste produced here at school while also helping to deliver unused goods and food to local organizations. We look forward to partnering with the group, and hope to make BIG things happen here at Penn State Berks!
