DESIGN + HEALTHY EATING HABITS

The design of a space can have profound impacts on influencing healthy eating habits. From space planning to lighting choices to signage, the interior environment in which someone is eating has more effect on them than many realize.

For example, seemingly minute elements of a space - from the very spatial orientation of it to the type of furniture found there - can have big impacts on people’s behavior around food. Well-lit spaces can influence people to eat healthier than dimmer-lit spaces. This change is particularly beneficial when it’s incorporated through natural light and views. Additionally, food-related signage that promotes healthy eating habits, and food nutritional information has been shown to help users make healthier choices.

Color plays a role in affecting eating habits as well. The color green is dominant in the project because it often represents nature, health, wellness, harmony, growth, and positivity. With the very center of the project being focused on helping people thrive and grow, green made sense for these symbolizations and many other reasons. It also ties into the second design principle of the project - empathetic design - by being a calming color that helps people feel safe, welcomed, and comfortable.

Food waste is more prevalent than ever, so how can food pantries mitigate and help to rework this issue? This project seeks to address this aspect of the issue by providing food via the pantry, mobile food pantries, and acting as a small-scale food recovery center.

These mobile food pantries will look like food trucks, but will actually give out food instead of selling it, similiarly to what City Harvest Cohen Community Food Rescue Center does in New York City (a later precedent). This will take place at select farmer’s markets throughout Omaha. In addition to providing fresh produce, there will also be healthy cooking demonstrations conducted at these sites too. These mobile food pantries will also partner with local non-profit organizations and schools to provide produce or meals to kids as well.

Food waste is an issue in Omaha, but also across the state of Nebraska as a whole. Currently, food waste is the largest waste contributor for the city. The food will be provided by local food banks that partner with community restauarants, catering companies, farmers, and other organizations. By recovering food and redistributing it through the pantry and local food banks, this can reduce food waste in Omaha and lower climate change effects from the discarded food.