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Here’s how it works. 18 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE
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t’s a deeply disturbing paradox. At a time when 13 percent of people in the U.S. don’t have enough to eat, Americans are wasting up to 40 percent of food produced in this country, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. This waste adversely impacts the environment while families in need go without. Since 2016, the university’s Office of Sustainability has addressed the issue of food waste head-on, partnering with Chartwells Schools Dining Services and the Food Recovery Network. The resulting Food Recovery Project is a win-win initiative. It diverts food from the waste stream while providing extensive real-world experience to the Southern student interns who run the program with Heather Stearns, recycling coordinator, and Suzanne Huminski, sustainability coordinator. The initiative also bring s nutritious, high-quality, unserved food to those in need at local soup kitchens. And through a partnership with Quantum Biopower in Southington, Conn., uses cutting-edge technology to convert food scraps into landscape products and clean, renewable energy.
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