Grantee Research Project Results
Smartphones to Reduce Food Waste and Insecurity
EPA Grant Number: SU840157Title: Smartphones to Reduce Food Waste and Insecurity
Investigators: Krupp, Brian , Lebo, Franklin , Marek, Hastings , Fitzgerald, Dan , Medved, Leighton , McDowell, Terrell , Johnson, Dylan , Gifford, Elizabeth
Current Investigators: Krupp, Brian , Lebo, Franklin , Marek, Hastings , Fitzgerald, Dan , Medved, Leighton , McDowell, Terrell , Johnson, Dylan , Gifford, Elizabeth , Everly, Autumn , Sheptak, Bronwyn
Institution: Baldwin Wallace University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: December 1, 2020 through November 30, 2021
Project Amount: $24,180
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Awards
Objective:
Food waste and insecurity is a significant issue with the national average at 27% on college campuses. Rapidly identifying, recovering, and redirecting unused foodstuffs to students in need is therefore critical to improve student health and redress this issue of social inequity. A mobile application would efficiently coordinate food distribution networks that have been hindered by the absence of a centralized hub for sharing information. In this project, therefore, an interdisciplinary team of students will create a mobile application that will be accessible via Android and iOS that will allow food to be listed and recovered on a college campus. The application will use various sensors on the device to capture descriptions of food that is listed and verify that the location of the food is a valid location for retrieval. Similarly, food retrieval will be verified using onboard sensors on the device. By allowing food to be retrieved in a peer to peer method, we expect both food waste and food insecurity to be reduced on campus. Additionally, by utilizing a peer-to-peer model, we expect the availability of food and the recovery of food will be more accessible and expedient.
Approach:
A sophisticated smartphone app will be created to coordinate food recovery efforts at universities. The technical challenge involves various requirements in the creation of both an iOS and Android application as well as cross-platform concerns such as registration and authentication, use of sensors on the devices, and deploying a platform that will allow future collaborations within universities and community partners. This app is essential to organize the various stakeholders within a university to reduce waste and insecurity among the student body. This is an innovative approach in utilizing a smartphone application to reduce food waste and insecurity as no similar approaches at other universities seem to exist.
Expected Results:
The development and deployment of a sustainable food app resulting in the recovery of 5-10% of all food at institutional events during the first year of use. We will begin with some of the most vulnerable subgroups of the student population including Veterans Services, Diversity Services, and the Lou Higgins Sports Center. We expect to expand thereafter to make this app available to the student body as a whole. Thereafter, further expansion is anticipated by licensing this product to other universities and/or restaurants.
Contribution to Pollution Prevention or Control: Food waste leads to the release of the greenhouse gas methane gas during decomposition. Likewise, food waste is an excellent source of compost which is key for water conservation, slowing soil erosion, balancing soil pH, adding nutrients to the soil, and much more.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Food recovery app, food insecurity, food recovery, iOS, Android, smartphone application, community-based food network, conservation, waste reductionProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.