Dream Team Food Waste will focus on researching and addressing food waste on our campus and the surrounding area.
Across the globe, unnecessary food is discarded while others suffer from hunger. This affects both people and the environment, as produced food contains wasted resources, water, and energy. In the Netherlands alone, around 33 kilograms of food and 65 litres of drinks per person are wasted annually. This needs to change, also on our campus.
In this Dream Team, we focus on curbing food waste on campus. Through the further development of a 'pick-up' system that works through Telegram bots, we are trying to curb the throwing away of food after events on campus. We are also looking at the PlanonCloud ordering system. VU employees use this system to order catering. We are trying to create awareness among employees through educational adjustments within the ordering process. This is all with a view to creating a more sustainable culture. And what about the project to try to make the Déjà VU festival in June 2025 completely circular?
With your help, these plans and concepts can be pushed through, but there is of course also room for new ideas and solutions to combat food waste on campus. Are you creative, solution-oriented, sustainable and enthusiastic? Then this is really something for you! Get together with students of all ages and studies, make new friends and learn from each other. Together, you will combat food waste at VU Amsterdam and work towards a more sustainable future.
Supervisor/ambassador: Neele van den Bongardt
Neele works at the VU Green Office, a VU Amsterdam initiative that focuses on sustainability and environmental awareness within the university. The VU Green Office is a platform that brings students and staff together to promote sustainable initiatives and reduce the university's ecological footprint.
This team is linked to the Science for Sustainability profile theme.