A hybrid student-faculty team at Wayne State University is making strides in reducing food wasteA hybrid student-faculty team at Wayne State University is making strides in reducing food waste

A sustainability initiative, dubbed the Towers Reduction Project, effectively reduced food waste on campus at Wayne State University, in Michigan, over a series of eight weeks, by 20%. The project was led by a team of volunteers who hosted four tabling events, conducted surveys, highlighted food waste facts and hosted activities.

“The initiative really demonstrates that we can make a difference, even in a short amount of time,” said Mohamed Dabaja, a graduate fellow who helped lead the project.

Wayne State University has taken a focus on food waste and other sustainable dining efforts as of late. In 2023, the university along with the University of Windsor were designated as a United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise (UNRCE) on education for sustainable development in the Detroit-Windsor area.

The two universities focus on the United Nations sustainable development goals while also working on addressing climate change, economic and health disparities and social inequity.

“Many stakeholders in Detroit have reached out to us to help address specific sustainability problems in the community,” said Donna Kashian, director of UNRCE Detroit and Wayne State’s environmental science program.

One partnership is with Make Not Waste, a nonprofit focused on reducing food waste.

Moving forward, Wayne State University will continue to address sustainability challenges on campus and in the larger community and RCE Detroit-Windsor is planning on taking on more projects.