Friends Who Don’t Waste Food together, Stick Together

Though we haven’t physically had a meal together, it is almost as if Team Food Waste is on the same mission to find the perfect place to eat- somewhere that we won’t waste food. I really liked being able to connect with others during the sustainable behavior challenge. Being matched with a group who had a similar behavior change reminded me of AL Gore’s quote that we need to have a collective effort. I think that supporting each other made it easier to stick to our behaviors.

What is interestingly similar about Jon and I is that we both were motivated by the astonishing statistics that we researched about food waste. He also understood how upsetting it could be to not reach your goal, so it was nice to have someone who was on the same page.

I found it funny that Elizabeth expressed a different experience between upper and lower. I think that it is easier to waste less food in lower because of how the food is packaged, however she thought that it was easier to waste more food because you don’t have control over the portions.

I think that Rose and I had very similar experiences, and we gave each other suggestions on how to move forward. She commented that she really liked my “one plate” idea as a way to measure my food waste and that she wanted to try it and see if it helped her. She understood that challenge of getting food and then possibly going to get something else without even touching what you first picked up. Rose suggested “taking a lap” around the dining hall. I tried just walking around to see what was offered and it helped! I got to se all of my options and decide what I wanted even before having the plate in my hand.

I think that as a team were are finding many successes. We were systematically matched, almost like a dating site matches you based on similar interests. Being a part of this team has positively influenced the way I viewed my experiences of my sustainable behavior. challenge. It is nice to know that there are people in the same boat as I am!