Take Food Eat Food Proposal
Observations.Questions.Planning.Piloting.Reform.Progress
The Take food Eat Food campaign is an investigative and progressive stance to improve the food and food waste systems at Kamehameha in order to work towards a more sustainable school environment. This campaign started with our observations and the knowledge that ‘Akahi Dining Hall’s food waste system along with student responsibility can be improved. Observations like seeing students returning their plates with piles of untouched food have created an inquiring environment for the individuals within this campaign. The common knowledge that Kamehameha Schools food waste is delivered to the landfill in Kapolei or H-Power is also an energizing note. It has led to questions that hit all marks of the food system from administration, students, and outlying elements. In general, these questions are paired with the goal of creating a more sustainable food waste system at Kamehameha Schools. Observations and Questions are incredibly important to building a foundation. The planning stages are underway, which consists of a multitude of researching, communication with administrators and students, and pitching ideas for action.
As a result of brainstorming and planning, there are multiple solutions that could be viable in the long term. Regarding the wasted food by students themselves, a proposed solution is to input a fee policy where students will be charged for the amount of wasted food in pounds. This is not a plan to run the students wallets dry nor is it a fundraising campaign. It is instead a policy that could reduce the amount of food waste substantially because human beings do not want to spend excess amounts of money for imbecile reasons. As a group, it is believed that creating a fee for each pound wasted will place a controlled amount of pressure on students to only take what is necessary for them to be satiated at lunch. There are some doubts about this projected program because it could potentially slow down the current food waste and dish-washing systems at ‘Akahi dining hall(relevance of a pilot). However, this plan could actually speed up food waste and dish-washing systems if there is little to no waste at ‘Akahi dining hall. This solution holds a unique stance towards food waste because it is a simple idea that caters to the students. It is simply allotting control to the students themselves. They take responsibility for unsustainable and sustainable practices in both instances where they must pay for waste or choose not to waste. In addition, this plan is not a profitable process. It could be as simple as teachers at ‘Akahi working a cashier and scale by the food waste area at ‘Akahi or it could be as complicated as building a machine for the process. It allows a lot of leeway for Flik and the school administration to take advantage of.
The hard thing about implementing this idea is the fact that another thing or person is required to put this idea into action. It is difficult, but it is not impossible. There would need to be a few food scales placed in front of the scraping lines. These scales of course would need to be purchased by somebody. An attendant would need to be there with a cash register as well to make sure that students pay the appropriate price when it is due. This would require help from staff or teachers. Teachers already have to be down there to do lunch, so they might not be conducive to doing more work during the lunch periods. On the other hand, a machine could be built, but that would require a longer process in which we would have to create a prototype for the machine as well as find someone or a company to build it for us. In the time allotted for the project this seems difficult. The approximate cost for the project is unknown and will stay that way until we fully understand the requirements from the Flik or school administration.
Regarding the amount of food leftover from ‘Akahi dining hall that is quite possibly thrown out, our group has a projected plan for a pilot. Because discussion with the head of Flik Dining services for Kamehameha Schools is still ongoing and there are more potential discussions with administration, the validity of this plan cannot necessarily be solidified. However, with this plan are ideas for what to do with leftover food at the dining hall. With knowledge of the Good Samaritans law, there is potential for leftover food that is prepared at ‘Akahi to be utilized in a manner of service. In close vicinity to the Kapalama area are many impoverished camps of homeless families and individuals who recognize the value of any meal. If the food at ‘Akahi dining hall is not already being distributed in a resourceful manner, this, in our opinion is a viable option.
The liability is further explained here:
Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act:
PUBLIC LAW 104-210
(c) Liability for Damages From Donated Food and Grocery Products.--
(1) Liability of person or gleaner.--A person or gleaner
shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability arising
from the nature, age, packaging, or condition of apparently
wholesome food or an apparently fit grocery product that
the person or gleaner donates in good faith to a
non-profit organization for ultimate distribution to needy
individuals.
(2) Liability of non-profit organization.--A non-profit
organization shall not be subject to civil or criminal
liability arising from the nature, age, packaging, or
condition of apparently wholesome food or an apparently
fit grocery product that the non-profit organization
received as a donation in good faith from a person or
gleaner for ultimate distribution to needy individuals.
(3) Exception. --Paragraphs (1) and (2) shall not apply to an
injury to or death of an ultimate user or recipient of the
food or grocery product that results from an act or
omission of the person, gleaner, or non-profit
organization, as applicable, constituting gross negligence
or intentional misconduct.''; and
Taken from the HawaiiFoodbank.org
Our interpretation of this law is simple. That it is possible for leftover prepared food to be given away to people who are less fortunate. A viable option that would be convenient for both the school and service is using Aloha Harvest as the connection between kitchen and mouth. Aloha Harvest is a non-profit organization that specializes in delivering and distributing food donations for Hawai’is homeless. They are known to pick up and deliver said food donations, which would eliminate any excess transportation for Kamehameha Schools workers. This would in turn eliminate any cost concerns linked to the transportation of leftover food. As well as the elimination of excess transportation, there is no need for special tools or knowledge about the project. A possible obstacle with the project will be putting this plan into action. As was mentioned before, we need to first have a conversation with the head of the Flik to get a better understanding of the entire process. Currently, we are unaware of what the company does with the leftover food. Once we find out the process in which the food is discarded, we can propose our idea to the head of Flik and to whomever else we must get approval from to start testing our idea. If this projected plan is successful and efficient, it could be a major publicity campaign for the school as well. The Good Samaritans law applies to “Good Samaritan’s” and it would display a step that Kamehameha Schools is taking towards a more sustainable future and it exemplifies great community service.
If a trial period is requested by Flik to see our action plan, which we expect, there will be an experimental period of one week. Aloha Harvest will be contacted to pick up the leftover food after all lunch periods are finished. After one week we will speak once again to the head of Flick to discuss the benefits and issues, if any. Until the experiment is tested, we will not know of any possible problems such as the ability to for Aloha Harvest to pick up all the food or the needs for their workers or the cafeteria workers to help in the loading of the food. These are a couple of the possible matters that need to be tested, but the only way to do so is to have this time to experiment. Most importantly, before we can do this we need approval and have to address any of the matters that come up in our conversation with the head of Flik.
From the conversation with Amy Brinker, we learned about something called the “Triple Bottom Line.” Most corporations have a “bottom line,” where finances is the most important factor taken into account. The Triple Bottom Line that Amy Brinker taught us about takes into consideration the financial, environmental, and social aspects when taking into account developing new projects for the school. Most companies and large corporations, just like Kamehameha Schools, look at the "bottom line" financially. Finances are not the bottom line especially when it comes to sustainability. Finances is not the only aspect that should be taken into account.
The Take food Eat Food campaign is an investigative and progressive stance to improve the food and food waste systems at Kamehameha in order to work towards a more sustainable school environment. This campaign started with our observations and the knowledge that ‘Akahi Dining Hall’s food waste system along with student responsibility can be improved. Observations like seeing students returning their plates with piles of untouched food have created an inquiring environment for the individuals within this campaign. The common knowledge that Kamehameha Schools food waste is delivered to the landfill in Kapolei or H-Power is also an energizing note. It has led to questions that hit all marks of the food system from administration, students, and outlying elements. In general, these questions are paired with the goal of creating a more sustainable food waste system at Kamehameha Schools. Observations and Questions are incredibly important to building a foundation. The planning stages are underway, which consists of a multitude of researching, communication with administrators and students, and pitching ideas for action.
As a result of brainstorming and planning, there are multiple solutions that could be viable in the long term. Regarding the wasted food by students themselves, a proposed solution is to input a fee policy where students will be charged for the amount of wasted food in pounds. This is not a plan to run the students wallets dry nor is it a fundraising campaign. It is instead a policy that could reduce the amount of food waste substantially because human beings do not want to spend excess amounts of money for imbecile reasons. As a group, it is believed that creating a fee for each pound wasted will place a controlled amount of pressure on students to only take what is necessary for them to be satiated at lunch. There are some doubts about this projected program because it could potentially slow down the current food waste and dish-washing systems at ‘Akahi dining hall(relevance of a pilot). However, this plan could actually speed up food waste and dish-washing systems if there is little to no waste at ‘Akahi dining hall. This solution holds a unique stance towards food waste because it is a simple idea that caters to the students. It is simply allotting control to the students themselves. They take responsibility for unsustainable and sustainable practices in both instances where they must pay for waste or choose not to waste. In addition, this plan is not a profitable process. It could be as simple as teachers at ‘Akahi working a cashier and scale by the food waste area at ‘Akahi or it could be as complicated as building a machine for the process. It allows a lot of leeway for Flik and the school administration to take advantage of.
The hard thing about implementing this idea is the fact that another thing or person is required to put this idea into action. It is difficult, but it is not impossible. There would need to be a few food scales placed in front of the scraping lines. These scales of course would need to be purchased by somebody. An attendant would need to be there with a cash register as well to make sure that students pay the appropriate price when it is due. This would require help from staff or teachers. Teachers already have to be down there to do lunch, so they might not be conducive to doing more work during the lunch periods. On the other hand, a machine could be built, but that would require a longer process in which we would have to create a prototype for the machine as well as find someone or a company to build it for us. In the time allotted for the project this seems difficult. The approximate cost for the project is unknown and will stay that way until we fully understand the requirements from the Flik or school administration.
Regarding the amount of food leftover from ‘Akahi dining hall that is quite possibly thrown out, our group has a projected plan for a pilot. Because discussion with the head of Flik Dining services for Kamehameha Schools is still ongoing and there are more potential discussions with administration, the validity of this plan cannot necessarily be solidified. However, with this plan are ideas for what to do with leftover food at the dining hall. With knowledge of the Good Samaritans law, there is potential for leftover food that is prepared at ‘Akahi to be utilized in a manner of service. In close vicinity to the Kapalama area are many impoverished camps of homeless families and individuals who recognize the value of any meal. If the food at ‘Akahi dining hall is not already being distributed in a resourceful manner, this, in our opinion is a viable option.
The liability is further explained here:
Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act:
PUBLIC LAW 104-210
(c) Liability for Damages From Donated Food and Grocery Products.--
(1) Liability of person or gleaner.--A person or gleaner
shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability arising
from the nature, age, packaging, or condition of apparently
wholesome food or an apparently fit grocery product that
the person or gleaner donates in good faith to a
non-profit organization for ultimate distribution to needy
individuals.
(2) Liability of non-profit organization.--A non-profit
organization shall not be subject to civil or criminal
liability arising from the nature, age, packaging, or
condition of apparently wholesome food or an apparently
fit grocery product that the non-profit organization
received as a donation in good faith from a person or
gleaner for ultimate distribution to needy individuals.
(3) Exception. --Paragraphs (1) and (2) shall not apply to an
injury to or death of an ultimate user or recipient of the
food or grocery product that results from an act or
omission of the person, gleaner, or non-profit
organization, as applicable, constituting gross negligence
or intentional misconduct.''; and
Taken from the HawaiiFoodbank.org
Our interpretation of this law is simple. That it is possible for leftover prepared food to be given away to people who are less fortunate. A viable option that would be convenient for both the school and service is using Aloha Harvest as the connection between kitchen and mouth. Aloha Harvest is a non-profit organization that specializes in delivering and distributing food donations for Hawai’is homeless. They are known to pick up and deliver said food donations, which would eliminate any excess transportation for Kamehameha Schools workers. This would in turn eliminate any cost concerns linked to the transportation of leftover food. As well as the elimination of excess transportation, there is no need for special tools or knowledge about the project. A possible obstacle with the project will be putting this plan into action. As was mentioned before, we need to first have a conversation with the head of the Flik to get a better understanding of the entire process. Currently, we are unaware of what the company does with the leftover food. Once we find out the process in which the food is discarded, we can propose our idea to the head of Flik and to whomever else we must get approval from to start testing our idea. If this projected plan is successful and efficient, it could be a major publicity campaign for the school as well. The Good Samaritans law applies to “Good Samaritan’s” and it would display a step that Kamehameha Schools is taking towards a more sustainable future and it exemplifies great community service.
If a trial period is requested by Flik to see our action plan, which we expect, there will be an experimental period of one week. Aloha Harvest will be contacted to pick up the leftover food after all lunch periods are finished. After one week we will speak once again to the head of Flick to discuss the benefits and issues, if any. Until the experiment is tested, we will not know of any possible problems such as the ability to for Aloha Harvest to pick up all the food or the needs for their workers or the cafeteria workers to help in the loading of the food. These are a couple of the possible matters that need to be tested, but the only way to do so is to have this time to experiment. Most importantly, before we can do this we need approval and have to address any of the matters that come up in our conversation with the head of Flik.
From the conversation with Amy Brinker, we learned about something called the “Triple Bottom Line.” Most corporations have a “bottom line,” where finances is the most important factor taken into account. The Triple Bottom Line that Amy Brinker taught us about takes into consideration the financial, environmental, and social aspects when taking into account developing new projects for the school. Most companies and large corporations, just like Kamehameha Schools, look at the "bottom line" financially. Finances are not the bottom line especially when it comes to sustainability. Finances is not the only aspect that should be taken into account.