Abstract
This chapter intends to aid university administrators designing sustainable food policy in dining areas by evaluating the environmental impact of “sustainable” food alternatives – local and organic – using the related environmental metrics “embedded energy” and CO2 emissions. The authors calculate CO2-equivalent emissions associated with local and organic options for fresh fruits and vegetables commonly served in a major Midwestern research university dining hall. Emissions savings associated with organic food are narrowly defined as emissions associated with manufacturing agrochemicals customarily used in conventional production. Similarly, averted emissions associated with local food are defined as emissions that can be reasonably attributed to transportation, accounting for both mode and distance. Additionally, energy and CO2 emissions are calculated for food preservation strategies. The authors advance an approach for quantifying CO2 impact from food based on three categories of “embedded energy” to facilitate CO2 reductions in college and university dining halls.
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Bowen, E.E., Martin, P.A. (2010). CO2 Emissions Impact of Sustainable Food Procurement: Informing University Policy. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Universities and Climate Change. Climate Change Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10751-1_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10751-1_20
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