Deacon Dining Sustainability Interns

Deacon Dining is happy to be working with two sustainability interns this semester. They have made a huge impact already and we are excited to share more about our intern Quin below.

Introduction:

• Quin is a Senior this year at Wake.
• Mathematical Economics Major, Environmental Minor 
• Got involved in sustainability at Wake after living and studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark for my junior year where I learned a lot about the Danish approach to sustainability and hoped to utilize the knowledge I gained there along with my minor 
• Favorite thing about Harvest Table: the commitment to making students have the best dining experience and all the creative ideas and programs they bring to Wake 

Internship: Carbon reduction in dining 

• Focus on carbon reduction processes and initiatives, such as sustainable sourcing, plant-forward dining, energy and water conservation, and waste reduction and diversion 
• Beginning of the semester learned all about what’s going on in dining services on campus already – design of North Pit, composting at North Pit, LeanPath, sustainable sourcing and third party verification of ingredients, green to go box program
• Focused in on compost at North Pit and bettering the program: main problem was waste contamination in the compost 
• I’ve helped plan and run some events

Specifics on the composting project 

• Tasked with helping to improve the composting program at North Pit 
• Actions: toured back-of-house operations many times, talked with employees, met with individuals involved in the project to discuss various strategies, produced signage 

• Next steps: improve signage, monitor success of signage, speak at a preservice, create training education video for employees 

Future projects 

• Continued work on Compost Project: adjustment to signage, video
• Leanpath: optimizing employee’s use of the leanpath, reviewing reports from the leanpath and using the data to create strategies to reduce food waste, displaying post consumer food waste data to students to encourage behavior change  
• Help plan pop-up events

Amazing job, Quin! Thank you for bringing your all to the table!