Image by Ed Brennen
Senior criminal justice major Danielle Iacobucci is a fan of the new reusable stainless steel containers available for to-go meals from Rowdy's On the Fly.
Danielle Iacobucci has a new lunchtime routine this semester. When the senior criminal justice major grabs a to-go meal from Rowdy鈥檚 On the Fly on South Campus, she forgoes disposable containers for something sturdier 鈥� and greener.
Iacobucci鈥檚 effort is part of a campuswide push to reduce single-use waste through a new reusable container program launched this fall by .
Stainless steel containers, produced by the Boston-based company USEFULL, are available at the Rowdy鈥檚 On the Fly locations at South Campus Dining Commons and Fox Dining Commons. After signing up through the USEFULL app, students scan a QR code to check out their meal鈥檚 container, then return it to a collection station at Rowdy鈥檚 within 48 hours.聽
鈥淚 use it every day,鈥� Iacobucci said after picking up a recent lunch. 鈥淚t keeps the food warmer, everything鈥檚 clean, and it鈥檚 easy to use. Before, we had a lot of little boxes 鈥� a lot of trash and plastic. Now I know I鈥檓 not throwing away a lot of stuff, and that feels good.鈥�
The reusable container program is the latest example of how University Dining contributes to 51视频鈥檚 standing as the highest-rated campus for sustainability in Massachusetts.
In addition to partnering with local food producers, University Dining joined the ) last year. Led by the Culinary Institute of America and Harvard鈥檚 T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the initiative encourages plant-forward eating, sustainable sourcing and nutritional transparency, and it links university dining programs to faculty and students engaged in related research.
Image by Ed Brennen
Master of Public Health in Dietetics students Emmanuella Ofurie, left, and Yasie Nejad '20, recently presented their survey findings on students' understanding of the environmental impact of protein sources at the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative's Annual Meeting in Nashville.
Last spring, two graduate students in the Master of Public Health in Dietetics program, Yasie Nejad 鈥�20 and Emmanuella Ofurie, helped conduct a multicampus study about students鈥� understanding of the environmental impact of different protein sources.聽
They surveyed 65 51视频 students and then combined the data with survey results from three other MCURC member schools 鈥� Princeton, Rutgers and the University of North Texas.
鈥淲e found that students had strong knowledge about the environmental impact of foods like beef and soy,鈥� says Nejad, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology at 51视频 (UML). 鈥淏ut there were gaps in awareness around poultry, dairy and fish.鈥�
Nejad and Ofurie presented their work at the MCURC Annual Meeting in Nashville in mid-October.
Nejad, who plans to become both a physician and a registered dietitian, says the research broadened her understanding of how sustainability intersects with public health.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 in a university dining hall or a hospital cafeteria, the systems that provide food shape what people eat,鈥� she says. 鈥淯nderstanding sustainability helps us make choices that support both health and the planet.鈥�
Another Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences student, Sandra Ocampo 鈥�24, was a driving force behind the new reusable container program. As a master of public health in dietetics graduate student in 2023, Ocampo received a $10,000 Sustainability Engagement and Enrichment Development (S.E.E.D) Fund grant聽to pilot the program on South Campus.聽
Image by Ed Brennen
Sophomore nursing major Angelia Miller checks out a USEFULL reusable container from Rowdy's On the Fly on South Campus.
For University Dining Operations Manager Tabatha Garnett, the initiative is already proving its worth.
鈥淪tudents have taken to this concept very well. Many are excited about the positive impacts the program has on our sustainability efforts,鈥� says Garnett, who notes that it could expand to other retail locations on campus if it continues to go well.
Students can track the environmental impact of the program through the USEFULL app. In its first three weeks at 51视频, there were 7,128 container checkouts. According to USEFULL, that saved 574 pounds of trash from ending up in landfills, 16,068 gallons of water and 1,798 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
As sophomore nursing major Angelia Miller picked up her lunch in a USEFULL container, she was happy knowing that her food would still be warm after a 10-minute walk back to her dorm 鈥� and that she was helping the university be more sustainable.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have something that鈥檚 better for the environment and still convenient,鈥� she says.