Other Affiliated Programs: Campus Sustainable Impact Fellowship (beg. spring 2021)

Students on Summer Project Team:
Kiera Englehart '22, Chemistry
Zhihao Guo '23, Chemical Engineering
Kaya Harper '22, Molecular Biology
Joseph Malisov '21, Computer Science
Christine Mosley '22, Earth & Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Don Morris, Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences and Director, Environmental Initiative; Katharine Targett Gross, Sustainability Director

Project Video: Click here to view

Project description:
Have you ever thought about the carbon footprint of the foods eaten at on Lehigh’s campus? In this project, students are creating a food carbon footprint calculator that suits Lehigh Dining’s needs to determine which menu items are the most and least carbon intensive. This end goal will allow Lehigh Dining to provide a carbon footprint (red - high, yellow - medium, green - low) for key menu items at dining locations across campus. This will encourage students, faculty, and staff to choose to alter their food choices based on the impact of the menu item. The students have collected and analyzed data from Lehigh Dining, reviewed existing carbon footprint calculators, and examined current practices in the restaurant industry and at colleges/universities. Students worked with different kinds of data including recipe ingredients, ingredient quantities, distance of ingredient sourcing, food carbon intensities, etc.