Through a multi-year partnership called ND for the Environment, the Alumni Association has moved to make its Football Fridays at the Eck events “food waste free.”

Student interns and staff members from the Office of Sustainability educate Football Friday guests and families about why it’s important to think differently about their food choices, and how our food waste recycling system works. Sorting trash, non-consumable food and recyclables into separate bins at the waste station, in addition to maintaining outside recycle bins, ensures the capture of non-consumable food waste and clean recycling, diverting it from the landfill.

For the first five home games waste ambassadors have been able to capture 675 pounds of food for the University’s Grind2Energy system, leading to carbon emissions avoidance of over 459 pounds — the equivalent of fully charging nearly 100,000 smartphones. All remaining consumable food from this event is collected by the student-run Food Rescue US program and donated to local charities. Additionally, more than 865 pounds of clean recycling have been recovered.

To read more about these sustainability efforts, click here.