Community fridge at both campuses

Because of lock down many small markets had to shut down, in turn, throwing out produce that would have otherwise been purchased and consumed. According to a new report from Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab, a sample size of 8,272 people, 55.4% believed they are wasting less food during the pandemic, however their food waste increased by 13.5%. Food waste does not just mean food wasted , it represents all the resources used to create and distribute food. This affects biodiversity in many ways; unnecessary land degradation, deforestation of that land for agriculture, elimination of wild life habitats for agricultural use, elimination of trees that filter out green house gasses and more. Food waste inevitably ends up in landfills, a system that uses compression and produces an environment with low oxygen, as food rots it produces methane, a green house gas 32 times more potent than carbon dioxide. According to the UN FAO food waste is the 3rd largest green house gas emitter.

Food waste represents a dire problem within our society that needs to be addressed. Students are vulnerable to lack of nutritional intake due to a variety of reasons including financial means. Community fridges not only take surplus food and divert it from being disposed in landfills (reducing the impacts of environmental degradation), fridges assist in feeding people, in turn, assisting in creating a sense of community. Since the pandemic began there have been a surge in community fridges popping up across Montreal, Feed the Hen (in Saint-Henri), Les Racons des Rosemont (in Hochelaga), Wood Note Residences, Little Burgundy, Point Saint-Charles and more. Volunteers assist in cleaning out the fridge weekly and its based on a first come, first serve basis. This free for all program, helps create connection and has demonstrated time and time again it helps feed individuals who lack nutritional intake and reduces food waste. I believe with the opening of the campus, cafes and food industries both at Loyola and Downtown could take benefit to this mini project. Potential spaces is the 6th or 7th floor in the Hall building and the G-Lounge or Chapel at Loyola. Either of these locations will help assist in food insecurity especially that at Loyola Campus.