Abstract
This study outlines the initial efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of Otago Polytechnic’s commercial kitchen activities through a collaborative initiative involving second-year Bachelor of Culinary Arts students, Otago Polytechnic’s commercial catering division, Otago University’s Sustainability Department, and external consultants Carbon Positive. The partnership established an innovation lab focused on sustainability from a design and customer-centered perspective, aiming to address broader ecological challenges in the catering sector. The project began with securing funding for baseline carbon emissions calculations in Otago Polytechnic’s commercial kitchens, guided by Carbon Positive’s expertise and aligned with Scope 1 through 3 emissions frameworks. These calculations served as a foundation for Culinary Arts students to create carbon-reduced menu options, which were initially prototyped on a small scale. The menus were then scaled up and used in a dining hall takeover within the polytechnic, offering a carbon-reduced dining experience. The success of the dining experience was measured through consumer feedback, contributing to an empirical dataset. Collaboration with the University of Otago facilitated knowledge transfer regarding sustainability practices in the catering sector. The resulting menus and data, including consumer feedback and carbon reductions, were further scaled and implemented into the university’s catering menu rotation as part of broader carbon reduction efforts and a series of workshops were run by the polytechnic for the university chefs to increase knowable surrounding the applied aspects of carbon reduction in food. The paper demonstrates the benefits of utilizing the diverse skill sets of different institutions to collaboratively address significant ecological issues.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Sustainable Development for a Dynamic Planet: Lessons, Priorities, and Solutions
KEYWORDS
Carbon, Culinary arts, Sustainability, UNSDG, Collaboration, Cuisine
