Date of Award

6-2024

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Geography

First Advisor

Lisa DeChano-Cook, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Lucius Hallett IV, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Jeffrey Spoelstra

Keywords

College students, food waste, moral responsibility, visceral attitudes

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Despite the large number of people that go hungry on a regular basis in America, food waste remains a looming issue, globally and nationally. Both American college students and the universities themselves contribute a large portion to the national food waste totals. A dichotomy that is especially curious is the difference between students who live on-campus and whose main source of meals is the dining centers, versus students who live off campus and rely mainly on groceries to make meals independently. However, food waste has seldom been studied in the context of the fact that college is a major transition period in the life of many Americans, and as a result, many young adults may be unprepared to skillfully handle such a resource as food. This study investigates how one’s sense of moral responsibility and visceral reactions affect the individual’s approach to food and its waste. This research entails a thorough statistical analysis of responses from Western Michigan University students completing a questionnaire addressing attitudes, behaviors, emotional/visceral reactions, and moral responsibility. It will also include a selection of volunteers from the same group of students with whom to conduct detailed interviews, in order to gain deeper insight into their maturation in perspective, strategies, and practices surrounding food waste as they adapted to the college lifestyle. It revealed that there is a significant difference in conscientiousness between student groups, that composting has great potential in students’ lives, and that convenience is a major driving force for college students.

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