WE ARE WHAT WE DON’T EAT
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/afdaf7f31ec639a0ed500916a16f02cf7ec754c43fadd3a193166eb3641fc92d/Asset-5aooke.png)
a series of interventions in RISD’s dining halls to significantly increase composting and improve awareness about food waste, done as a work-study with RISD Dining.
THE PROBLEM:
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/151c6614bef3c0459226b693b646cf027531cb4128ec939d52ddc4501b972b2d/Asset-1pattern.jpg)
1
Composting facilities already existed at RISD
2
but a weak visual presence
3
meant those facilities went underutilized
Composting facilities already existed at RISD
2
but a weak visual presence
3
meant those facilities went underutilized
Using enviromental observation, I found that of students with compostable food waste:
![a pie chart showing that only 38 percent students compost, while 62 percent of students do not.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4ac12648e494d69d717ef06a9cb34d8b94849392d9f15821640add5ff93054f5/Asset-7hand.png)
and user surveys revealed confusion and a lack of awareness about compost and food waste:
“I didn’t know we had compost”
“my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach”
“I just want to avoid spending time in there [the food waste area]”
so after some brainstorming...
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/15bfcd09b0ada04677319b32ba17894274ee8f99adebe82e2249e99887e6cca3/Asset-1hand.png)
I worked closely with RISD Dining Services management to implement...
SOLUTION v1
a). awareness campaign
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8710e93e0634fc57a5653442a708e6b72352f3bd0ec4f5026bf86f72ca8042c3/posters.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9da5302eed9f76677027e00aa2124b1da1b12d8bb6fc2e36358ab8d01c9190bb/posters_1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6fa64d8dc15870d3e2f1540dbccff749f1781f4edfe367bcb21df4fd9abe43e3/posters2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/773aa131e7185034dd6b4646bcf59c8eaa9ec3e14a21952e4df681ecaa2ed858/Artboard-1-copy-2posters.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/11bfee22de189f973c7eec78f8fe6e6fd89171fb2e85ea17ff69bd9283d2d268/Artboard-1posters.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6b0264f91ca41a405185eeab7c4c6effbf6595a3bfde633240be2b4a35419b23/Artboard-1-copyposters.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4f3a2845493d13119d987c14197eb2c5129afd9c4d8d7f02d74d7cab553f20dc/Artboard-1-copy-3posters.jpg)
b). food waste area redesign
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/906c84093ba04cf586319abcbb75738852a9a8be10052ed1207ac0c9bf18e4cc/posters3.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6cd65b7dcc585e24736ff9cc84a8d2837b24a2aec4e90a0734b886b6804f7710/Compost_Poster2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/435d895736517b7d8db702d3c834327741dd7551651645ba73076ab850794958/Compost_Poster1.jpg)
But upon reviewing the efficacy of Solution v1 after a semester of implementation, I found...
three opportunities for improvement:
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cfc683fc2521f0541d28c637e63819cf98912d95466cb94f1392a0f8d8029286/Artboard-1posters.png)
food waste
sorting
sorting between compostables (fruit, veggies, napkins) and non-compostables (dairy, meat, oil) was still overwhelming for students
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2c0ca0277874e9d27a8ee7066c5006334fd0ec0fd5ce50f4a2730aa523a59dea/Artboard-2posters.png)
fatigue
students are exposed to a lot of posters - making a standard awareness campaign only marginally valuable
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/94f48f2c0f5560d0618700bea4f084107aebcbfe07649cbf655f5d1f76a6c6ff/Artboard-3posters.png)
“creep”
a lack of communication with janitorial staff meant that the intended structure of the food waste area was not mantained
With these constraints in mind, I implemented...
SOLUTION v2
![a diagram, showing the before and after, where the after has a more obvious use of color and space.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e55d76819f4da3980b63fe3f24bb374967a72f6d9517c59fd6e0129c91193f7d/beforeandafter.png)
a). food waste area redux
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9aeb7ddc144ceec0e487821b5d6030d464d3641714cbef67d7533289362ad534/Artboard-1posters2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bb458d755df66bb5fe71c7bdfb9f8cc74f5ca6227870fdbc6b344795d44e3748/Artboard-1-copyposters2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cb367f530240dbd97e37ac51290a36cb64793df5fc667b10ceadb849cfce6a29/Artboard-1-copy-2posters2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/89686856b62b2a55ede398d656c545fee05360c56ce8a58e9e7197446f601b3b/1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/475acd91c35935780d182d360c67e64d0ebef1b6debf343212cecf8ae18a518d/2.jpg)
b). interactive awareness campaign
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fed5f40a513c34f9faf394b66a6d620c7a75cf665fe43bd184f4a1b9e56c1563/wallwrap_context_smol.jpg)
QR Code scavenger hunt with interactive, actionable information
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6a937a68170e4dd5304daf28957435c851243ec61c7d847b5079a53fc802c7cf/Asset-1scan.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1573c5072973fcfdf3f85f83961237f259641fd121f0649e7a52ba59735e3634/qr_land1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/84daf0313d2615168f4bc69d81317db5a728723b742da747f76a7be9d19ff6b3/qr_land2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/551c719edc428d7f60ad451a5af95f00ea8a7996811fc4d2ff53f02f1d4e963e/qr_land3.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/02c2d68f33aada0f72c368d10b2834b8594c8508b5cbfac08aed17df837197a5/qr_land5.jpg)
postscript
As a result of the We Are What We Don’t Eat Campaign, RISD Dining estimated a ~90% composting rate for food waste in 2019, compared to a measured 38% before.