Give a Fork! Being a Mindful Consumer in Duke’s Dining Halls Mini Grant

Timeline

2025

Description

Affiliated program: SCALe Mini Grant

Summary

flyer expressing how to be a mindful consumer in Duke Dining Halls by using a metal utensil when choosing to dine in

Inspired by a common observation of diners choosing single-use utensils while dining in at an on-campus eatery

location, the Give a Fork! project launched as a student-led initiative aimed at spreading awareness to promote more sustainable dining habits in the Brodhead Center (BHC). Through educational outreach and interactive tabling events, the project was hosted in partnership with Duke Dining and encouraged students to make intentional choices about cutlery use to reduce single-use plastic waste. The message was simple: opt for reusable metal utensils for dine-in meals and opt for compostable, single-use utensils only when necessary for takeout and to-go scenarios.

The student leaders spoke to their peers in the Brodhead Center sharing facts about the environmental impact of utensil misuse and asking what factors influence whether students choose a single-use, disposable utensil instead of a reusable one while dining in; the student leaders collected 262 survey responses from peers citing 'availability,' 'convenience' and 'environmental mindfulness' as key factors influencing student utensil choice.

The project leaders empowered their peers to be part of a solution by offering reusable sporks so that even diners on-the-go can limit their plastic use by coming prepared with a durable utensil that can be stored in one's own backpack for whenever needed.

Goals

The project intended to encourage Duke students to think actively about making sustainable choices while dining in at the Brodhead Center with wider implications of reducing plastic waste on campus.
In a peer-to-peer education campaign style, the project specifically aimed to motivate students to choose reusable metal utensils when dining-in at on campus eateries, and reserve plastic utensils for to-go orders only, ensuring Duke's metal utensils stay within the dining system rather than being lost to to-go meals and potentially entering the landfill after one use.

Experience and Learning Outcomes

The student leaders created educational posters and hosted two outreach events in the BHC to promote sustainable behavior change through peer influence and in-person engagement.
They developed and distributed a survey using participation incentives such as metal sporks and cookies to draw people's attention to the sustainability message and engage meaningfully with diners.
They also analyzed the survey results outlining students' reflections on their dining habits and the perceived barriers to choosing sustainable utensil options.
The student leaders shared the survey data and their observations from conversations with peers to Duke Dining in support of more educational opportunities and to inform potential operational shifts in the future.

Student Leaders

Anna Brown and Annapurna Bhattacharya

Supporters

Kaitlyn Welzen, Sustainability Manager for Duke Dining
Grayson Crabtree, Program Director for Duke Dining