Advancing Biodiversity Conservation &amp; Eco-Human Health : Enhancing Food Ingredient Diversity Through Meal Planning at the University of British Columbia
Creators: name: Chan, Celina
name: Fernandez, Sylvia
name: Lin, Eddie
name: Unick, Julianne
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2023

description: This century has seen the accelerated deterioration of the environment, climate, and agricultural and species diversity. These complications are interconnected, as damages to biodiversity are linked with a heavy reliance on the same few crops (e.g. monocultures) on a local and global level (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2012; Durazzo, 2019). In British Columbia, recent effects from climate change have also gravely impacted local food supply chains, highlighting the importance of creating a resilient food system that simultaneously minimizes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The interrelationship between species diversity, the environment, and climate highlight the importance of applying a systems-based approach to our aim of enhancing biodiversity and nutrition at UBC. As a result of growing concerns about these environmental problems, especially among youth who stand to be most affected, many actions are being initiated around the world to raise the quality of our ecosystems and diets while reducing GHG emissions. At the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver, food systems already contribute to over 21% of GHG emissions on campus and over 31% for extended/indirect emissions related to commutes, business air travel, embodied carbon, waste, paper, and other materials/processes (UBC, 2021). Therefore, according to the Campus Action Plan (CAP) 2030, UBC is working through multiple strategies – such as creating Climate-Friendly Food System (CFFS) Procurement Guidelines and a Food Resilience and Climate Action Strategy – to reduce its emissions by 85% by 2030 (UBC, 2021). To support UBC in achieving these strategies, this project assessed the current ingredient variability within Open Kitchen (OK), a UBC first-year residence dining hall, and provided a data analysis of viable ingredient substitutions to enhance ingredient diversity, diet quality, and food system sustainability. The substitutes recommended prioritized foods that are grown in ways that prioritize food system sustainability, reduction of GHG emissions as well as water and land use footprint, human health, and a wider variety of food options for UBC’s diverse population. By working with UBC Food Services (UBCFS), UBC CFFS Action Team, the CAP 2030 team, and the Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Sustainability Program, this project seeks to contribute to a resilient food system within UBC Vancouver by conducting a Community-Based Action Research (CBAR) project. CBAR principles are important to this project as we conducted interviews with UBCFS staff recognizing them as “equal partners in identifying the problem to be investigated, undertaking the research itself, developing and implementing the intervention, and measuring the outcomes” (Gullion &amp; Tilton, 2020), which ensures that the changes we suggest are sustainable and achievable for UBCFS. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”