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Who made this?
THE
THE
COLLECTIVE
COLLECTIVE
PANTRY
PANTRY
for
a waste -free
food future
for
a waste -free
food future
What are the ingredients of a waste-free food system?
Intelligent food supply chain management? Sophisticated logistics for food delivery? Informed consumers?
We devote years of work, millions of dollars in pursuit of recipes for a waste-free food future. Science and technology might give us some of the ingredients. But perhaps not all.
The missing ingredients
When we see wasted food as a symptom of our harmed relationship with food, with our communities, and our land, we need more than information and technology. The possibility of a waste-free food future, one that values people and ecosystems, lies in healing/restoring these relations.
Check the trash!
These essential ingredients aren't completely missing.
We bring some ingredients of change from our culture, our families, our personal journeys. Yet, they often don't make it to our recipes, as academia often discarded them as scraps.
Every story has an ingredient,
Each ingredient has a story.
By sharing stories of our experiences with wasted food, we can tap into the wisdom that we bring from our personal journeys, and uncover new imaginative possibilities.
Once upon a time, there was
a rotting fish…"
a sinful ragu…"
way too much cheese…"
no place to compost…"
an immortal carton of milk…"
a mystery petri dish…"
an inspired researcher…"
a stubborn data model…"
a rotting fish…"
a sinful ragu…"
way too much cheese…"
no place to compost…"
an immortal carton of milk…"
a mystery petri dish…"
an inspired researcher…"
a stubborn data model…"
a rotting fish…"
a sinful ragu…"
way too much cheese…"
no place to compost…"
an immortal carton of milk…"
a mystery petri dish…"
an inspired researcher…"
a stubborn data model…"
a rotting fish…"
a sinful ragu…"
way too much cheese…"
no place to compost…"
an immortal carton of milk…"
a mystery petri dish…"
an inspired researcher…"
a stubborn data model…"
Explore this collection of stories to discover unique ingredients for a 'waste free food future', foraged from personal journeys of researchers.
We welcome more stories, with a unique handmade doodle for each story!
Walk the Talk
Afterlife of a Tomato
"Pa, Yo No Quiero"
Sinful Ragu
Green Team
Mother & Daughter Bonding
Frustrating Food "Rules"
No Shame in Cheese
Best By Negotiations
Urban Gleaning
"Data does not change minds. Facts do not change minds. Reality sometimes does not change minds. It's how people feel. It's how it lands here, in their body.
-Tammy Johnson, Interview by Food Culture Collective
RECIPES Story Pods
AUGUST 19 - SEPTEMBER 25
Ready to get creative with your research narrative?
Introducing Story Pods - a space where we will tap into our personal journeys to craft inspiring research narratives. Join us to learn about storytelling, share moments that marked your journey, and bring your research to life in a way that truly resonates.
How to sign up:
We'll schedule sessions flexibly for groups of 2-3 people, adapting to everyone's availability. There are two ways to sign up:
Sign up for a slot in the calendar below. You will receive a notification when the session is confirmed.
Sign up as a group by emailing asungu@id.iit.edu. Share up to 2 other people who would like to participate with you and your preferred date/time.
This activity was created as part of a research study and sessions will be recorded for research purposes. Learn more
What’s in the Recipes for
a Waste-Free Food Future?
The ingredients in this pantry have been collected from our diverse journeys.
You will find ingredients from the distant lands of childhood memories, surprising ones from different cultures, and very potent ones from inner worlds.
In this pantry, we cherish the bits and pieces that get treated as scraps and tossed aside in academia. Because every experience, every lesson—no matter how small—adds flavor to our recipe for a waste-free food future.
Mindsets & Culture
People & Relationships
Play & Creativity
Knowledge
Objects & Spaces
Access to Funds
Curious Chef's Guide to Flavors
Click on the cards to explore the ingredients in the pantry. Behind each card, you will find a description and the name of it's story.
More flavors will appear here as our pantry keeps expanding with your contributions!
Commitment
Open-minded educators
Kids' excitement
Experimental Knowledge
Risk-taking
Access to Funding
Relationships
Container to carry leftovers
Seeing food as sacred
Learning with family
Valuing sacrifice of life
Seeing plants within their life cycle
Food Law Awareness
Desire to Mark Children's Growth
Sentimentality for plants
Food as community builder
Communal Living
PANTRY STARTS HERE
Notice something missing?
If it's not there, it's yours to add.
Every story has ingredients for a waste-free food future,
each ingredient has a story that brings out its true flavors.
Use the form velow to share your story and reflect on the ingredients it contains.
An Inspirational Guide
