Menus of Change University Research Collaborative

It’s always great to see Menus of Change University Research Collaborative members interviewing each other! If you know of other podcasts where we could spread the word about MCURC research, resources, membership, sponsorship, and other collaboration opportunities, please send them to Abby Fammartino and Sophie Egan.

Always great to see Menus of Change University Research Collaborative members interviewing each other! If you know of other podcasts where we should spread the word about MCURC research, resources, membership, sponsorship, and orher collaboration opportunities, please send them to Abby and Sophie.

Hey Menus of Change University Research Collaborative community, our colleagues at University of Maryland University of Maryland Dining Services have an exciting job opening for a Sustainability Manager. This role will be a key contributor to MCURC activities in addition to supporting their sustainable food program. Please share widely, and reach out to Colleen Wright-Riva with any great candidates! https://lnkd.in/gpKKFSyk

Have you heard the news? We recently teamed up with ReFED and chefs at nine MCURC member organizations on a research sprint designed to help your foodservice operation reduce food waste, while boosting your bottom line and staff and guest morale. The best part? We created a toolkit and report to help you put these practices to work, along with a digital recipe collection to get you inspired to start. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dR-Jskfp The Culinary Institute of America R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliaries University of North Texas

Do you know college students who are passionate about food and climate change? Please spread the word of an upcoming webinar on Friday featuring brief presentations from a number of organizations where students can take an active role in creating a sustainable food system on campus and beyond!

Exciting news about a new MCURC publication! Led by the R&DE Stanford Food Institute, we are pleased to present the "MCURC Collective Impact Progress Report 2024," the outcome of collaboration among 30+ organizations. In just five years, we collectively achieved a 23% reduction in food-related greenhouse gas emissions, impacting 93 million pounds of food. Never before have universities worked together to address climate change in this way! We hope this report will inspire others on their own journey toward plant-forward, climate-friendly menus. Click here to check it out: https://lnkd.in/dyJFnesB #MCURC The Culinary Institute of America Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises Stanford Prevention Research Center.

We invite you to join us for an exciting webinar to learn about mission-driven programs on college campuses nationwide! A wide range of organizations will share lightning talks about what they do and how you can get involved. You won’t want to miss this chance to build community and understand the full landscape of opportunity on your campus when it comes to making a difference through your university’s dining program. Organizations include: Plant Futures, Menus of Change University Research Collaborative Student Fellows Program, Better Food Foundation, Real Food Challenge, New Roots Institute, The Good Food Institute, and Food 4 Thought Innovations. ?? October 18th, 2024, 10:00AM - 11:00AM PT / 1:00PM - 2:00PM ET Zoom Registration Link: https://lnkd.in/dcWG5ytM Final Line-Up: https://lnkd.in/d8kupW7k

Last week, we had a very successful Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC) 11th Annual All-Member Meeting at Boston University, bringing together a record-breaking 180 attendees from over 30 institutions, including representatives from some of our newest member institutions, North Carolina Central University, Georgetown University, and California State University-Sacramento. This year’s theme, Small Steps, Big Impact: Driving Long-Lasting Change through Research and Innovation, set the stage for exciting discussions and new insights. Attendees got a first look at MCURC's newest research projects (further announcements coming soon), including: - Repurpose with a Purpose, a collaboration with ReFED, highlighting the impact of chefs upcycling pre-consumer waste and featuring a recipe collection from MCURC chefs. - The Collective Impact Initiative Progress Report, offering a data-driven look at how institutions can transform their protein portfolios for greater sustainability. - The University Procurement for Planetary Health academic publication, which analyzes university dining portfolios against the Eat-Lancet Planetary Health Diet. Additionally, diverse panel discussions with senior university administrators, chefs, nutrition managers, sustainability managers, and dining directors emphasized the importance of engaging students and culinary teams to drive system-level change. Keynote speaker Sara Bleich, PhD reinforced MCURC’s mission to catalyze population-level transformation through research, education, and innovation in sustainable dining. We also?heard about the inspiring research takeaways from our Research Collaborators including Food for Climate League, Greener by Default, ReFED, and World Resources Institute. A huge thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to this year’s meeting! We're already looking forward to the 2025 gathering at Vanderbilt University! #MCURC

We are delighted to share a new resource from Charlie Hoffs, former Menus of Change University Research Collaborative Fellows Program Co-Manager and Stanford Food Institute Project Manager: She has recently submitted a manuscript based on her masters thesis on how food systems courses are being taught at the 21 land-grant universities in the MCURC, and as part of this work, she has now launched an open-access syllabus website featuring all of the amazing syllabi that instructors permitted her to share. We invite you to enjoy this rich new resource and share it widely with your colleagues! https://lnkd.in/gUE_4ZW8 Lastly, she has also launched a Google Group for instructors eager to connect with other food systems instructors about teaching and learning in just, healthy, sustainable food systems. It has about?30 members, and you can learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g-iJtVyW

Congratulations to Jackie Bertoldo, DrPH, MPH, RDN and a big thank you to all of the institutions who participated in the University Procurement for Planetary Health study! The first article has been published - please take a look and share widely with your networks!