Understanding Eating Habits and Dietary Preferences that can Accelerate Positive Climate Actions
department or school: Land and Food Systems, Faculty of
data provider: DSpace
contributor: University of British Columbia. Food Services
contributor: University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning
creator: Ma, Jingyi
creator: Wang, Vivian
creator: Meyer, Morgane
creator: Wang, Mandy
creator: Bhutta, Noor
issued: 2024-07-30T18:15:33Z
issued: 2024-04-17
description: Food systems are major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide (Crippa et al., 2021). Animal-based foods emit more than twice the GHG than plant-based foods (Xu et al., 2021). Additionally, refined grains emit more than 20% of GHG when compared to whole-grains (Mitchell et al., 2024). Shifting diets towards a climate-friendly diet (low in red meat and refined grains) can show benefits. In the UBC context, more than 21% of GHG emissions are from the University’s food system (Vockeroth, n.d.). Because universities can have a lot of power in local food systems, due to the number of students living and using the campus–in UBC’s case that is about 60,000, the size of a mid-sized town–understanding eating patterns and dietary preferences of students is crucial to accelerate positive climate actions. The purpose of this research was to develop a comprehensive understanding of UBC students’ eating habits and dietary preferences at home and on campus, and identify barriers affecting adoption of these habits. The research objective explores students' eating habits across demographics and situations and analyzing factors influencing consumption patterns. Based on this data, an action plan was developed to promote sustainable dietary choices. Recommendations were to be derived that could contribute to the advancement of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2030. The project utilized Community-Based Action Research (CBAR), by gathering data directly from the researchers' community through various forms of interactions, e.g., survey questions, in-person, and future actions formulated for the community. Methods included secondary data collection via a literature review and primary data collection through a Qualtrics survey conducted from March 7th to March 23rd, 2024. Promotion of the survey involved undergraduate societies, the Graduate Student Society (GSS), professors, personal networks, posters, and in-person outreach. The literature review provided foundational know…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/88792
note: 12Disclaimer: UBC SEEDS Sustainability Program provides students with the opportunity to share thefindings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBCcommunity. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student research project and is not an officialdocument of UBC. Furthermore, readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect thecurrent status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a reportor the SEEDS Sustainability Program representative about the current status of the subject matter of areport.3AcknowledgementWe as Group 5 from LFS 450 would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our primary project client,Juan D. Martinez from the UBC SEEDS team for his invaluable support throughout our projectdevelopment, as well as his commitment to fostering sustainable initiatives within our community.The UBC SEEDS team’s dedication to environmental stewardship and innovative solutions hassignificantly contributed to our collective efforts in promoting sustainability and creating positivechange.We are also incredibly thankful for the support from the LFS 450 teaching team, Liska Richer andIsabela Andrade for their exceptional guidance throughout the course and the research process. Theirexpertise, enthusiasm, and commitment to fostering a dynamic learning environment have greatlyenriched our educational experience.4Practitioners’ SummaryBackground:Food systems are significant contributors to Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, withanimal-based foods generating over twice the GHGs of plant-based foods, and refined grains emittingover 20% more GHGs than whole grains (Xu et al., 2021; Mitchell et al., 2024). Shifting to a diet lowin red meat, animal products such as dairy, and refined grains could offer substantial environmentalbenefits. Specifically at the University of British Columbia (UBC), the university's food systemaccounts for more than 21% of its GHG emissions…
has type: Report
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0444919
language: eng
peer review status: Unreviewed
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Undergraduate
is part of: UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report
is part of: University of British Columbia. LFS 450
subject: Food
subject: Climate
subject: Behaviour
subject: Dietary
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88792