Of the 29 places to eat on Cornell’s campus, I chose to evaluate the food waste practices at the Risley Dining Hall on North Campus, for this case study. Risley is one of the program houses and focuses on art and theater and is located right next to one of the major bus stops on north, across the street from Balch Residence Hall (an all girls’ freshman dorm hall). They are open for lunch and dinner everyday. I eat lunch at Risley almost every week day with my friends. In comparison to my experiences at some of the other dining halls on campus, Risley seems to have a quieter setting. Risley has one serving line, a salad bar, and a fruit/sides bar. There are round tables set up to seat about 4 people. Studies show that when an individual eats with a larger group of people, they are more likely to consume greater amounts of food, especially at a buffet-style dining area (citation). I think the small, round tables at Risley promote smaller lunch gatherings and thus, help cut back on the amount of food wasted. Several people eat alone while doing homework on their laptops. I have noticed that these individuals appear to eat less than those eating with a more social group of friends. There are also often adults getting lunch at Risley, more so than I …show more content…
So, my observations would consist of me watching my friends’ consumption/waste habits and of me looking around the dining room and making general observations. I went Monday through Thursday, from about 11:30 or noon until 12:45-ish depending on the day. I took pictures of my friends at lunch and of their plates of food. They have free newspapers available just outside the dining hall, so a lot of people read them while they eat, so I caught my friend Paula reading the New York Times and snapped a picture of her. I see a lot of familiar faces when I go: both consumers and the