At 7 p.m. (EDT) Monday, April 12, the Student Farm at Penn State will be hosting Chef Alison Mountford for a virtual presentation called “Ends+Stems: One Chef’s Mission to Reduce Household Food Waste.” All are invited to join and learn how they can reduce food waste and help the environment through cooking. The "Ends+Stems" event will be held via Zoom. Registration can be found at: https://bit.ly/EndsAndStems.
Alison Mountford is the founder and CEO of Ends+Stems, a meal planning service designed to reduce household food waste to stop the effects of climate change. She has received wide recognition for her efforts and talents, including being named a Winter 2020 Nasdaq Milestone Maker and 2018 Rubicon Waste Fit Champion. She has also appeared in Forbes, Rachael Ray Everyday, and many podcasts.
Mountford will be sharing her story as a chef and founder, the research she has done about shopping and cooking patterns, the environmental consequences of wasting food and ideas about individual and systematic change. Participants will learn how they can reduce waste in their own lives and be positive forces for the environment.
The event organizer is Prin Kulwatno, a graduate student in nutrition and a dietetic intern with Penn State. He completed his undergraduate degree in nutrition with Penn State in the spring of 2020 and works as a culinary assistant with Penn State Campus Dining. This position has given him a unique perspective on the university’s approach to food waste. His work with the Ross Student Farm has involved producing a vegetable-focused video series and has given him the opportunity to organize this virtual event.
“I’m incredibly excited that Ms. Mountford has agreed to come speak with us at this event,” Kulwatno said. “Her approach and philosophy regarding food waste is truly unique, which is what prompted me to reach out to her in the first place. It is my hope that attendees of the event will come away with a better understanding of their role in generating food waste and how they can find ways to reduce it in their own communities.”
Any questions regarding the event should be directed to Kulwatno at psk5106@psu.edu.
About the Sustainable Food Systems Program at Penn State
The Sustainable Food Systems Program houses Penn State’s Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm, Student Farm Club, food systems minor and course-client collaborations. The goal of the program is to develop students’ knowledge about sustainable agriculture practices while providing hands-on learning opportunities and positively contributing to the community.