Green-Campus Open Call projects 2024 - The ReFridge Project
As part of the Green-Campus Open Call 2024, The ReFridge Project was awarded micro grant funding to progress the project under the themes of:
- Litter & Waste and Biodiversity (Green-Campus themes)
- Waste and Biodiversity (Climate Action Roadmap objectives)
School of Computer Science student, Bohdan Yeriemienko, together with support from Student Volunteering Coordinator Claire Flannery, secured €x in funding to tackling food waste on campus and food insecurity through a shared community fridge system.
The Green-Campus Open Call 2024 programme was designed to help bring ideas like the The ReFridge Project to life by making micro-grants available to selected projects. The programme encouraged a partnership approach to environmental education, management and participants were encouraged to develop projects that can be implemented using the living lab approach.
Speaking about The ReFridge Project, founder Bohdan Yeriemienko said:
By aligning with the SDGs and creating an environmentally friendly, community-driven solution, Re-Fridge not only supports students but also contributes to a more sustainable campus ecosystem.
About the project
The aim of the The ReFridge Project is to support students who are facing financial challenges so that they can access surplus food donated by campus canteens, nearby stores, or from fellow students.
Exploration
As part of the Living Lab 'Exploration' phase, the project committed to researching students’ needs regarding food availability and waste. Surveys and interviews were rolled out at different TU Dublin campuses to gauge student interest for the initiative and to determine the best locations for the fridges.
Workshops were also delivered to raise awareness around food waste and sustainability.
During the Exploration phase the project participants worked to identify potential partners, such as campus canteen services, local stores, and student groups, to help provide and manage food donations.
Experimentation
As part of the Living Lab 'Experimentation' phase, the project began with a pilot setup of a Re-Fridge at TU Dublin's Grangegorman campus, and participants worked closely with the Students' Union and sustainability groups. This pilot fridge is currently being managed by trained volunteers from TU Dublin Societies like the SVP societies, who help to ensure food safety standards are met and communicate guidelines to users. Project organisers are also working on a tracking system to monitor food donations, usage, and the types of food that are most in demand.
Evaluation
The ReFridge Project will enter the Living Lab Evaluation phase at the end of Semester 2, where they will assess the project’s impact on food waste reduction and student food access through data analytics made from their tracking system and surveys on user satisfaction. Metrics will include the volume of food saved from waste, user engagement, and feedback from campus partners.
Based on their findings, the project organisers will refine their approach to reFridge with the hope to scale the project across other TU Dublin campuses.