With funding from the EPA, PSU's Community Environmental Services, will reduce food waste while increasing access to produce for low-income families.
by Shaun McGillis
November 10th 2021
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Portland State University's Community Environmental Services (CES) unit, along with non-profit partners Trash for Peace and The Portland Fruit Tree Project, recently received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for a pilot project that aims to reduce food waste while increasing access to fresh produce for residents of East Portland's Rockwood Station multifamily housing site.
Fruit trees are a sustainable source of healthy produce. However, the yield of fruit tree harvest often exceeds the need of property owners where the trees grow. Under the new pilot project, CES, along with grant partners, Trash for Peace and The Portland Fruit Tree Project, will work with property owners, providing information on how to better care for fruit trees to improve the quality and quantity of the harvest. Property owners will then share a portion of their harvest, which the grant partners will distribute to the Rockwood Station multifamily housing site residents.
In addition to distributing the fruit, residents of Rockwood Station participating in Trash for Peace's community-driven Environmental Promoters Program will distribute educational information to help other residents reduce food waste within the community. The project promises community and environmental health benefits including, reduced carbon emissions in the lifecycle of food by preventing waste and encouraging locally-grown food supplies, and increasing access to fresh produce for residents of multifamily housing. The project will also reduce food waste and strengthen community sufficiency and resiliency by ensuring access to locally grown produce.
"Improving local food harvest and getting that food out to communities that don't always have access to fresh fruit is a major component of the project," said Christa McDermott, Director of Community Environmental Services. "But just as important is helping community members reduce food waste and strengthen communities."
McDermott notes that reducing waste and building communities also have implications for climate change, such as reducing the carbon footprint of food production, transportation, and distribution. The project aligns with the state's goal of reducing wasted food, the Metro region's waste plan, and the City of Portland's Climate Action Plan.
Work is currently underway on the project, with plans to begin distributing fruit to residents of Rockwood Station beginning in the summer and fall of 2022.