FoodWise: Food Waste Reduction and Behavior Change on Campus with Data Visualization and Gamification

TL;DR

FoodWise is a system combining data visualization and gamification to motivate university students to reduce food waste, demonstrated through a successful two-week campaign at HKUST that increased awareness and behavior change.

Contribution

This paper introduces FoodWise, a novel dual-component system integrating data storytelling and gamification to promote food waste reduction on campus.

Findings

Over 200 participants engaged in the campaign

More than 800 food-saving actions logged

Positive feedback on awareness and behavior change

Abstract

Food waste presents a substantial challenge with significant environmental and economic ramifications, and its severity on campus environments is of particular concern. In response to this, we introduce FoodWise, a dual-component system tailored to inspire and incentivize campus communities to reduce food waste. The system consists of a data storytelling dashboard that graphically displays food waste information from university canteens, coupled with a mobile web application that encourages users to log their food waste reduction actions and rewards active participants for their efforts. Deployed during a two-week food-saving campaign at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in March 2023, FoodWise engaged over 200 participants from the university community, resulting in the logging of over 800 daily food-saving actions. Feedback collected post-campaign underscores the system's efficacy in elevating user consciousness about food waste and prompting behavioral shifts towards a more sustainable campus. This paper also provides insights for enhancing our system, contributing to a broader discourse on sustainable campus initiatives.