Developing a Methodology for Measuring Environmental, Economic and Social Wellbeing Impacts of The Free Store

                     Executive Summary           Final Report

Project Abstract

While many people cannot pay for the food they need, some eateries throw away unspoiled food at the end of every day. As a solution to this problem, The Free Store, a food redistribution organization located in Wellington, New Zealand, distributes fresh surplus food from inner-city eateries to those in need. However, there is no framework to analyze their community impact. Our project evaluated methods to measure the store’s economic, environmental, and social wellbeing impacts. We used participant observation and semi-structured interviews to generate a framework and survey for social data collection. Additionally, we developed procedures to quantify the store’s environmental and economic impacts. Our final deliverable will allow future research projects to conduct a complete analysis.

Student Team

  • Jeremy Richard Spittle
  • Sofia Reyes
  • Van William Harting
  • Victoria Loosigian

Sponsor

The Free Store

Advisors

  • Clark, Constance
  • Rosenstock, Joshua