Waste Reduction Efforts in Schools

Date: April 11
Time: 3 - 4 p.m. (Central time)

In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply. Schools have a special role in not only reducing, recovering, and recycling food waste on their premises but also in educating the next generation about the importance of food conservation. Join RDNs Verena Vancil and Stephen Menyhart as they discuss partnerships and waste reduction techniques they have successfully utilized in their school districts.

CPE Level: 1
CPEU: 1 (pending)
Performance Indicators: 1.8, 12.4, 13.4

Learning Objectives

• Discuss techniques for reducing waste (recycle, reduce, reuse).
• Describe ways in which school nutrition programs may lead waste-reduction efforts in the school community.
• Identify creative approaches to empowering students to take ownership of the waste reduction effort.

Speakers

Verena Vancil RDN, LDN , SNS

Verena is a seasoned school nutrition professional and a school meals champion with over 15 years of experience in child nutrition programs. From the start, she pursued dietetics as a career with the goal of becoming a school nutrition dietitian. She graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in dietetics and later completed her dietetic training at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Tallahassee.

After working as a Senior Public Health Nutritionist for over a year, Verena joined the nationally recognized food and nutrition services department of Alachua County Public Schools in Gainesville, Fl. She became credentialed as a School Nutrition Specialist in 2022.

When she’s not sharing nutrition knowledge at work, Verena enjoys spending time outdoors camping, hiking, and paddle boarding with her husband.

Stephen Menyhart, RD, SNS

Stephen Menyhart was a line cook throughout his 20’s in Michigan, London, and Chicago. He then went on to obtain a degree in Culinary Nutrition and become a Registered Dietitian, in order to work in child nutrition leadership. He worked in Chicago Public Schools, was a Food Service Director in Watertown, Massachusetts, and has most recently worked as the Director of Food Services for the Boulder Valley School District. He is currently the owner & chief consultant of Molto Cuore Consulting.