Month: October 2024

Field Trip to DCF: Waste to Energy in the Food System – Bennett Greenspoon

The Dickinson College Farm is more than a venue for students and staff to grow organic food; it is also a focal point for sustainable practices, integrating innovative solutions into the food system. It is part of a growing movement that explores “waste to energy” strategies, turning what would be food waste into energy. Among such technologies is biogas systems, through which organic waste is transformed into biogas, a renewable energy source that can be used for heating, cooking, and even electricity generation (M. Steiman, personal communication, October 3, 2024).

Halpin, J. (2024) Dickinson College Farm

Biogas production involves anaerobic digestion of organic material, such as food scraps, manure, and other biodegradable waste (M. Steiman, personal communication, October 3, 2024). Microorganisms break down the material in the absence of oxygen, resulting in the production of methane, or biogas, along with a nutrient-rich by-product called digestate (M. Steiman, personal communication, October 3, 2024). This biogas can then be harnessed as a sustainable energy source. Meanwhile, the digestate can also be used as a fertilizer, adding another layer of sustainability to the process. This closed-loop system reduces waste, reduces methane emissions from landfills, and provides a renewable energy alternative (Subramanian, Brown, & Dziedzic, 2019).

According to “Women and Home-Scale Biogas: Benefits, Barriers and Insights from US-based Innovators,” (Steiman, 2019) there is significant potential for biogas systems, particularly at smaller, home-scale levels. Women have been at the forefront of many biogas innovations, promoting it as a way to decentralize energy production and address environmental challenges (Steiman, 2019). Home-scale biogas systems allow households to convert kitchen scraps and garden waste into energy, reducing reliance on traditional fuels like natural gas or propane (Steiman, 2019).

Biogas technology is used at the Dickinson College Farm with broader goals of sustainability and education. Food waste can be repurposed into energy through processes that students can observe, such as the repurposing of the dining hall food waste, affording them practical knowledge about waste-to-energy systems to carry forward into their careers. The farm’s biogas initiatives present a tangible example of how small-scale biogas systems can reduce carbon footprints while bringing in various economic and environmental benefits.

While the benefits are clear, “Women and Home-Scale Biogas” (Steiman, 2019)also notes barriers, which include initial setup costs and learning associated with maintaining biogas systems. However, through innovation, education, and public awareness, these challenges are being brought under control (Subramanian et al. 2019; Steiman 2019). With the continued development of user-friendly systems and proof of their potential at sites like the Dickinson College Farm, there is at least some hope for biogas to play a much more significant part in changing the food system’s relationship with both waste and energy.

Halpin, J. (2024) Dickinson College Farm

The farm’s commitment to integrating biogas into its operations is an exciting step forward for sustainable agriculture, and it provides a blueprint that institutions and individuals can emulate.

References:

1. Steiman, M. (2019). Women and home-scale biogas: Benefits, barriers and insights from US-based innovators. Dickinson College Farm.
2. Subramanian, M., Brown, L., & Dziedzic, G. (2019). Women and home-scale biogas: Benefits, barriers and insights from US-based innovators, BioEnergy Research.

Do you ever wonder where your tomato came from?

Check out this wonderful and informative short video on three key systems of food production.

https://dson.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=fa99ee3d-02bb-459a-996f-b1f8000bc1ec&start=111.133437

Urban Farms can be found across the United States, in every city. These farms are in concrete jungles where fresh produce can be scarce. Having Urban Farms can help a community access healthy nutritious food (Kim et al., 2016). Many of these poorer urban communities can be found in Food Deserts, places where fresh food is not readily available (Jacobson & Silverbush, 2013). This causes families to either spend money on transportation to get to better grocery stores or eat a less nutritional diet.

Allison Hill is one of these unfortunate communities. It’s located in Harrisburg, PA, but remains in a “food desert.” I say this because while they don’t have access to fresh food, their Dollar General has “potential to carry fresh food” because of its freezers, so it’s no longer labeled a food desert (Ryan Johns, personal communication, 2024). This draws government attention away from Allison Hill and their need for fresh food that’s convenient and cheap. Recently, a non-profit program, Wildheart, came in to help this community. In 2022, they opened Hill Farm, an Urban Farm focused on feeding and educating its neighbors (Ryan Johns, personal communication, 2024).

Allison Hill and Hill Farm reminded me of my home in Minneapolis. The community of North Minneapolis, especially the Near North neighborhood, shares lots of characteristics. The bad reputation, diversity, underfunding from the city, and food insecurity are all relative. Another similarity, and reason for the communities’ decline, is they were both redlined in the 1930s (Hardison, 2018; Minnesota Realtors, 2020). This is when banks decide to exclude communities from being able to take out loans for housing, based on race (Ryan Johns, personal communication, 2024). The need for SNAP benefits and other cheap options is obvious in both neighborhoods. In North, 46.9% of residents are on food stamps, in Allison Hill its 36.9% (Statistical Atlas, 2018). Compared to Cumberland County, where 8.9% of the population are on food stamps, these communities are severely underserviced and ignored by the government (Bedi, et al., 2022). Parts of Allison Hill were even used by companies to dump trash (Ryan Johns, personal communication, 2024). Hill Farm is a gateway for the community to have a clean, green space that also provides them food. Hill Farm sells their produce every week at Hamilton Health Center, for slightly less than Giant’s market prices (Ryan Johns, personal communication, 2024).

The part I loved the most about Hill Farm was the education aspect. As an education major, I appreciated the programs the farm had, like bringing in school groups to teach kids in the community about gardening and the potential for a career in it. They are even starting to host an after-school program there next week (Ryan Johns, personal communication, 2024)! I really want to come back as an intern and help on the farm as well as teach in the greenhouses. I feel helping a community that’s like the one I owe so much to, is a great way to give back.

Harrisburg (left), and Minneapolis (right), redlining.

Our class visiting Hill Farm, with Farm Manager Ryan Johns.

References:

Bedi H., Hogan L., Johnson K., Jones M., Kirven C., Mark-Ockerbloom W., McCaa A., O’Bresly L., Salsich N., Uro-De Leon N., Walsh S., Woodward L., & Zook Z. (2022). Cumberland County Food Assessment. Dickinson College, Department of Environmental Studies.

Hardison, L. (2018, August 31). My City Was Gone: How redlining helped segregate, blight Harrisburg. The Burg. https://theburgnews.com/around-the-burg/my-city-was-gone-how-redlining-helped-segregate-blight-harrisburg

Jacobson, K., & Silverbush, L. (2013). A Place at the Table [Documentary]. Magnolia.

Kim B., Palmer A., Santo R. (2016, May). Vacant Lots to Vibrant Plots. Johns Hopkins.

Minnesota Realtors. (2020, October 1). Mapping the Legacy of Racism in Twin Cities Real Estate. https://www.mnrealtor.com/blogs/mnr-news1/2020/10/01/mapping-the-legacy-of-racism-in-twin-cities-real-e

Statistical Atlas. (2018). Food Stamps in Allison Hill, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/Pennsylvania/Harrisburg/Allison-Hill/Food-Stamps

Statistical Atlas. (2018). Food Stamps in Near North, Minneapolis, Minnesota. https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/Minnesota/Minneapolis/Near-North/Food-Stamps

Food insecurity affects the town of Carlisle even though it is located in one of the richest counties in the state of Pennsylvania. Northern Carlisle has been labeled as a “food desert” (Halpin, 2024). This means, in areas of town, it is difficult to buy affordable and quality food. Government initiatives to expand food access have historically involved intense barriers to entry. For various reasons, SNAP benefits don’t reach families who need support with food access. For example, among families that qualify according to the government standards, there is a lengthy application process and inherent stigma built into actually one day receiving the aid. Further, government metrics for determining food access needs may not reflect the actual circumstances of families (Hossfeld, 2018). While government initiatives toward providing food access are the most broadly effective and resourceful programs, local initiatives play a crucial role in bridging the gap where nationwide initiatives otherwise fail.

Local food access initiative demand is filled by neighborhood food pantries that exist to serve their respective communities. Food secure individuals fall under, “all persons obtaining at all times an affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate diet through local, non-emergency food sources (or through normal economic channels)” (US Congress, n.d.). Food pantries tend to fulfill a greater number of characteristics of food security where broader initiatives can’t possibly cater as closely to communities’ needs.

Community members receive food from Project SHARE food pantry’s main location in Carlisle, PA (Project SHARE).

In Carlisle, a spit from Dickinson College’s campus, there is a local food pantry called Project SHARE that serves the Carlisle community directly. There, free, nutritious, and culturally catered food is provided to residents that need the support. For example, I saw they had Halal meat and some culturally specific items on the shelves. In terms of nutrition, there is a section for fruits and vegetables. One of the greatest barriers families may face when attempting to come off benefits is bridging the gap between being qualified and being self-sufficient with their income. Oftentimes income isn’t representative of need. Representative of Project SHARE related that their fruit and vegetable only serve families determined to be sufficiently below the poverty level (Project SHARE). Here, local initiatives for access shine once again. At Project SHARE, a farm stand is operated in order to serve families in any financial standing. No questions asked, families can acquire produce each month.

Sources:

Halpin, J. (2024). Local Issues and Initiatives in Food Access. Personal Collection of J. Halpin, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa.

Hossfeld, L. H., Kelly, E. B., & Waity, J. F. (Eds.). (2018). Food and Poverty: Food Insecurity and Food Sovereignty among America’s Poor. Vanderbilt University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv167585f

Project SHARE. (n.d.). Farmstand. Retrieved from https://projectsharepa.org/farm-stand/.