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Climate Kitchen

The ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë Climate Kitchen is a maker's space for collaboration and experimentation to help us reimagine the connection between food and climate change. All researchers and learners are welcome to join us in a process of emergent discovery.
Two students working at a cooktop

Our Mission

Our mission is to facilitate researchers, students, and communities in using the Climate Kitchen as a living laboratory as they explore new food systems possibilities.

Researchers weighing bags of food waste

Our Vision

The Climate Kitchen will bring together researchers, students, and communities at ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë and beyond to develop more sustainable practices – from sourcing, to cooking, to eating – using the kitchen environment as a living laboratory.

Learn More About Us Learn More About What We Do

Five Tenets for Building Sustainable Practices

A student leaning on a kitchen counter writing on a piece of paper

The Five Tenets

The ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë Climate Kitchen is based around five tenets for building sustainable practices. These five evidence-based tenets address the push and pull between climate change and our food system and will inform research questions and experiments, and aid curriculum design. Click here to learn more.
A student serving themselves from a pot of dal

Tenet One: Plant Forward

Assessing macro-micronutrient quality, experimenting with new plant and insect protein sources, enhancing culinary techniques.
Injera with portions of greens and lentils

Tenet Two: Integrating Tastes and Habits

Documenting eating preferences across various populations; building alternative foods that respond to sensory preferences.
Kitchen scraps including onions skills and lemon peels in a compost bucket

Tenet Three: Low Waste

Designing waste out of food transformations (processing, preserving, cooking); alternative packaging and preservation systems.
Kale stems in a dehydrator

Tenet Four: Whole Food Utilization

Using entire ingredients; promoting nutrient dense whole foods through the entire food system.
Beets, purple cauliflower, apples, shallots, and a pumpkin

Tenet Five: Regional/Local Sourcing

Addressing the opportunities and barriers of seasonality to help build resilient local and regional food systems.

Our Food System and Climate Change

Stock image birds eye view crop harvest
About a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions is linked to food.
eggs being sorted
Animal-based foods are generally associated with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, while plant-based foods use less energy, land, and water.
landfill
Almost 1 billion tons of food goes into trash bins every year. Producing, transporting, and letting that food rot contribute more than 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, contact Emily Barbour emily.barbour@uvm.edu

The Climate Kitchen is funded in part by the Food Systems Research Center.