School of Sustainability Graduate Culminating Experiences
Student capstone and applied projects from ASU's School of Sustainability.
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Description
Recent trends show that consumers are starting to prioritize sustainability when they go out to eat now more than ever. Tarbell's, a family-owned restaurant based in Phoenix, Arizona, aims to become a leader in sustainable food service but requires additional expertise in prioritizing and showcasing their sustainability efforts. Founded by Mark Tarbell in 1994, Tarbell’s portfolio includes the main restaurant- Tarbell’s, The Wine Store and Tavern, their catering business, and The Tavern at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport., Tarbell’s has partnered with the Tarbellas, a group of Master of Sustainability Solutions (MSUS) students at Arizona State University (ASU), to pursue larger impact goals, including conducting a materiality assessment and drafting a sustainability plan of action.
To begin the project process, the Tarbellas completed a landscape analysis. We researched the following categories: restaurant vendor practices; small, international restaurants; small, national restaurants; corporate food retailers; and restaurant-related sustainability certifications. This analysis informed our other research methods, including a best practices assessment and TOWS analysis, ultimately leading us to develop four initial priorities that informed our next steps: 1) hire a staff member to manage all sustainability initiatives and reporting, 2) focus on sustainable procurement across the restaurant, 3) complete the Food Made Good online audit, and 4) work towards and obtain Green Restaurant Association Certification.
With support from Tarbell’s, we developed a job description for a Sustainability Program Manager and a Sustainable Purchasing Policy. We created both by researching existing job postings and purchasing policies, and then adapted them to fit Tarbell’s needs and goals. Tarbell’s also completed the Food Made Good online audit.
Finally, the Tarbellas completed a materiality assessment. In order to do this, we developed an internal stakeholder survey and collected data on Tarbell’s annual spend from 2022. We plotted the results on a materiality matrix and used the results to inform how to prioritize the next steps. This prioritization will help Tarbell’s inform their sustainability strategy in the future.
Going forward, we recommend the following to Tarbell’s: 1) Hire a Sustainability Program Manager, 2) Utilize the Sustainable Purchasing Policy (SPP) we developed, 3) Obtain Green Restaurant Association Certification, and 4) routinely revisit their material impacts. Our report takes the format of a sustainability plan of action, enabling Tarbell’s to continue pursuing sustainability while being a leading example and guide for other small, independent restaurants on their paths to pursuing sustainability.
ContributorsAntidormi, Rachel (Author) / Martin, Azita (Author) / Ouellette, Kelsey (Author) / Queen, Sarah (Author)
Created2023-04-26
ContributorsAntidormi, Rachel (Author) / Martin, Azita (Author) / Ouellette, Kelsey (Author) / Queen, Sarah (Author)
Created2023-04-26
ContributorsAntidormi, Rachel (Author) / Martin, Azita (Author) / Ouellette, Kelsey (Author) / Queen, Sarah (Author)
Created2023-04-26
ContributorsAntidormi, Rachel (Author) / Martin, Azita (Author) / Ouellette, Kelsey (Author) / Queen, Sarah (Author)
Created2023-04-26
Description
Energy insecurity has become increasingly common in Maricopa County, Arizona. Households are not able to meet energy demands, resulting in vulnerability and the sacrifice of basic needs. Various root causes and pathway dependencies have exacerbated this issue, creating detrimental health, societal and environmental outcomes.
The project, Energy Insecurity and Public Health: Going Further through Cross-Sector Collaboration, aims to improve the health of communities by promoting projects that are community-engaged, action-oriented, and equity-focused (Interdisciplinary Research Leaders, 2020). Eventually, the final deliverable of this project will be an energy insecurity toolkit that can be leveraged by stakeholders to make a change in their local communities. To achieve this deliverable, a stakeholder workgroup was created to assess all aspects of energy insecurity in Maricopa County. To avoid typical pitfalls of stakeholder workgroups, the Learning and Action Alliance (LAA) Framework was chosen to be applied to the workgroup. The LAA Framework leverages social learning and promotes knowledge sharing between stakeholders (O’Donnell et al, 2018). The framework is implemented in five phases and can be customized to fit any wicked problem. The accompanying guidebook, "Applying the Learning and Action Alliance Framework: Energy Insecurity in Maricopa County’, was created to simplify the framework’s implementation phases and provide ‘real-world’ examples of how the framework was implemented into the energy insecurity stakeholder workgroup. The guidebook will be used by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health to facilitate other sustainability workgroups. Thus far, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health has approved the guidebook and is looking forward to integrating the guidebook into workgroup standard practices.
The project, Energy Insecurity and Public Health: Going Further through Cross-Sector Collaboration, aims to improve the health of communities by promoting projects that are community-engaged, action-oriented, and equity-focused (Interdisciplinary Research Leaders, 2020). Eventually, the final deliverable of this project will be an energy insecurity toolkit that can be leveraged by stakeholders to make a change in their local communities. To achieve this deliverable, a stakeholder workgroup was created to assess all aspects of energy insecurity in Maricopa County. To avoid typical pitfalls of stakeholder workgroups, the Learning and Action Alliance (LAA) Framework was chosen to be applied to the workgroup. The LAA Framework leverages social learning and promotes knowledge sharing between stakeholders (O’Donnell et al, 2018). The framework is implemented in five phases and can be customized to fit any wicked problem. The accompanying guidebook, "Applying the Learning and Action Alliance Framework: Energy Insecurity in Maricopa County’, was created to simplify the framework’s implementation phases and provide ‘real-world’ examples of how the framework was implemented into the energy insecurity stakeholder workgroup. The guidebook will be used by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health to facilitate other sustainability workgroups. Thus far, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health has approved the guidebook and is looking forward to integrating the guidebook into workgroup standard practices.
Created2021-04-28