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Building and managing sustainable schools: the case of food waste

Abstract

The global sustainability imperative requires dealing with food waste. This study explores how the management of school canteens can help school leaders on their path towards building more sustainable institutions. Despite scholars have largely shown the magnitude of food waste generated at school canteens, this paper shows that headteachers mistakenly perceive their canteens to be efficient in adjusting the amount cooked and that their pupils leave little plate waste. Data were collected through a survey among 420 school headteachers and a clustering analysis based on the schools’ sustainability profile was applied. Results show that schools can be categorized in 4 clusters: Activists, Environmentalists, Socials, and Laggards. A relevant contribution of this paper is that even in those clusters largely engaged in sustainability issues, canteen food waste reduction initiatives are rarely applied. Increasing school management’s visibility and awareness on the issue of food waste would result in more sustainable educational institutions. Another conclusion of the study is that although school sustainability is related to environmental rather than social initiatives, schools can follow two different paths on their way towards sustainability: either the social or environmental avenues

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Building and managing sustainable schools: the case of food waste

Author: Derqui Zaragoza, Belén,Grimaldi, Didier,Fernández Alarcón, Vicenç
Year: 2020
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118533
Source: https://upcommons.upc.edu/bitstream/2117/173496/4/150919%2bClustering%2bschools%2bJCP.pdf
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De qui, B.; G imaldi, D.; Fe nandez, V. Building and managing
sus ainable schools: he case o ood was e. "Jou nal o cleane
p oduc ion", 10 Gene 2020, ol. 243, 118533. DOI:
10.1016/j.jclep o.2019.118533
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1
Building and Managing sus ainable schools: The case o ood was e
Abs ac
The global sus ainabili y impe a i e equi es dealing wi h ood was e. This s udy explo es how he managemen o
school can eens can help school leade s on hei pa h owa ds building mo e sus ainable ins i u ions. Despi e
schola s ha e la gely shown he magni ude o ood was e gene a ed a school can eens, his pape shows ha
head eache s mis akenly pe cei e hei can eens o be e icien in adjus ing he amoun cooked and ha hei pupils
lea e li le pla e was e. Da a we e collec ed h ough a su ey among 420 school head eache s and a clus e ing
analysis based on he schools’ sus ainabili y p o ile was applied. Resul s show ha schools can be ca ego ised in 4
clus e s: Ac i is s, En i onmen alis s, Socials, and Lagga ds. A ele an con ibu ion o his pape is ha e en in
hose clus e s la gely engaged in sus ainabili y issues, can een ood was e educ ion ini ia i es a e a ely applied.
Inc easing school managemen ’s isibili y and awa eness on he issue o ood was e would esul in mo e sus ainable
educa ional ins i u ions. Ano he conclusion o he s udy is ha al hough school sus ainabili y is ela ed o
en i onmen al a he han social ini ia i es, schools can ollow wo di e en pa hs on hei way owa ds sus ainabili y:
ei he he social o en i onmen al a enues.
1. In oduc ion
Clima e change is eal and cu en ly ecognised by he in e na ional communi y as a majo h ea o human
de elopmen (Ga ne , 2008). The e is indeed an inc easing app ehension su ounding he impac s o clima e
change, especially wi h ega d o he abili y o he wo ld o p o ide sus ainable die s o all i s u u e popula ion
(God ay e al., 2010). No su p isingly, educing ood was e has been sugges ed as one o he mos p omising
measu es o imp o e ood secu i y in he coming decades (Kummu e al., 2012) and o p og ess owa ds sus ainabili y
o he ood sys em.
Food was e has an impac on all h ee dimensions o sus ainabili y: i is a g owing e hical, en i onmen al and
economic p oblem. In de eloped coun ies mos ood was e occu s a he inal le els o he supply chain and,
consequen ly has a highe impac on he en i onmen (Pa i e al., 2010). Fo his eason educa ion and awa eness
campaigns, al hough no enough, ha e become impo an in achie ing he goal o imp o ing sus ainabili y o he ood
sys em (Ga ne , 2008). The global sus ainabili y impe a i e equi es inc easing awa eness o he challenge and, as
s a ed by K onlid (2014), his is closely ela ed o school educa ion. Fu he mo e, schools ha e been iden i ied as
being in a p ima y posi ion o o e educa ion on nu i ion and sus ainabili y and in being able o in luence p esen and
u u e consump ion pa e ns. Thei ole is c ucial as ood consump ion pa e ns hea ily a ec he sus ainabili y o he
global ood supply chain (Ben enu i e al., 2016). The e o e, he applica ion o ini ia i es o educe ood was e a
school can eens becomes an oppo uni y o p omo e mo e sus ainable ood habi s among u u e gene a ions
(Boschini e al., 2017). Th ough educing ood was e, schools can be con ibu o s o a mo e sus ainable p esen and
u u e ood sys em, while educing cos s a he same ime (Cohen e al., 2015; EPA, 2014). Howe e , li e a u e is oo
scan y o p opose solu ions o achie e his objec i e.
In o de o shed ligh on his issue, he empi ical app oach chosen consis ed o a quan i a i e su ey among 420
school head eache s aiming o iden i y, cha ac e ise and classi y pa e ns o beha iou owa ds sus ainabili y in
gene al and ood was e in pa icula . The goal o his esea ch is o de elop a se o c i e ia o clus e schools based
on sus ainabili y conce ns and ini ia i es o hei op managemen eams and o p io i ise ood was e educ ion
ini ia i es ha could aid in i s educ ion.
2
2. Li e a u e Re iew
2.1 Educa ion o Sus ainable De elopmen (ESD) and Sus ainable Schools
Educa ion is conside ed by UNESCO as a key ins umen o achie e Sus ainable De elopmen Goals. As s a ed in
se e al Unesco epo s (e.g. UNESCO, 2017, 2015, 2005), educa ion should become he engine o sus ainable
de elopmen and he key o a be e wo ld: “Educa ion can, and mus , con ibu e o a new ision o sus ainable
global de elopmen ” (UNESCO, 2015, p. 32). This ecognises he impo ance o educa ion on he in e ac ion be ween
de elopmen and he en i onmen .
Wi h i s oo s in Educa ion o Sus ainable De elopmen (ESD), he concep o sus ainable schools, unde s ood as
hose ha embed sus ainabili y p inciples and alues in school cul u e, is in con inuous e olu ion (Kadji-Bel an e
al., 2013). A sus ainable school has been de ined as an o ganisa ion guided by he p inciples o ca e o one sel ,
ca e o each o he and ca e o he en i onmen , in eg a ing sus ainabili y conce ns in o i s daily ope a ions (DCSF,
2008; Gough, 2005). Resou ce managemen , and hus, was e managemen oo, a e essen ial conside a ions o
sus ainable school policies.
Acco ding o Bi ney e al., sus ainabili y is much mo e han “ano he ini ia i e” o schools. They s a e ha
sus ainabili y is “li e gi ing o people and hei o ganisa ional pu poses, policies and p ac ices” (Bi ney and Reed,
2009, p. 46). They con inue a i ming i p o ides schools wi h a obus mo al amewo k o wo k wi hin (Bi ney and
Reed, 2009). A sus ainable school should hen gua an ee oppo uni ies o all s a membe s in lea ning and eaching
he p inciples o ESD and ela ed ac ion (Youngs and King, 2002).
2.2. The Role o School head eache s in building Sus ainable Schools
Manage s’ cha ac e is ics and beha iou s ha e been ound by schola s as being closely ela ed o en i onmen al
managemen (Fe nández e al., 2006). Sus ainable school leade s place sus ainabili y a he cen e o a school’s
ision, mission and cul u e, aiming o educa e s uden s o be equipped o c ea e mo e sus ainable socie ies. These
agen s acili a e all s a membe s ( eache s and adminis a i e pe sonnel) in de eloping he p inciples o ESD.
Fu he mo e, Hende son (2004) s a es ha a whole school sus ainabili y app oach implies embedding sus ainabili y
in all cu iculum a eas, using ac ion lea ning and engaging he whole school communi y (Hende son and Tilbu y,
2004).
A his poin he ole o school head eache s is c ucial. Jackson (1986) concluded in he esea ch ha school
head eache s who p omo e sus ainabili y in hei schools a e usually unde pinned by hei pe sonal alues and hus,
a e passiona e abou sus ainabili y. The esul is a s ong con ic ion in hei engagemen wi h sus ainabili y. This
said, Jackson (1986) ound a disc epancy be ween he implemen a ion o sus ainable school policies and ini ia i es
and wha school head eache s say hey do.
Besides, Kadji e al. (2013) when explo ing cons aining ac o s owa ds sus ainable schools also highligh he
ele ance o school leade s. They poin owa ds he limi ed commi men o head eache s o Educa ion o Sus ainable
De elopmen (ESD), hei limi ed willingness o challenge he s a us quo and weak engagemen in ini ia i es o
suppo ing ESD, among o he limi ing ac o s owa ds building sus ainable schools. They also ound o e all equency
o ESD ac ions implemen ed in schools was signi ican ly linked wi h he head eache ’s encou agemen o
con empo a y pedagogical app oaches, wi h pa icipa ion in ou side- he-class oom ac i i ies in luenced by his ype
o encou agemen .
Sco (2013, p. 10) highligh s he cen ali y o ha ing a leade ship ha “unde s ands he issues and owns he p ocess
o add essing hem” and posi s ha wi hou his, no change owa ds he de elopmen o a sus ainable school will
3
ake place. He desc ibes 4 di e en s ages explici ly ela ed o he ole o he school leade , s a ing om
uncoo dina ed ini ia i es lead by in e es ed eache s, ollowed a a second s age by isola ed cu iculum ac i i ies
suppo ed o a leas ole a ed by school leade s. The nex s age eme ges wi h he explici suppo o school leade s
in aking ad an age o bene i s o a b oad iew o sus ainabili y. Finally, a he mos ad anced s age, he goals o a
ans o med school and e en educa ional pe spec i e become p io i ies o hei leade s, as shown in Figu e 1.
Figu e 1. S ages in De eloping a Sus ainable School (Adap ed om Sco 2013)
2.3. Food Was e a schools
Despi e he ac ha he e is no consensus among schola s on he de ini ion o ood was e (Lebe so ge and
Schneide , 2011) and ha di e se ca ego isa ions make i s quan i ica ion di icul (Buzby and Hyman, 2012), mos
esea che s ag ee on i s magni ude (e.g. Mena e al., 2011) and al hough a g ea a ia ion is obse ed in he
quan i ica ions pe o med by esea che s a school can eens, esul s a e imp essi e. Fo ins ance, Byke (2014)
examined o e 300 meals in an elemen a y school in he US and concluded ha 45% o o al ood se ed was was ed;
Boschini (2018) es ima ed an a e age o 107 g o a oidable pla e was e pe s uden and day in i e p ima y schools
in I aly, and W ap (2011) es ima ed he mone a y alue o he ood was ed a schools in he UK in 26% o he o al
ood budge .
Food was e includes losses du ing p epa a ion and cooking, disca ds due o p epa a ion o oo much ood, expi ed
use-by o open da es, spoilage as well as pla e was e (Cla ke e al., 2015), being he la e he majo sou ce o FW
a schools (Be z e al., 2015). Buzby & Gu h ie (2002, p. 1) lis as po en ial causes o pla e was e
school scheduling cons ain s, he di icul y in adap ing meals o widely a ying s uden ene gy needs and
p e e ences, and a ailabili y o subs i u e oods om compe ing sou ces.
Resea che s highligh he di e se bene i s o ackling ood was e a schools: om imp o ed nu i ional in ake by
s uden s (Byke e al., 2014) and c ea ing mo e esponsible u u e consume s (Sil ennoinen e al., 2012) o mo e
e icien wa e , ene gy and land use; di e ing ood was e om land ills, hus educing g eenhouse gas emissions
(Pa i e al., 2010; W ap, 2011) and, inally, p e en ing une hical beha iou s in a wo ld whe e millions o people a e
s ill unde nou ished (Roe e al., 2008). O he bene i s o educing ood was e a schools include inancial sa ings o
bo h schools and amilies (Cohen e al., 2013).
2.4 Food Was e Reduc ion In e en ions
As a conclusion om di e en s udies, schola s ha e come up wi h many and a ious ecommenda ions and
ini ia i es o ins i u ions and i ms o minimise ood was e a school can eens. Mi osa e al. (2016) in oduced
consume insigh s when analysing he easons o was ing ood, and concluded ha in o de o be e ec i e,
in e en ions should appeal o s uden s’ pe sonal alues. They epo ed ha in o de o inc ease s uden ’s buy-in,
he easons o educ ion e o s should be explained clea ly and app op ia ely and, hus, p ope communica ion is
Uncoo dina ed
ini ia i es led
by in e es ed
eache s
Isola ed
cu iculum
ac i i ies
suppo ed o a
leas ole a ed
by school
leade s
Explici suppo
o school
leade s in
aking
ad an age o
bene i s o a
b oad iew o
sus ainabili y
A ans o med
school is he
goal
4
i al (Mi osa e al., 2016). On he o he hand, Be z (2015) highligh s he impo ance o inc easing he s a ’s
awa eness on he issue.
Gi en ha , in mos s udies, pla e was e has been e ealed as he la ges sou ce o was e in ood se ice ins i u ions
(De qui e al., 2018; Engs öm and Ca lsson-Kanyama, 2004), sugges ed in e en ion policies ha e o en ocused
on educing dine s’ le o e s. Ini ia i es aiming o educe pla e was e include awa eness campaigns such as
discussing he issue in class, o e en in ol ing s uden s in he measu emen o pla e was e and displaying he esul s
in he can een (Engs öm and Ca lsson-Kanyama, 2004). In hei s udy, Engs öm e al. epo ed a 35% educ ion in
pla e was e because o an awa eness campaign.
The p ac ice o pedagogic lunches a schools – eache s discussing nu i ion du ing he meals and eaching s uden s
how o beha e in he dining oom - was also men ioned as a me hod o minimise pla e was e by Engs öm e al.
(2004). Waling (2017) conduc ed a su ey among 3,629 Swedish eache s on whe he school lunches should be
conside ed an educa ional ac i i y o jus a ime o ge a b eak om educa ion, and ound ha 72% ag eed on he
concep o educa ional lunches while 28% belie ed lunch ime should be a b eak om educa ional ac i i ies. Mos
esponden s hough i was a good occasion o educa ing abou heal hy ea ing and ood was e.
Resea ch a a uni e si y esiden ial college in New Zealand sugges ed ha p e-o de ing ood can be an e ec i e
in e en ion echnique which suppo s hedonism alue h ough p o iding consume s’ p e e ed meal op ion (Mi osa
e al., 2016). O he s udies sugges adding o he p e-booking o ood imp o ing he accu acy o meal o ecas s be o e
cooking and o e ing lexible po ions (Fe ei a e al., 2013). In con as , Buzby e al. (2002) sugges pla e was e could
be educed by imp o ing ood quali y as well as be e adap ing se ing sizes o s uden s’ appe i es. Simila ly, Gu h ie
(2002) concluded ha inc easing meal lexibili y esul s in educed ood was e.
In e es ingly, Chapman (2017) sugges ed ha whene e ecess was held be o e lunch ime ins ead o a e wa ds, in
a phenomenon desc ibed as e e se ecess, pla e was e is educed; simila ly, Be gman (2004), om his esea ch in
elemen a y school lunches, added o his conclusion he ac ha nu ien consump ion inc eases when child en ha e
mo e ime o ea . Finally, wi h ega d o he in as uc u es and a ailable esou ces, ay- ee dining has also been
poin ed ou by esea che s (e.g. Fe ei a e al., 2013; Whi ehai e al., 2013) as a educ ion measu e, oge he wi h
enhancing he numbe and he ole o ca egi e s.
3. Objec i es
Al hough he e a e qui e a ew s udies pe o med by schola s on he issue o ood was e (FW) a school can eens,
li e a u e is oo scan y o analyse how he managemen o he school can een can help school leade s in hei pa h
owa ds building mo e sus ainable schools. In o de o shed ligh on his issue, we pe o med esea ch wi h he
ollowing goals:
1.- To unde s and he le el o awa eness on FW gene a ed a school can eens and whe he ood was e gene a ion
is ela ed o he sus ainable pe o mance o he school.
2.- To unde s and o wha ex en schools a e cu en ly applying in e en ions ha minimise ood was e a hei
can eens.
3.- To unde s and he di e en ypologies in which schools can be ca ego ized and o p io i ise a sho lis o ood
was e educ ion in e en ions based on hei po en ial applicabili y/accep abili y by each ype o school.
4. Ma e ials and Me hods

5
4.1. Me hods
Quan i a i e esea ch me hods we e used o espond o he abo e-men ioned esea ch objec i es, dis ibu ing a sel -
comple ed ques ionnai e sen by email o 5,441 school head eache s in Spain, co e ing he whole school uni e se
o bo h p i a e and public, p ima y and seconda y schools in Ca alonia. The ques ionnai e was p e es ed on a small
numbe o esponden s (3 head eache s) o iden i y he po en ial p oblems and o elimina e hem. The inal esea ch
sample was subsequen ly chosen om o icial open access da abases and he su ey was sen o all he schools in
he da abase. E-mails including a link o he ques ionnai e we e sen ou in Feb ua y 2016. We ecei ed 548 alid
esponses ou o which we used 420 (77%) o ou esea ch. These we e chosen gi en he use ulness o ou esea ch
objec i es in esponses om schools which o e ed dining se ices o hei s uden s. Thus, 128 esponses we e
pu posely excluded as hese schools did no o e can een se ice o hei s uden s.
4.1.1 Measu es
Being Global Repo ing Ini ia i e (GRI) s anda ds (GRI, 2016) he mos commonly accep ed me ics (Székely and
Kni sch, 2005; Willis, C. A., 2003), GRI c i e ia we e ollowed o in es iga e a which s age in he pa h owa ds
sus ainabili y he schools we e. Al hough he e is s ill a deba e on which a e he bes guidelines o ollow when
measu ing he sus ainable pe o mance in he public and hi d sec o , and despi e hei cu en lack o aking up GRI
guidelines (a leas no as o en as in he p i a e sec o ), using hem ep esen s an oppo uni y o achie e mo e
(Dumay e al., 2010). Ques ionnai e i ems we e de eloped using GRI c i e ia, aiming o measu e whe he
head eache s conside hei ins i u ions as ha ing a clea and consis en sus ainabili y s a egy and o wha ex en
hey de o ed e o s and esou ces o educing hei en i onmen al impac . Mo eo e , a lis o di e se po en ial
ac i i ies was p epa ed and es ed o con i m he le el o ma u i y o he school wi h ega d o sus ainabili y. These
ac i i ies included o ins ance he g ade o which he school de o es e o s and esou ces o educe he consump ion
o ene gy and wa e , o o p omo e social causes and olun ee ism, among o he s.
Fu he mo e, p e ious esea ch sugges s ha di e en ac o s a e in ol ed in he gene a ion o ood was e (Be e a
e al., 2013) and ha di e en beha iou s esul in di e en amoun s o ood was ed. The e o e, ood was ing was
measu ed wi h h ee a iables: pe cei ed amoun o ood was ed; le el o in ol emen o he di e en playe s in
educing ood was e and who is conside ed esponsible o ood was e educ ion measu es. Finally, he ood was e
educ ion ini ia i es included in he ques ionnai e we e chosen based on an ex ensi e li e a u e e iew (36 scien i ic
pape s we e analysed). The ini ia i es we e classi ied in h ee ca ego ies based on hei scope (De qui, Fe nandez,
& Fayos, 2018): he i s ca ego y, in e en ions ela ed o inc easing awa eness on he opic; he second,
in e en ions ha equi e modi ying ope a ional issues; and he hi d, hose ela ed o in as uc u es and esou ces.
O e all, he ques ionnai e consis ed o i e sec ions and 78 i ems and was sel -adminis e ed by he esponden s.
The comple e ques ionnai e is included in Appendix 1. In sec ion one, we asked o pe sonal (name and posi ion o
he esponden ) and ins i u ional in o ma ion (numbe o pupils, whe he he school had a can een, and whe he i
had a sus ainabili y ce i ica ion o any ype). Sec ion wo included ques ions on how he can een was managed, he
numbe o s uden s ha ypically used i , and whe he hey pe o med ood was e audi s. Sec ion h ee aimed a
unde s anding he school’s engagemen owa ds sus ainabili y, including ques ions ela ed o he amoun o
esou ces and e o dedica ed o sus ainabili y issues. This sec ion included ele en 5-poin Like scale ques ions
conce ning he deg ee o which head eache s hough he school was engaged wi h sus ainabili y. Th ee o he
ques ions (CS1 o CS3) conce ned gene al aspec s ela ed o co po a e sus ainabili y (CS), ou ques ions (ES1 o
ES4) delimi ed he cha ac e is ics o he ins i u ion’s en i onmen al sus ainabili y (ES) p o ile, and ano he ou
ques ions de e mined he social sus ainabili y (SS) p o ile (SS1 o SS4). Sec ion ou aimed a unde s anding school
6
pe spec i es on ood was e (FW), ying o asce ain how ele an he issue is in hei ins i u ion as well as who hey
conside esponsible o he e o o educing was e. In his sec ion, wel e Like scale ques ions (FW1 o FW12)
we e used. The Like scales in bo h sec ion 3 and 4 we e 5-poin scales whe e 1 was “I do no ag ee a all” and 5
was “ o ally ag ee”. Finally, in sec ion i e, se e al in e en ions we e lis ed and esponden s had o g ade hem using
a 5-poin Like scale based on how in e es ing, and applicable, hey pe cei ed he in e en ion o be in hei school
se ing, whe e 1 indica ed “I do no hink his is in e es ing a all”, and 5 was “We should de ini i ely implemen i in
my school”. In cases whe e he ini ia i e was ac ually being implemen ed a ha ime a he school, he esponden
could answe “cu en ly implemen ed” ins ead o using he anking scale. Al hough he ques ionnai e was sen in
Spanish and Ca alan languages, in his pape we ha e included an English ansla ion in Appendix 1.
On op o asking abou he in e iewees’ gene al in e es on applying measu es o educe ood was e in gene al
(S1), 14 conc e e in e en ions we e included in sec ion 5 in ou ques ionnai e, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Food Was e In e en ions ound in he li e a u e
Typology In e en ion Au ho
Awa eness
Pla e was e awa eness campaigns add essing pupils (Engs öm and Ca lsson-Kanyama,
2004)
Ki chen was e awa eness campaigns add essing s a (Be z e al., 2015)
Im
p o e aining o ca e ake s on ood was e and
sus ainabili y
(De qui e al., 2018)
Cos es ima ions o Food Was e (W ap, 2011)
F ui peeling wo kshops ( eaching he younges on how
o p ope ly peel ui o minimise was e)
(De qui e al., 2018)
Ope a ions
Modi ied ime ables so ha he e is a ecess be o e lunch
(Chapman e al., 2017)
Longe lunch imes (Be gman e al., 2004)
Imp o e ki chen – school communica ion, o be able o
be e adjus cooked ood o eal needs
(De qui e al., 2018)
Flexible po ions (Gu h ie and Buzby, 2002)
Op ional side dishes (Gu h ie and Buzby, 2002)
Limi ing a ailabili y o b ead (Gu h ie and Buzby, 2002)
In as uc u e
s &
Resou ces
Imp o ed can een a mosphe e by noise educ ion (W ap, 2011)
Facili a ing school compos o ood dona ions (W ap, 2011)
Inc ease he numbe o ca e ake s (Waling and Olsson, 2017)
7
5. Resul s
5.1 Demog aphics
The s udy a ge popula ion consis ed o P ima y and Seconda y Educa ion Schools in Ca alonia, Spain. A o al o
82% (n = 346) esponden s had a op managemen ole in he school (Di ec o / Head eache ); 7% (n = 28) we e
esponsible o he managemen o he can een and he es had adminis a i e o pedagogical oles in he school
(Head o s udies/Adminis a ion), as shown in Table 2.
Mos o he schools in ou sample (76%) we e public while he es we e p i a e. By numbe o s uden s, 23% o he
cen es in he s udy sample we e big schools (o e 400 s uden s), 38% we e medium schools (be ween 200 and 400
s uden s) and 39% we e small schools ( ewe han 200 s uden s), as shown in Table 2. The a e age numbe o
s uden s dining daily in he school can een in ou sample was 125, wi h 20 schools wi h o e 400 pupils ea ing a
school daily, 179 be ween 100 and 399 and 219 se ing ood o below 99 s uden s on a e age.
Table 2. Sample p o ile (in %)
Can een Business Model Responden Role a School Size o Schools (Numbe o
S uden s)
In si u ki chen 63 % Top Managemen 82% Mean (SD) 263 (362)
Cooked ou side 38% Adminis a ion 11% Up o 200 39%
Numbe o s uden s dining a
School Can een Manage 7% O e 400 23%
Mean (SD)
125(143)
200 – 400
38%
5.2 School App oach on Sus ainabili y
5.2.1 Fea u e Selec ion me hod and School Sus ainabili y
Fea u e selec ion me hods aim o c ea e a mo e accu a e p edic i e model based on a la ge da ase . Independen
a iables a e la en cons uc s measu ed h ough he su ey i ems. To ind he mos in luen ial combina ions o inpu s,
a ac o analysis was conduc ed aiming o educe complexi y. A e educing he numbe o a iables, he esul ing
simple model is easie o unde s and and explain. Conc e ely, we applied a il e me hod (Guyon, 2003) which
consis s on selec ing subse s o a iables as a p e-p ocessing s ep, independen ly o he p edic ion pe o mance o
he model. Acco dingly, we il e ed each cons uc compu ing he In e nal Consis ency Reliabili y (ICR) as measu ed
by C onbach alpha ac o (see Table 3). By e alua ing he sco es, we de e mined i some i ems a e o be kep o
emo ed om he da ase in o de o sa is y he con en ional h esholds o 0.7 o C onbach alpha (Pe e son, 1994).
Resul s in Table 3 show ha he i ems do no p esen any ou lie and a e con e gen ( alid) o he cons uc s hey
measu e.
Table 3: Fea u e Selec ion echnique
Cons uc s
Va iable
Abb e ia ion
Combined i ems
Fac o analysis
Sugges ed In e en ions
SI
S1 o S17
ICR = 0.83
8
School en i onmen al
sus ainabili y e o s
ES
ES1 o ES5
ICR = 0.84
School social sus ainabili y
e o s
SS
SS1 o SS4
ICR = 0.74
When asked whe he hey pe cei ed he school o ha e a clea s a egy on sus ainabili y (I em CS1), ou esponden s’
a e age g ade was 3.2, as shown in Table 4. We can in e om hese answe s ha school head eache s a e qui e
con iden wi h he sus ainabili y pe o mance o he schools led by hem. Wi h ega d o sus ainabili y ce i ica ions
(I em I4), 36% (n = 152) schools ga e a posi i e answe o he ques ion on whe he hey had a sus ainabili y o
en i onmen al ce i ica ion o any kind. Fu he mo e, esul s sugges ha school head eache s pe cei e hei schools
as being mo e engaged in en i onmen al sus ainabili y han in social o co po a e sus ainabili y, as he a e age g ade
o en i onmen al i ems (ES mean = 4.53) was highe han o social sus ainabili y issues (SS mean = 3.46). On a
di e en ma e , he majo i y o school manage s ag ee on he pedagogical pu pose o school lunches (FW1 mean =
4).
Table 4: Means and S anda d De ia ion o Sco es o School Sus ainabili y
Mean S anda d De ia ion
CS1: Clea Sus ainabili y S a egy 3.21666667 1.07619427
CS2: Ahead o o he Schools 2.69285714 1.03561699
ES: En i onmen al Sus ainabili y 4.53869048 1.83816288
SS: Social Sus ainabili y E o s 3.46071429 1.78358141
FW1: Can een in Educa ional P ojec 4.00238095 1.12574305
5.2.2 The issue o Food Was e
Wi h ega d o ood was e p oduced a he can een (Table 5), consis en ly wi h he li e a u e, school manage s do
no hink he can eens gene a e a lo o ood was e: he a e age g ade o he ques ion “Do you ag ee wi h he
s a emen : a lo o ood is was ed in he school can een?” (I em FW2) was only 2.3. A he same ime, he mean
answe o whe he he amoun o ood cooked is usually g ea e han needed was low (FW4 mean = 2.6). Mo eo e ,
ou esponden s mos ly ag eed wi h he s a emen “Child en usually comple ely inish he ood on hei dishes” (FW3
mean = 3.9). We can in e om hese esul s ha school head eache s’ awa eness on ood was e is low, a ac ha
we connec o i s low isibili y, as concluded by De qui e al. (2016) as well as o head eache s no being close o
whe e was e is p oduced (US Gene al Accoun ing O ice, 1996).
Table 5: Means and S anda d De ia ion o Sco es o Food Was e Managemen
MEAN S anda d De ia ion
FW2: A lo o FW is gene a ed 2.2952381 1.03332362
FW3: Mos pupils ea e e y hing 3.9 0.88987945
15
schools can be spli in o 4 clus e s whe e he la ges one ( he Ac i is s) ou pe o ms in all sus ainabili y issues while
he smalles g oup is ou o scope. We may conclude ha Spanish schools a e la gely engaged in sus ainabili y
issues al hough his does no o en include can een ood was e educ ion. This esul echoes p e ious esea ch:
school head eache s do no conside ood was e o be a ele an issue in hei can eens, despi e he esul s o
nume ous quan i ica ions done by schola s a school can eens. School leade s a e no conce ned abou FW because
hey a e no awa e o i being a ele an issue, while schola s ag ee on he ac ha a lo o ood is was ed. We
sugges ha inc easing school managemen ’s isibili y and awa eness on he issue o ood was e would esul in a
s ep o wa d o schools on hei pa h owa ds sus ainabili y.
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Appendix 1: Su ey Ques ionnai e
SECTION 1: Ins i u ional In o ma ion
I1
Name o he pe son answe ing he su ey: (No
obliga o y)
I2
Posi ion (Role)
I3
Numbe o s uden s (P ima y g ade s/Seconda y
g ade s)
I4
Do you ha e any en i onmen al ce i ica ion?
Yes/No/In p ocess
I5
I Yes, which one?
I6
Is he e a can een a he school?
Yes /No
SECTION 2: Can een Managemen & Facili ies
CM1
Is he managemen o he can een ou sou ced?
Yes, ou sou ced o a ca e ing company/Yes,
bu no o a ca e ing i m/No, i is managed by
he school
CM2
How is ood supplied in he school?
The school has an on-si e ki chen/The ood is
b ough p epa ed bu cold and is hea ed a he
school/The ood is b ough p epa ed, ho and
eady o se e
CM3
Is he e a pe son wi h he speci ic posi ion o head o
he can een o simila ?
Yes, he e is a pe son solely de o ed o
managemen o he can een/Yes, he e is a
can een manage who also has o he du ies/No
18
CM4
Who a e he people who supe ise he pupils in he
can een?
Teache s/Supe iso s jus o he
can een/O he s (please indica e
CM5
The a e age numbe o p ima y school pupils who ea
each day in he school is
CM6
The a e age numbe o supe iso s moni o ing he
p ima y school meals is
CM7
The a e age numbe o seconda y school pupils who
ea each day in he school is
CM8
The a e age numbe o supe iso s moni o ing he
seconda y school meals is
CM9
The school has a sel -se ice line
Yes/No
CM10
The pupils go o he sel -se ice lines o se e
hemsel es.
Yes/no/depends on he age
CM11
Food is se ed o he pupils a he ables
Yes/No
CM12
Pla es a e used ins ead o p e o med ays
Yes/No
CM13
Pupils can choose be ween mo e han one op ion o
each dish
Yes/No
CM14
Pupils can choose i hey wan a side dish
Yes/No
CM15
Pupils ha e he op ion o aking b ead
Yes/No
CM16
A e measu emen s o ood was e ca ied ou in he
school?
Yes, on a egula basis by he ca e ing
company/Yes, on a egula basis on he
school´s own ini ia i e/No, ne e
SECTION 3: School Sus ainabili y
CS1
Ou school has a clea and consis en sus ainabili y
s a egy
1-5
CS2
Ou school is ahead o o he schools on sus ainabili y
issues
1-5
ES1
Ou school de o es e o s and esou ces o minimising
he school´s en i onmen al oo p in
1-5
ES2
The school de o es e o s and esou ces o educing
ene gy consump ion
1-5
ES3
The school de o es e o s and esou ces o educing
he consump ion o pape
1-5
ES4
The school de o es e o s and esou ces o educing
he consump ion o wa e
1-5
ES5
The school de o es e o s and esou ces o educing
ood was e
1-5
SS1
The school de o es e o s and esou ces o p omo ing
olun ee ing among pupils
1-5
SS2
The school de o es e o s and esou ces o
collabo a ion wi h NGOs
1-5
SS3
The school de o es e o s and esou ces o social
causes in he school´s a ea
1-5
SS4
The school de o es e o s and esou ces o sa is ying
he needs o he mos ulne able o hose a isk o
exclusion
1-5
SECTION 4: Food Was e
FW1
The can een is pa o he school´s educa ional p ojec
1-5
FW2
A la ge amoun o ood was e is p oduced in he
can een
1-5
FW3
Mos o he pupils ea e e y hing hey a e se ed
1-5
FW4
No mally mo e po ions a e p epa ed han a e needed
1-5
FW5
Families a e e y in ol ed in educing ood was e a
school
1-5
FW6
The ca e ing company is e y in ol ed in educing ood
was e a school
1-5
19
FW7
School managemen is e y in ol ed in educing ood
was e a school
1-5
FW8
The Regional Go e nmen o Ca alonia is e y in ol ed
in educing ood was e a schools
1-5
FW9
Pa en s a e esponsible o educa ion abou ood
1-5
FW10
The school is esponsible o he amoun o ood
was ed in he can een
1-5
FW11
The ca e ing company is esponsible o he amoun o
ood was ed in he can een
1-5
FW12
The Regional Go e nmen should apply measu es and
egula ions in o de o educe ood was e in schools
1-5
SECTION 5: Sugges ed In e en ions
S1
Apply measu es in o de o educe ood was e in my
school
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S2
Ca y ou egula measu emen s o he ood h own
away in my school
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S3
Reliably es ima e he inancial cos o ood was e
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S4
P omo e awa eness aising p og ammes o pupils in
o de o encou age hem o lea e less le o e s on hei
pla e
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S5
P omo e awa eness p og ammes o employees in
o de o educe was e in he ki chen
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S6
Change ime ables so ha he e is a b eak ime be o e
lunch
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S7
Ex end he a ailable ime o ea ing
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S8
In oduce ui peeling wo kshops ( each he li le ones
o ully make he mos o ui )
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S9
Imp o e school - can een communica ion in o de o
mo e closely adjus he amoun cooked o he planned
numbe o dine s
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S11
Make po ion sizes lexible
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S12
Allow he side dish o be op ional
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S13
No allow child en o ake b ead un il hey ha e inished
hei s a e
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S14
Reduce noise in he can een and c ea e a mo e
pleasan a mosphe e
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S15
Facili a e compos ing in he school and he dona ion o
ood
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S16
Inc ease he numbe o can een supe iso s
1-5/Cu en ly applied
S17
Make he can een supe ision p o essional
1-5/Cu en ly applied