The ever-growing global population is placing an undeniable concern and impact on our planet's resources. A study done by Our World in Data shows that over 26% of greenhouse gas emissions come from food production, highlighting the critical need for a shift towards sustainable food systems. Correspondingly, the National Institute of Health states how food packaging accounts for 50% of the plastics derived from fossil fuels. Plastic pollution, overflowing landfills from single-use packaging, and the environmental impact of large-scale food production are just some of the pressing concerns facing our future. This is especially true for fast-paced environments like university campuses, where busy students often prioritize convenience over environmental impact.  Their on-the-go lifestyles often lead to a reliance on quick, disposable options that generate significant waste.  This research project seeks to address this very issue at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) by also aligning with their sustainability values and policies. By exploring the feasibility of "Sip and Spring," a food truck concept design offering a delicious and sustainable fusion of Vietnamese spring rolls and Taiwanese boba tea, the project aims to demonstrate that environmentally friendly dining can be both practical and appealing within a fast-paced university setting. By prioritizing eco-friendly packaging materials and featuring menu items that are organic and ethically sourced at a reasonable price, Sip and Spring fills in critical innovation and values that demonstrates how sustainable food options can be both delicious and practical within a fast-paced university environment.

First and foremost, like mentioned above, “Sip and Spring” is a food truck design that will allow greater encouragement on campus for sustainability. For that reason, we must be aware of why sustainability is important, especially when it comes to the topic of food. For instance, the United States has only officially introduced the practice of Sustainability in 1990, which is referred to as the U.S. Farm Bill of 1990. This document primarily mentions the long-term policies for social, economic, and environmental sustainability of food and agriculture. The Gale Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Food Labels mentions how the purpose of sustainability food and agriculture is “to provide enough food, preserve the environment and natural resources to sustain agricultural economy, improve the quality of life, and improve the use of resources” (Longe, 36). Humanity should be able to eat and retain nutrients for their well-being, while also considering the environmental impacts of what they are consuming. 

In this day and age of the twenty-first century, the consumerism economy aligned with consumer culture makes it even harder to persuade and better act upon consuming with an eco-friendly mindset. Not only are we living in a time where consumption is increasing year after year, due to population increasing – but we also should be aware that over-consumption in developed nations is actually causing more harm to developing countries or regions that are not as equipped or modernized. Urbanization, industrialization, and large-scale corporations, introduced in the 1820s to 1830s, allowed more developed countries to be able to mass produce when it came to higher demands, introduce genetically modified (GMO) crops for longevity, lower price costs, and commercialize off of these – which allows them to profit significantly compared to small or local farmers (Pathomvanich). Small farmers' use of traditional practices with organic produce are often pushed away as large-scale corporations are able to do the same thing with cheaper prices, even though it can be more harmful to the environment (Colas, 58). The mechanisms and new practices of industrialization have caused food production to be one of the main concerns of climate change. As mentioned previously, food production accounts for over 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, one of the most emitting products being beef (beef herd). According to The Associated Press, Americans constitute 5% of the world's population but consume 24% of the world's energy, which in comparison to Africa, produces 27% less food per capita now than during 1964. The United States is one of the biggest nations that over consumes and mass produces, causing their negative impact to the environment to become a necessary change, especially for the long-term viability of people’s lives.

While the concept of food sustainability has been present, the concept of packaging has existed around the same time, with rising concerns about its negative environmental impact. According to authors Ozan Ağlargöz & Feyza Ağlargöz, the history of packaging, which goes back to ancient times, began with the earliest of packages made from leaves, skin, and gourds. Then, packaging moved from bulk shipping containers to household-sized packages that were easily accessible. This would then transform significantly during industrialization in the 19th century, which saw a surge in disposable packaging, with global plastic production alone reaching an estimated 116 billion tons in 2020, with over 50% of those plastics being used for the purpose of packaging (Linder, 2023). These materials offered increased product protection and shelf life, but also introduced the challenge of waste management. Consumer consumption was bigger than ever causing people to consume more than they needed, resulting in more waste. These issues caused more awareness about environmental issues grew throughout the 20th century, leading to the birth of newer and modern sustainable packaging (end of 20th century to now). This focused on developing packaging that could be easily recycled, composted, or even upcycled. Research and development in sustainable packaging continues at a rapid pace, and according to Statisca, the global sustainable packaging market project reached to about $271.86 billion in 2023. Bioplastics, minimal packaging, and reusable packaging are modern sustainable packaging that aim to minimize waste and increase positive environmental impact.

To learn how to better research and develop my design, I must first assess the issue of what “Sip and Spring” is trying to improve within the issue of food and package sustainability, research the market industry, and identify gaps in the current market that my business is trying to fill in. “Sip and Spring” will be placed within the dining industry on campus at UCSD.

Based on the UCSD Website about Dining Option on campus, there are a total of ninety-two food places available for students, visitors, and faculty. For dining options on campus that offer the use of just dining dollars, there are nineteen places. For dining options that offer both dining dollars and Triton Cash, there are fifty-one places. Then, there are six out of the ninety-two food dining options that market themselves as “on the go” services, whereas the others market more as dine in. The website showcasing these options shows what payment options are available, however, does not give consumers insight on the price range of each dining hall or restaurant. Students and faculty may want places that fit their budget and financial accounting, which I believe should be integrated into our resources.

Then, based on UCSD Dining App (Triton2Go), out of the dining options above, there are a total of forty-one places available for online ordering. The application’s format and interface does not showcase the type of cuisines they are selling, whether they are vegan, pescatarian, or vegetarian friendly, and at what price range does each dining option provide (e.g., dollar signs), unless you progress into the ordering process. Within these limitations of the app, there are a lot of possible barriers for students. For starters, the default of food packaging are the green reusable tupperwares. Although those decrease packaging waste, not all students prefer this type of method, especially for on-the-go eating. Another issue that me and many other peers are facing from this app, is the inconsistency of the wait times. There are moments where the fifteen minute mark takes longer than usual or that the one hour wait is ready way before that. 

These factors above are going to innovate change for my design in various ways. Firstly, “Sip and Spring” will thrive to be more transparent when it comes to ingredients and design. we want students (consumers) to understand where the food they are eating comes from, how recyclable our packaging is, and where the packaging we offer will be recycled or composted after disposal. By being more transparent as a business, this would hopefully create more trust for our consumers.

Furthermore, we will market and brand with the push for on-the-go service, affordability, and sustainability. From the statistics above, there are not too many dining options that market towards on-the-go, so leveraging that type of service and using unique and distinct attributes (sustainability) unlike current competitors – this could result in more engagement amongst our student audience. In addition to our younger audience, I would also want to market our message more aesthetically pleasing, such as using minimalist designs and consistent branding. Since “Sip and Spring” is catered for food sustainability, I wanted to color and design the branding to be more woody and natural to match the vibe of the environment. By being more appealing to the eye, this could catch the attention of consumers that are walking by and want to get a quick drink or snack on their way to or after class.  

There will also be the integration of our own application for students on the app store called “Sip and Spring”. Besides adding in the transparent information, this will allow students to purchase online orders for pick up through their mobile device with not just Triton Cash and dining dollars, but also with the use of credit/debit card. With the implementation of more payment options, this makes our app more accessible for students who don’t acquire the first two payment plans. Since our boba option is simple to make by which: the base will only be used with nut based milk, with the choice of four toppings (taro jam, brown sugar syrup, mango puree, and strawberry puree), and additional purchase of boba; the low amount of customization/variation will make the service quicker for the consumer. The cost for boba will be around $6.50 to $8. Then for the spring roll, how we will make that as well will be by: having the meat pre-ready (options: fried tofu, grilled chicken, and veggies), while the wrapper and wrapping process can be known in person fairly quickly. The cost of each spring roll would be $3 to $4, with an option to make a combo ( 2 spring rolls w/ a drink) for $12.50. I would also like to note that I chose these meat and drink ingredients based on Figure 1a. The above ingredients produce significantly less carbon footprint (e.g., Poultry meat: 9.87kg) annually compared to beef (99.48kg). With the small variation when it comes to customization we are able to be more accessible and easy for the students, especially making it faster for workers to make the items. By decreasing customization and options, we are also potentially decreasing the amount of food waste on campus. With more options, students might be keen to try out more than needed, so by decreasing variance, this would hopefully also decrease food waste.

UC San Diego’s thrive of sustainable policy making was introduced in 2003. Then, following a student initiative in 2003, the UC Regents implemented the Presidential Policy on Green Building Design and Clean Energy Standards in 2004, solidifying the University of California's commitment to sustainable practices. These standards and policies establish the use of renewable energy compared to fossil fuel and being more energy-efficient when it comes to constructing buildings.

Our university has adopted many more goals and values since these policies and are establishing them to not only encourage change for a better environment, but by doing so with the help and involvement of students. Some goals and values UCSD abides with are: to achieve zero waste, twenty percent sustainable food purchasing for campus and medical food service operations (ex:. Fair Trade, USDA Organic, locally and regionally grown, etc.), food security for the campus community, especially for students, by 2025, align systemwide buying power with UC's strategic goals to procure products and services in a conscious, sustainable manner, and many more provided on the UCSD’s website for sustainability. Our campus involves students via email and newsletter that allow us to know and understand what is going on campus and what we can do about it. A similar example I mentioned before was the green reusable tupperwares that were introduced in Fall of 2020. Students are encouraged to decrease packaging waste, which creates a mutual benefit between their social and physical well-being, alongside helping the environment.

Time and Money

This integration and design will take an extensive amount of strategic planning. Similar to the cliche of “time is money”, this is very much true when it comes to planning out a project. Time management needs to be done accurately and as flexible as possible in order to combat barriers and to execute with higher quality. With longer planning means more money to be invested, which can be a challenge as the “Sip and Spring” food truck will be a for-profit design. This means that our revenue and profit will be put back into our company to better perform and maintain activeness. This planning is more than just making a food truck on campus. we would need to create different teams for different tasks, which can cost more money. There would need to be a team that markets and advertises our products, a team that creates and codes the app, and a team that works on researching and developing what certain licenses and policies we need to abide with in order to open the food truck. For instance, for the team that develops the app, this can take around two to seven months. A minimum app development can also cost around $5,000 to $10,000. This does not even consider technical errors and updates to the application as well, which can cost more money and time. There is also the concern on how are going to get a food truck and how much it is going to cost. Based on numerous searches, I saw that the average costs of new electric food trucks are estimated to be $50,000 to $100,000.

Developing and executing this plan can take as long as a year, if not including possible obstacles that alter deadlines. Time is money and the longer it takes for this design to be completed, the more money needed for investing. Since “Sip and Spring” is a for-profit, more money can become difficult if there is no profit or revenue being made. 

Pricing of Food and Sourcing

There are also potential challenges when it comes to pricing of food and how we are going to source it. The price range I mentioned may not create revenue or profit. Since ethically sourced or organic ingredients tend to cost more then GM foods, there may need to be increases with the price. Additionally, with the issue of price, since my design will be a part of UCSD, I will not be able to accurately identify price points and sourcing locations for the spring rolls and boba we are selling. Due to being a business within UCSD, our establishment has already planned sourcing, so the current price point I have may not be what we see in the outcome or result of developing “Sip and Spring”. Depending on our targeted audience of students, these prices might be considered too expensive or not worth their time and money. Since ethically sourced and organic ingredients tend to cost more than GM foods, we can also assume an increase with the price in comparison to our competitors on campus. Both of these factors cannot be fully determined till communication with our institution, so this could result in numerous changes that can become challenging for the food truck and how we market our items. For example, I mentioned how I wanted to make the price of the food accessible for all and be transparent on packaging and ingredients; however, with university policies and ways they source, these can alter the approach I wanted to take, making it harder for certain students to purchase our food and drink.

Competition

For the third main concern, it would be the possibility of competition. As mentioned before there are about ninety-two dining options on campus. Due to this, students may tend to go to their usual places, which can be due to familiarity and consistency. Consumers tend to go back to places or services that they are familiar with and know their place is consistent with what and how they make their items. Many students on campuses have dining options on campus that they may gravitate towards, especially when it comes to word-of-mouth (WOM). Already established dining options have the possible advantage of positive reviews, which produces positive WOM, resulting in lower expectations when it comes to new consumers for our food truck. 

In connection to time, there may also be more competitors, once the plan is complete and developed. UCSD is an ever-growing and ever-innovating institution that constantly and consistently builds and creates, so no doubt new food places will be established. It takes time to fully develop our truck and to build up good reviews and WOM as our competitors, so students may think our food items and encouragement of sustainability does not fit their needs and wants.

Overall, Sip and Spring addresses a gap and aligns within UC San Diego's food scene by offering ethically sourced and sustainable options at accessible prices with transparency. This caters to student preferences for sustainable, convenient dining that reflects their commitment to responsible practices. I want my development and implementation of this design to be transparent (e.g., What am I selling? Why is this important to our campus? How is my design trying to increase sustainability?) to consumers. In addition, I want to align with UCSD’s values and goals of sustainability, while also catering to UCSD students, as well as understanding that this food truck design has limitations and challenges (e.g., money, time, competition). When creating my design of Sip & Spring, I want to project the message that sustainability can be creative and appealing. New implementations and sustainable practices are essential in high populated locations (such as campus), in order to combat environmental concerns.  While institutions are adding more sustainable policies, it is also important as students and consumers to be aware of what we are buying and the impact it can make to our planet. We are the generation that can potentially create change and decrease the harm of climate change, and it is important we initiate this conservation when it comes to sustainable practices on college campuses.

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