Currently, we make food for human nourishment based on the extraction of natural resources and an industrial mode of production, especially animal-based agriculture. This agrarian approach contributes significantly to the degradation of planetary health. The Climate Kitchen highlights sustainable and regenerative plant-based foods as the center of a meal. This also includes exploring other low-impact plant-driven protein sources (e.g., beans, legumes, insects), responsibly foraged (wild) foods, incorporating invasive species (e.g., garlic mustard, knotweed) as available/appropriate. 

There are up to 30,000 edible plant species worldwide, yet we rely on just a handful for most of our calories. Shifting away from meals that centre resource-intensive animal proteins to ones that are plant forward is a strong lever for achieving this goal of human and planetary health. Plant forward also means that we care about how food is produced, prioritising food that has been grown regeneratively to build soil health, promote biodiversity, and strengthen ecosystem resilience. We prioritise working with a diversity of plant species and varieties, especially those that are nutritionally and genetically diverse, and well suited (or native) to the local environment.  

The Climate Kitchen has adopted a predominately plant forward approach, with 90% of the recipes taught in the Basic Concepts of Food course characterized as vegetarian or vegan. 

Chai, B. C., van der Voort, J. R., Grofelnik, K., Eliasdottir, H. G., Klöss, I., & Perez-Cueto, F. J. A. (2019). Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets. Sustainability, 11(15), 4110. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154110 

Batlle-Bayer, L., Bala, A., Roca, M., Lemaire, E., Aldaco, R., & Fullana-i-Palmer, P. (2020). Nutritional and environmental co-benefits of shifting to “Planetary Health” Spanish tapas. Journal of Cleaner Production, 271, Article 122561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122561

Food and Agriculture Organization. (2023, November 11). The Plants that Feed the World. https://www.fao.org/newsroom/story/The-plants-that-feed-the-world/en

González-García, S., Esteve-Llorens, X., Moreira, M. T., & Feijoo, G. (2018). Carbon footprint and nutritional quality of different human dietary choices. The Science of the Total Environment, 644, 77–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.339 

Johnston, J. L., Fanzo, J. C., & Cogill, B. (2014). Understanding Sustainable Diets: A Descriptive Analysis of the Determinants and Processes That Influence Diets and Their Impact on Health, Food Security, and Environmental Sustainability. Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 5(4), 418–429. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.113.005553 

Kim, B. F., Santo, R. E., Scatterday, A. P., Fry, J. P., Synk, C. M., Cebron, S. R., Mekonnen, M. M., Hoekstra, A. Y., de Pee, S., Bloem, M. W., Neff, R. A., & Nachman, K. E. (2020). Country-specific dietary shifts to mitigate climate and water crises. Global Environmental Change, 62, Article 101926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.05.010 

Moreau, T., & Speight, D. (2019). Cooking up Diverse Diets: Advancing Biodiversity in Food and Agriculture through Collaborations with Chefs. Crop Science, 59(6), 2381–2386. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2019.06.0355

Rosier, C. L., Knecht, A., Steinmetz, J. S., Weckle, A., Bloedorn, K., & Meyer, E. (2025). From soil to health: advancing regenerative agriculture for improved food quality and nutrition security. Frontiers in Nutrition (Lausanne), 12, 1638507. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1638507 

World Health Organization. (2021). Plant-Based Diets and Their Impact on Health, Sustainability and the Environment: A Review of the Evidence. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/349086/WHO-EURO-2021-4007-43766-61591-eng.pdf 

Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T., Vermeulen, S., Garnett, T., Tilman, D., DeClerck, F., Wood, A., Jonell, M., Clark, M., Gordon, L. J., Fanzo, J., Hawkes, C., Zurayk, R., Rivera, J. A., De Vries, W., Majele Sibanda, L., … Murray, C. J. L. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. The Lancet (British Edition), 393(10170), 447–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4 

We develop our food preferences within the contexts of our communities and in response to what is available within our food environment.  What we think makes food ‘taste good’ varies. Thus, the Climate Kitchen recognizes that a one-size-fits-all solution to any food system dilemma is problematic and so designs projects with a context-specific perspective. Developing and testing alternative foods that respond to an array of sensory preferences is vital to the success of sustainable kitchen work. 

In addition to personal factors, food choices are driven by intrinsic factors, including taste, texture, and appearance. If food does not taste good or look appealing, there is a highly likelihood that it will not be eaten. Thus, taste and cultural preferences are critical components of sustainability in our food systems. We prioritize experimenting with diverse, culturally desirable ingredients, including lesser-known varieties of more commonly available foods, and utilize diverse methods of transforming those ingredients. This helps us to address a wide range of sensory and cultural preferences, which we then put to the (taste) test in our communities.  

The Climate Kitchen emphasizes exploring culinary practices from across major cultural groups in the US and designing meals that utilize dietary guidelines and sustainability tenets.

The Climate Kitchen prioritizes collaborations with community groups and researchers on developing sensory awareness.

Di Vita, G., Hamam, M., Liotta, L., Lopreiato, V., Lunetta, M., Consentino, F., & Spina, D. (2025). The Taste of Sustainability: Sensory Experience and Stated Preference Trade-Offs in Consumer Evaluation of Goat Cheese from Extensive Farming Systems. Foods, 14(18), 3197. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14183197

Olalekan, O., Darlison, J., Shariatipour, N., Wendin, K., Johansson, M., Henriksson, T., Gerhardt, K., Björklund, T., Odilbekov, F., Johansson, E., & Rahmatov, M. (2025). The taste of diversity: Sensory characteristics in diverse wheat aimed for food production under climate change. Future Foods : A Dedicated Journal for Sustainability in Food Science, 12, Article 100762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2025.100762 

Susanne Højlund, & Ole G. Mouritsen. (2025). Sustainable Cuisines and Taste Across Space and Time: Lessons from the Past and Promises for the Future. Gastronomy, 3(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/gastronomy3010001

There is a growing consensus around the grand goal to reduce and/or eliminate waste at every step when we make food – from soil to plate and then back to the soil. This can be practically achieved using various pathways; from sourcing ingredients and materials with minimal packaging that is reusable and/or biodegradable, to utilizing preservation techniques (e.g., dehydrating, freezing, fermenting, etc.); and implementing a conscious procurement plan to reduce food waste. Within the University of Vermont ecosystem, creating formal channel for the distribution of any surplus food (e.g., Rally Cats Cupboard) also plays a key role in a redesign of the system.  

Up to 40% of food produced for human consumption is wasted, while 2 billion people around the world experience moderate to severe food insecurity. All the resources (e.g., water, energy, labour, land) that went into producing the food that never gets eaten are also wasted. Waste associated with food system is responsible for 10% of GHGs and has an estimated cost of $2.6tr when factoring social and environmental damage. We aim to design waste out of our work from sourcing through to transforming and managing surplus food. This means we avoid unnecessary single-use food packaging and utensils, we source ingredients that might otherwise go unsold (e.g., “ugly” produce) and those that can be used across multiple dishes, and we employ various techniques to extend the life of ingredients so that they are of high quality and safety for human consumption for as long as possible. Only when an ingredient is no longer edible is it composted.  

In Climate Kitchen courses, students investigate the potential of clean, dehydrated, pulverized compost to create stock powder; dehydrating excess herbs and veggies and incorporating into recipes; and making stock from veggie scraps and chicken bones using foods from other lab recipes.

The Climate Kitchen has eliminated plastic wrap from the pantry and instead utilizes reusable options such as Bees Wrap.

Amicarelli, V., & Bux, C. (2021). Food waste measurement toward a fair, healthy and environmental-friendly food system: a critical review. British Food Journal (1966), 123(8), 2907–2935. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-07-2020-0658

Cardenas, M., Schivinski, B., & Brennan, L. (2024). Circular practices in the hospitality sector regarding food waste. Journal of Cleaner Production, 472, Article 143452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.143452

De Bernardi, P., Bertello, A., & Forliano, C. (2023). Circularity of food systems: a review and research agenda. British Food Journal (1966), 125(3), 1094–1129. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-05-2021-0576

Goodwin, L. (2025, November 25). The Global Benefits of Reducing Food Loss and Waste, and How to Do It. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/reducing-food-loss-and-food-waste#:~:text=Reducing%20consumer%20food%20waste%20by,for%20a%20family%20of%20four.

Ncube, L. K., Ude, A. U., Ogunmuyiwa, E. N., Zulkifli, R., & Beas, I. N. (2021). An Overview of Plastic Waste Generation and Management in Food Packaging Industries. Recycling (Basel), 6(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling6010012 

ReFed. (2026). Progress on the Plate: 2026 ReFed US Food Waste Report. https://refed.org/uploads/2026-food-waste-report-design-final-1.pdf?=ver1 

Schanes, K., Dobernig, K., & Gözet, B. (2018). Food waste matters - A systematic review of household food waste practices and their policy implications. Journal of Cleaner Production, 182, 978–991. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.030  

We often waste food because we don’t know what to do with it. The success of our food system – we can find something to eat often without doing the transformative work to make it palatable – also encourages us not to learn the right skills. Whole foods are a goal for a healthy human diet but attaining this is not straightforward in the kitchens of today. The utilization of whole ingredients – “nose to tail” and “root to fruit” – is a key sustainability tenet. We aim to transform entire ingredients, including the parts that are not typically consumed or even sold in grocery stores, to increase the amount of food available for human consumption and to decrease the ratio of resources needed per calorie. In the Climate Kitchen, we encourage experimenting with techniques and flavors to promote whole food utilization.   

Our current societal lack of familiarity with whole ingredients means that we are potentially losing valuable nutrition and calories for human consumption, while overusing scarce resources to produce food products that are ultimately underutilized. Prioritizing whole foods also allows us to take advantage of the nutritional benefits of often ignored edible parts (e.g., carrot tops, kale stems, offal) while maximizing the calories from a single ingredient and thus reducing its overall resource footprint.  

The Climate Kitchen seeks to achieve this low-waste, circular vision by using whole ingredients from local sources and adapting recipes according to seasonal and fluctuating availability.

Anastasiou, K., Baker, P., Hadjikakou, M., Hendrie, G. A., & Lawrence, M. (2022). A conceptual framework for understanding the environmental impacts of ultra-processed foods and implications for sustainable food systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 368, Article 133155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133155

Negruṣa, A. L., Petrescu, D. C., Petrescu-Mag, R. M., Ţenter, A., & Piṣtea, I. C. (2025). Fruit and vegetable waste reduction measures and perceptions in the food service sector among Romanian managers and chefs. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), Article 1187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-02093-w

Nitzko, S., & Spiller, A. (2019). Comparing “Leaf-to-Root”, “Nose-to-Tail” and Other Efficient Food Utilization Options from a Consumer Perspective. Sustainability, 11(17), 4779. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174779 

The Climate Kitchen supports a robust regional food system to create greater community-based resilience and more equitable distribution of food that is healthy (for people and for the planet) across these communities. An important innovation lies in shrinking supply chains as a critical step in food system sustainability. In the kitchen we seek to find innovative solutions that work to ease long-distance transport and increase possibilities for tasty and nutritious food from the region.

Shrinking our food supply chains contributes to increased food system resilience. This is largely because feedback loops are tightened in localized food systems whose members are bound by geographic and relational proximity (to each other and to the ecosystem), allowing for more agile responses and action as necessary in the face of shocks. We prioritize sourcing food that is produced regionally, which often translates to more fresh, more nutritious, and better tasting food that has been grown regeneratively for near-future consumption rather than transportability. Sourcing regionally can also significantly reduce the resource and carbon footprint of our food, making it a key lever for promoting planetary health.  

The Climate Kitchen pursues local and regional sourcing through purchasing seasonal ingredients from local producers, such as the Intervale Food Hub, and collaborates with Catamount Farm.

Research is underway to explore the possibility of using locally sourced spent grain to feed mealworms that are then transformed into high protein flour. 

Chiffoleau, Y., & Dourian, T. (2020). Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Is Shortening the Answer? A Literature Review for a Research and Innovation Agenda. Sustainability, 12(23), 9831–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239831

FoodPrint. (2024). Local and Regional Food Systems.  https://foodprint.org/issues/local-regional-food-systems/ 

Stein, A. J., & Santini, F. (2022). The sustainability of “local” food: a review for policy-makers. Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, 103(1), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41130-021-00148-w 

Talib, S., & Trubek, A. (2025). Sustainability through Social Commitments: Farm-to-Chef in the Era of COVID-19. In C. Counihan & S. Højlund (Eds.), Chefs, Restaurants, and Culinary Sustainability (pp. 163-179). University of Arkansas Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.22361590.14 

Tsoulfas, G. T., Trivellas, P., Reklitis, P., & Anastasopoulou, A. (2023). A Bibliometric Analysis of Short Supply Chains in the Agri-Food Sector. Sustainability, 15(2), 1089. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021089

Wang, M., Kumar, V., Ruan, X., Saad, M., Garza-Reyes, J. A., & Kumar, A. (2022). Sustainability concerns on consumers’ attitude towards short food supply chains: an empirical investigation. Operations Management Research, 15(1–2), 76–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12063-021-00188-x