Making “waste not” a way of life

“Hate” may be a strong word, but it is the word used by mild-mannered Bernice Ting to describe how she feels about waste.

Published on April 9, 2014 | McGill News
by Jennifer Nault

“Kitchen waste is a resource; I believe we can find ways to make use of everything along the chain.” Bernice, finishing a double major in nutritional science and food science, says she has been interested in the culinary arts and science in equal measure from a very young age.

“It is all about efficiency, and fine-tuning processes so there are no wasted resources,” she says. She has not wasted her time at McGill, either, She has, in fact, been one of the most highly engaged students on Macdonald Campus during the past four years. She calls Mac campus home, quite rightly – it’s in close proximity to where she grew up on Montreal’s West Island. “I love being on the Mac campus, and being here has shaped my university experience. The pace is so different from the downtown campus; there’s a different vibe. I guess it’s more communal and intimate because we’re a smaller campus, and we get to really know each other while we’re here.”

Given her level of involvement on the campus, Ting must know everyone by now. Kicking off her studies in 2010, Ting served for two years as waste auditor for McGill Gorilla Composting at Macdonald Campus, a program that promotes organic waste composting throughout McGill, and on an individual level, as well.

Maximizing spare hours, she also joined other groups, organizations and volunteered her time in countless ways: She served as a committee member for the Food Science Association in 2012 and 2013; took on the role of head coordinator of the Good Food Box in 2012 and 2013; and has, most recently, been serving as the accounts manager and hazard analysis & critical control points coordinator for the Out-of-the-Garden Project, where she wears many hats: She is the bookkeeper, works on recipes, does kitchen prep and serves food, as well.

Read the full story here.