CCDC Promotes Sustainable and Locally Sourced Food Choices

Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) continues to strengthen its commitment to sustainability through responsible food sourcing and the promotion of local products. Recognizing the importance of supporting community producers while providing nutritious options for students and staff, CCDC ensures that its campus food establishments prioritize homegrown and sustainably sourced ingredients.

One prime example of this initiative is the Kampaw Station Café and Restaurant, which proudly serves Admirals Farm Park Homegrown “Cinnamon Roast” Coffee—an organic, hand-picked, and manually roasted blend produced locally in Puguis, La Trinidad

By featuring locally cultivated coffee, CCDC not only celebrates Cordilleran craftsmanship but also reduces the carbon footprint associated with long-distance food transportation.

In addition, CCDC promotes plant-based and locally grown produce through its Vegetable Day program for Basic Education, held every Wednesday and Friday. This practice encourages healthy eating among students while supporting nearby farmers who provide fresh, seasonal vegetables.

These initiatives align with the college’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2: Zero Hunger and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. By integrating sustainability into its food services, CCDC ensures that every meal served reflects its dedication to environmental stewardship and community empowerment.

Through its sustainable dining practices, CCDC demonstrates that small, consistent efforts—such as sourcing from local farms and choosing organic, homegrown products—can make a significant impact. The college remains steadfast in fostering a campus culture that values health, sustainability, and support for local enterprise.

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ELS pupils continue to practice ‘vegetable day’  

Every Wednesdays and Fridays, pupils from the Cordillera Career Development College – Elementary Laboratory School (CCDC-ELS) are asked to bring their own lunch, not just any lunch but viands of pure vegetable during the ‘vegetable day’. 

During lunchtime, the school asks parents to prepare pure vegetable viands for their children. The activity is being monitored by the advisers according to  Juvy Baso, Program Coordinator for Primary schoolers. 

At the start of the school year, ELS writes to the parents regarding its various programs that includes the activity, which is in line with CCDC’s aim of participating in the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goal 2, that promotes zero hunger and achieving food security and improved nutrition, as well as promoting sustainable agriculture. 

Aside from the vegetable day program, CCDC-ELS also imposes the use of personal water bottle as containers. This is to help in the prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse and reduction of food waste in support of the Sustainable Development Goal 12 (responsible consumption and production) via environmentally sound management of waste. 

“We have water only for our drinks: colored drinks such as C2, sprite, coke, Chuckie, and the like are discouraged,” Baso said.  

She added that for the snacks, they ask the parents to remove the wrappers or peelings of their snacks before placing them in a lunch box. They encourage their children to bring healthy snacks like fruits, bread, cookies, and pastries and no junk foods. 

“We hope to create an engaging and healthy environment for our children. The parents’ participation and compliance with this matter will give their child an enjoyable experience,” Baso said.  

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Addressing Student Hunger: CCDC’s Initiatives Toward Zero Hunger

The Challenge of Student Food Insecurity

Student food insecurity – the lack of reliable access to sufficient, nutritious food – is a growing concern in many colleges and universities. When students are unsure where their next meal will come from, their academic performance and health can suffer. In fact, even at Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC), “many students face the constant worry of affording basic necessities like food”, a burden that “can really take a toll on their studies and overall well-being”. Recognizing that hunger should never hinder education, CCDC has begun taking steps aligned with the United Nations’ Zero Hunger goal to support student nutrition and welfare.

CCDC’s Commitment to Zero Hunger

CCDC has publicly committed to doing its part to combat hunger as part of its educational mission. One prominent effort is its alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger, demonstrated through community partnerships and campus policies. The college understands that ensuring students and communities are well-nourished is essential for them to thrive academically and personally.

Community Gardening for Food Security

CCDC students and faculty join community members in establishing vegetable gardens in urban settings, a sustainable approach to improving food security. With the Cordilleras as primarily a vegetable farming region, CCDC is also promoting urban gardening for students.Through its National Service Training Program (NSTP) and extension services, CCDC partnered with government agencies to promote sustainable agriculture and combat malnutrition in local communities. In 2024, CCDC joined the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s “Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay” (HAPAG) project, encouraging households to grow their own food. This community gardening initiative engages students, faculty, and residents in planting vegetables in backyards and communal plots. “The goal is to create self-sufficient homes, reducing food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty,” explained Barangay Kagawad Mercidonna Alos during one planting activity. CCDC’s NSTP Coordinator noted that the program’s primary aims include “helping reduce food insecurity and hunger” and supporting local feeding programs by providing sustained access to nutritious produce. By teaching communities to cultivate at home crops like pechay (bok choy), string beans, and taro, the college contributes beyond campus to a future where no family or student goes hungry. This outreach reflects CCDC’s broader commitment to “helping to end hunger, achieve food security, and improved nutrition” in the region.

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Measuring Food Waste: CCDC’s Commitment to Sustainability and Zero Hunger

Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) is strengthening its role as a sustainable campus by addressing an often overlooked issue: food waste. In educational institutions, measuring and managing food waste is crucial not only for environmental sustainability but also for supporting the fight against hunger. Every meal served in a school cafeteria carries with it an opportunity to educate students on responsible consumption and to ensure that no food goes unnecessarily to waste. By carefully tracking how much food is discarded, schools can reduce their environmental footprint and reinforce global goals like Zero Hunger (SDG 2) and Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12). CCDC recognizes that monitoring food waste is a key step in instilling in students a deep respect for our planet’s resources and in promoting mindful eating habits that benefit both people and the planet.

Importance of Food Waste Measurement in School Settings

Measuring food waste in schools serves multiple important purposes. First, it highlights the scale of excess food being thrown away, raising awareness among students and staff about the value of food.Such data-driven awareness aligns with CCDC’s educational philosophy of nurturing responsible, community-conscious individuals. Second, tracking food waste helps the school identify ways to reduce disposal costs and environmental impact.

CCDC’s Commitment to Sustainability and Zero Hunger

CCDC has visibly integrated sustainability and social responsibility into its campus operations and academic agenda. This commitment is reflected in initiatives like community gardening and food security projects. For example, CCDC partnered with government agencies in the “Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay” (HAPAG) program to promote household vegetable gardens, helping local families grow their own nutritious food. By encouraging urban gardening, the college not only addresses hunger and malnutrition in the community, but also emphasizes the value of food – every tomato or bunch of pechay grown and eaten is food not wasted.

On campus, CCDC’s sustainability ethos is evident in its policies. The college enforces eco-friendly practices such as banning single-use plastics and Styrofoam in campus cafeterias and events. This policy, instituted via College Memorandum No. 7 s. 2019, encourages students and staff to use reusable food containers and water bottles, reducing the waste generated from food packaging. By eliminating disposable plastics and promoting refillable containers, CCDC attacks the waste problem at its source – an effort that indirectly also tackles food waste by creating a culture that values sustainability. While these measures target packaging waste, they set the stage for a broader conversation about reducing all forms of waste, including leftover food, in daily campus life.

Monitoring and Measuring Campus Food Waste

CCDC has taken concrete steps to measure and manage the waste generated on campus, laying the groundwork for tracking food waste from its cafeterias and events. In line with the national Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act 9003), the college implemented a data-driven waste disposal policy that actively monitors the volume of waste generated, segregated, and disposed of on campus. This means that all waste – including leftover food scraps from canteens and faculty lunchrooms – is accounted for in CCDC’s waste monitoring system. The school maintains detailed waste disposal records through its General Services Office, and it conducts regular waste audits to track how much waste is being produced and where it goes. Such audits cover the entire waste lifecycle on campus, from the point where a student tosses an unfinished meal into a bin, to the final disposal or recycling of that waste.

Through its Materials Recovery Facility and segregated bins placed around the campus, CCDC separates waste into biodegradable, recyclable, and residual categories at the source. Food waste from the cafeterias – being biodegradable – is collected separately in designated bins, which allows the school to measure how much organic waste is generated from daily food service. By tracking the weight or volume of these “biodegradable” bins over time, CCDC can identify trends (for instance, if certain meals result in more leftovers) and work on solutions to minimize that waste. The waste tracking is comprehensive: quarterly self-monitoring reports (SMRs) submitted to environmental authorities show that CCDC measures the volume of waste generated across all departments and facilities. This includes not only general trash but also specific streams like food waste, used cooking oil from canteen kitchens, and even electronic waste, ensuring nothing is overlooked. In fact, CCDC’s reports for 2024 demonstrate that waste is measured and tracked in all operational areas of the college and reported regularly, underscoring a culture of accountability in waste management.

Data, Outcomes, and Benefits of Waste Tracking

While CCDC’s public statements do not yet provide specific figures for “food waste” alone, the college’s comprehensive waste monitoring program has yielded positive outcomes that hint at success in controlling all waste streams. According to CCDC’s 2024 Self-Monitoring Reports, the college maintained full compliance with national waste management requirements throughout the year. All campus waste storage and disposal facilities passed inspections with no reported violations or improper accumulation – a strong indication that even organic waste like food scraps are being handled promptly and properly. Notably, the school ensured that items like used vegetable oil from campus food services were properly accounted for and disposed of through accredited handlers, reflecting a responsible approach even to by-products of food preparation[15]. These efforts show that CCDC’s system is not just tracking waste for the sake of data, but actively using that information to meet environmental standards and prevent pollution.

Finally, measuring and reducing food waste supports CCDC’s social responsibility goals. Though not formally announced yet, such ideas are a natural extension of CCDC’s existing outreach – like the Panbadangan Project that provides nutritious meals to students in a remote community while boosting local farmers’ livelihoods. In the long run, the data gathered from campus food waste monitoring can guide CCDC in launching targeted campaigns (for instance, a “Clean Plate Challenge” or composting workshops) that further reduce waste and enhance food security awareness among students.

Building a Culture of Sustainability: Next Steps and Call to Action

CCDC’s current policies and actions lay a strong foundation for sustainable campus dining and waste reduction. Moving forward, the college is poised to deepen its commitment by possibly setting explicit food waste reduction goals as part of its sustainability roadmap. This could mean introducing composting for cafeteria waste, conducting studies on plate waste to adjust serving sizes, or organizing donation drives for excess food. Given CCDC’s track record of proactive environmental stewardship – from creating a dedicated Sustainable Development and Linkages Office to extending green policies to all its suppliers and partners– it is likely only a matter of time before food waste prevention becomes an even more prominent focus.

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