Team EcoEats (April 2025 work session)
Ishita Patel (Business Data Analytics), Syeda Anika (Finance & Business Comm), Maryam Musleh (Biomedical Engineering), Azeneth Mercado (Computer Science) Maitreyee Deshmukh (Earth and Space Exploration (Exploration Systems Design))
What's the problem?
The lack of a structured system for redistributing leftover food from campus events leads to unnecessary waste. Event organizers often overestimate attendee numbers and are left unsure of what to do with the surplus, while many students face food insecurity and limited access to timely, affordable meals.
But First...
We started by identifying leftover food as a top challenge during framing. Through empathy mapping, we realized both organizers and students struggle in silence. During ideation, we explored fridges and volunteer pickups, but prioritization led us to EcoEats — a scalable, creative solution within MyASU that meets real needs with simplicity.
Who is impacted?
ASU student who have food insecurity and ASU events organizers
Defining a better solution to the problem
Our team’s idea is EcoEats, a feature in the MyASU app developed and partnered with help of ASU Changemaker. It helps event organizers quickly share extra food with nearby students. This solution creatively reduces waste, supports food-insecure students, and gives a voice to those who often go unheard in conversations about hunger on campus.