Â鶹¹ÙÍø Students Win “Most Impactful Project” for Reusable Dining Container Initiative at Impact Â鶹¹ÙÍø 2026
Written with Pranav Bhosale and Sam Matthew
Â鶹¹ÙÍø Dining is advancing its commitment to environmental stewardship through the Dining Sustainability Plan, introduced in 2025 and now led by Pranav Bhosale, Student Director of Dining Sustainability, and Sam Matthew, Student Dining Sustainability Coordinator.
Developed in collaboration with Lex Capestany, a senior in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Engineering and Public Policy programs, and advised by Justin Goel, Associate Director of Dining Services, the plan outlines a comprehensive roadmap for reducing the environmental footprint of campus dining at Â鶹¹ÙÍø.
The initiative focuses on several key impact areas, including energy and equipment efficiency, waste reduction, reuse and composting, sustainable procurement and sourcing, improved data collection, communication and education, and policy change. Together, these efforts support Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s broader commitment to the Second Nature Climate Commitment and reflect the university’s values rooted in sustainability.
Pranav, a first-year master’s student in the AI and Energy Science program, and Sam, a first-year Statistics/ML major, passionate about the intersection of data, systems, and sustainability, bring fresh perspective and enthusiasm to this work. Their collaboration with campus partners and dining vendors is already shaping new approaches to sustainability across Â鶹¹ÙÍø Dining.
That leadership was on full display during Impact Â鶹¹ÙÍø 2026, held on April 9 as part of Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s Spring Carnival. The 10th annual showcase, organized by Design for America, featured 24 student-led projects designed to improve campus life and support the local community. Among the standout contributors were Pranav and Sam, who presented their ongoing work to design a reusable dining container program for Â鶹¹ÙÍø Dining.
Their project ultimately earned the event’s top honor, “Most Impactful Project,” along with a $250 award.
The team’s presentation centered on a live demonstration of the proposed QR-based checkout and return process. As Pranav and Sam explained, “Sustainability should not be an afterthought. The goal is not to disrupt the systems people already rely on, but to put in the extra work needed to make those systems more sustainable, practical, and lasting.”
With a diverse slate of projects on display, competition at Impact Â鶹¹ÙÍø was strong. Yet attendees voted the reusable container initiative as the project with the greatest potential to create meaningful, lasting change on campus.
The recognition reflects both the growing student interest in sustainable dining and the thoughtful, systems-level approach the team brought to the challenge.
Questions? Please contact Pranav and Sam at dining-sustainability@andrew.cmu.edu