The State of Minnesota is giving a shoutout to the Minnesota Veterans Homes - Minneapolis for figuring out a way to make a good program even better. Instead of composting discarded food, the Minneapolis Veterans Home joined a food-to-animals program and now sends it directly to a livestock farm just outside the Twin Cities.

The state’s Office of Enterprise Sustainability encourages other state entities to find ways to reduce waste and increase sustainability. They were impressed with the program and awarded the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) with a Sustainability Achievement Award.

“This is a great solution to the challenges of our original system, including reduced odors, but it also allows us to reduce our environmental impact and make progress toward our sustainability goals,” says Emma Hutson, MDVA Sustainability Coordinator.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wasted Food Scale, feeding animals is a preferred strategy over composting because it conserves resources used to grow food for animals.

“This was a collaborative project that involved many different departments and created wide-ranging benefits, including reduced environmental impact, increased diversion, improved occupational safety and odor reduction,” Hutson added.