DinAR: Augmenting Reality for Sustainable Dining
MJ Johns, Eunsol Sol Choi, Derusha Baskaran
TL;DR
The paper addresses the challenge of guiding consumers toward environmentally friendly dining choices by presenting sustainability data through an augmented reality (AR) experience called DinAR. It integrates local sourcing and seasonality information, displayed as overlays on menu items via a QR-triggered AR app, and includes a sustainability score based on the Environmental Working Group framework. A social leaderboard and a potential 3D portion model are proposed to enhance engagement and reduce food waste. The study outlines an evaluation plan with pre/post surveys, A/B comparisons, and long-term follow-ups to establish the effectiveness and acceptance of AR-driven sustainable dining, highlighting practical implications for reducing dietary carbon footprints and improving consumer awareness in real-world dining contexts.
Abstract
Sustainable food is among the many challenges associated with climate change. The resources required to grow or gather the food and the distance it travels to reach the consumer are two key factors of an ingredient's sustainability. Food that is grown locally and is currently "in-season" will have a lower carbon footprint, but when dining out these details unfortunately may not affect one's ordering preferences. We introduce DinAR as an immersive experience to make this information more accessible and to encourage better dining choices through friendly competition with a leaderboard of sustainability scores. Our study measures the effectiveness of immersive AR experiences on impacting consumer preferences towards sustainability.