Running Head: COOLING COMPARTMENT

Locker Compartment for Cooling Food and Drink

Rasheed Al-shwaf

Michigan Islamic Academy

Senior Project

Sr. Samar Abbasi

February 8, 2021
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Abstract

In this paper, I research and apply the advantages of better food storage for student

lockers. I use information from internet articles, government websites, scholarly journals, and

references from historic Islamic books. I show that cooling compartments are needed for

improving food preservation, reducing food waste, incentivizing the consumption of healthier

food, and applying the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. This report is intended to persuade

the reader to highly consider locker cooling compartments.

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Locker Compartment for Cooling Food and Drink

An efficient way to improve typical school lockers is to install a cooling compartment to

the top shelf. It would be used to keep food and drink cold and fresh throughout the day,

reducing the risk of spoiled or unwanted food. The compartment would also serve as an incentive

for students to eat healthier, allowing them to perform better in academics and physical activities,

and to minimize food waste.

Imagine a student waking up in the morning to prepare for school. Not sure what to bring

for lunch, he takes a container of leftovers and salad from last night’s dinner with a small bottle

of chocolate milk. He places the lunch in his locker and proceeds to class. A few hours pass and

it is time for lunch. He opens his food container only to find gross-tasting leftovers, tasteless dry

vegetables, and an unwanted bottle of warm chocolate milk. Situations like these make it

necessary to find a solution to keeping food and drink cold during a student’s school day. A

cooling compartment in a school locker would serve this purpose: keeping student lunches cold

and fresh throughout the day.

Food Preservation

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department

of Agriculture (USDA), many types of foods should not be kept at a temperature above 40

degrees Fahrenheit (Team, F. H., 2020). These include meat, dairy products, cooked or cut

produce, eggs, and cooked leftovers, all of which are common lunches students may bring from

home. If these foods are placed in a warmer environment for more than two hours, then it could

lead to the growth of ​Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens)​. ​C. perfringens is a bacteria that
COOLING COMPARTMENT

could infect students through food consumption, causing diarrhea and abdominal cramps (CDC,

2018). It is safe to say that the temperature inside a school building would be considered room

temperature. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that ​room temperature would be defined as

59 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, well over 40 degrees. Thus, there is an increased risk of a student

getting a stomach ache or worse if he eats food left out in his locker. He might miss school or not

be able to complete his academic work.

Minimizing Food Waste

If a student notices that his food has gone bad, he will most likely throw it away.

However, with the cooling compartment and its ability to keep food and drink fresh during the

school day, there would be a decrease in the amount of food wasted in the school. One may

argue that students can simply find other means of getting rid of their food, such as composting,

which would nullify the need for the compartment completely. In contrast, the composting

process is not as simple as it seems. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

website provides a description of how to compost:

● “Select a dry, shady spot near a water source for your compost pile or bin.

● Add brown and green materials as they are collected, making sure larger pieces are

chopped or shredded.

● Moisten dry materials as they are added.

● Once your compost pile is established, mix grass clippings and green waste into the pile

and bury fruit and vegetable waste under 10 inches of compost material.
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● Optional: Cover top of compost with a tarp to keep it moist. When the material at the

bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use. This usually takes

anywhere between two months to two years.”

As you can see, composting requires a lengthy procedure that many students would not

be willing to do, especially alongside schoolwork. The EPA also specifies a list of foods and

materials that can be composted (fruits and vegetables, eggshells, nutshells, etc.) and a list of

common non-compostable foods (dairy products, fats and grease, meat or fish bones, etc.). From

this information, it can be concluded that most of the food and drink students bring to school is

non-compostable. Therefore, the proposed locker cooling compartment serves as an important

factor to minimizing food waste from students.

Eating Healthier

With the addition of a cooling compartment to school lockers, it is believed that students

will be incentivised to bring healthier options to school. In current conditions, students are more

likely to bring foods that do not need much preservation, such as chips, chocolate, gummies, and

other packaged junk food. However with a cooling compartment, students would be able to bring

fruits, salads, eggs, and other healthy foods that would otherwise go bad in a typical, warm

locker. Also, studies show that when students are given a small incentive to eat healthier, such as

the cooling compartment, it can develop a paradigm shift in the students’ behavior towards

healthy foods, creating a habit that will stay with them even after the incentive is gone

(Loewenstein et al., 2016).

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Students eating healthier means that their bodies will physically function better. Having a

well-balanced diet gives the body the nutrition it needs to maintain itself and generally improve

its ability to exercise for longer times. “The effects of eating right and exercising improve the

strength of your immune system and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes,

hypertension and several types of cancer.” (Curinga, 2020). Additionally, research has shown

that a better diet can contribute to higher academic student performance on exams (Florence et

al., 2008), as well as an increase in attendance and mental focus (Healthy Food Choices in

Schools, 2019).

Islamic Perspective

Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬says in the Holy Qur’an:

‫ﺎن ُﻣَﺘ َﺸ ِﺎﺑ ًﻬﺎ‬

َ ‫اﻟﺮ ﱠﻣ‬
‫ﻮن َو ﱡ‬ ‫اﻟﺰ ْر َع ُﻣ ْﺨَﺘﻠِ ًﻔﺎ أُ ُﻛﻠُ ُﻪ َو ﱠ‬
َ ‫اﻟﺰ ْﯾُﺘ‬ ‫ﺎت َواﻟﱠﻨ ْﺨ َﻞ َو ﱠ‬ َ ‫ْﺮ َﻣ ْﻌ ُﺮ‬
ٍ ‫وﺷ‬ َ ‫ﺎت َو َﻏﯿ‬ ٍ ‫ﻧﺸَﺄ َﺟﱠﻨ‬
َ ‫ﺎت ﱠﻣ ْﻌ ُﺮ‬
ٍ ‫وﺷ‬ َ َ‫}و ُﻫ َﻮ اﻟﱠ ِﺬي أ‬
َ

َ ‫ُﺤ ﱡﺐ اﻟْ ُﻤ ْﺴ ِﺮ ِﻓ‬

{‫ﯿﻦ‬ َ ‫ْﺮ ُﻣَﺘ َﺸ ِﺎﺑ ٍﻪۚ ُﻛﻠُﻮا ِﻣﻦ َﺛ َﻤ ِﺮ ِه إِ َذا أَ ْﺛ َﻤ َﺮ َوآُﺗﻮا َﺣﱠﻘ ُﻪ َﯾ ْﻮ َم َﺣ‬
ِ ‫ﺼﺎ ِد ِهۖ َو َﻻ ُﺗ ْﺴ ِﺮ ُﻓﻮاۚ إِﱠﻧ ُﻪ َﻻ ﯾ‬ َ ‫َو َﻏﯿ‬

“For it is He who has brought into being gardens - [both] the cultivated ones and those growing

wild - and the date-palm, and fields bearing multiform produce, and the olive tree, and the

pomegranate: [all] resembling one another and yet so different! Eat of their fruit when it comes

to fruition, and give [unto the poor] their due on harvest day. And ​do not waste [God's bounties]:

verily, ​He does not love the wasteful!​” (Translated by Muhammad Asad)

Surat-ul-An’aam 6:141
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َ ‫ُﺤ ﱡﺐ اﻟْ ُﻤ ْﺴ ِﺮ ِﻓ‬

{‫ﯿﻦ‬ ْ ‫}َﯾﺎ َﺑِﻨﻲ آ َد َم ُﺧ ُﺬوا زﯾَﻨَﺘ ُﻜ ْﻢ ِﻋﻨ َﺪ ُﻛ ﱢﻞ َﻣ ْﺴ ِﺠ ٍﺪ َو ُﻛﻠُﻮا َو‬
ِ ‫اﺷ َﺮﺑُﻮا َو َﻻ ُﺗ ْﺴ ِﺮ ُﻓﻮاۚ إِﱠﻧ ُﻪ َﻻ ﯾ‬ ِ

“O Children of Adam! Beautify yourselves for every act of worship, and eat and drink [freely],

but ​do not waste​: verily, ​He does not love the wasteful!​”​ ​(Translated by Muhammad Asad)

Surat-ul-A’araaf 7:31

‫ﺎل "​ إِ َذا َﻣﺎ َو َﻗ َﻌ ْﺖ ﻟُ ْﻘ َﻤ ُﺔ‬

َ ‫ﻼ َث َو َﻗ‬ ‫ﺻﺎﺑ َﻌ ُﻪ ﱠ‬ َ َ َ ‫ أَ ﱠن اﻟﱠﻨِﺒ ﱠﻲ ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ َﻛ‬،‫ﺲ‬ َ
َ ‫اﻟﺜ‬ ِ َ ‫ﺎن إِ َذا َﻣﺎ أ َﻛ َﻞ َﻃ َﻌﺎ ًﻣﺎ ﻟَ ِﻌ َﻖ أ‬ ٍ ‫َﻋ ْﻦ أَﻧ‬
َ ‫ﺎل ​"​ إِﱠﻧ ُﻜ ْﻢ‬
َ ‫ﻻ َﺗ ْﺪ ُر‬
‫ون ِﻓﻲ‬ ‫​ َوأَ َﻣ َﺮَﻧﺎ أَ ْن َﻧ ْﺴﻠُ َﺖ ﱠ‬.​ "​ ​ ‫ﺎن‬
َ ‫اﻟﺼ ْﺤ َﻔ َﺔ َو َﻗ‬ َ ‫ﱠ‬
ِ ‫َﻋ َﻬﺎ ﻟِﻠﺸﯿْﻄ‬ َ ‫اﻷ َذى َوﻟَْﯿ ْﺄ ُﻛﻠْ َﻬﺎ َو‬
ْ ‫ﻻ َﯾﺪ‬ َ ‫أَ َﺣ ِﺪ ُﻛ ْﻢ َﻓﻠُْﯿ ِﻤ ْﻂ َﻋ ْﻨ َﻬﺎ‬

" ‫أَ ﱢى َﻃ َﻌﺎ ِﻣ ُﻜ ُﻢ اﻟَْﺒ َﺮ َﻛ ُﺔ‬

Narrated Anas:

“When the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬ate, he would lick his three fingers, and he said: ‘If one of you drops a

piece (of food) then let him remove any harm (dirt) from it and eat it, and do not leave it for

Ash-Shaitan.’ And ​he would order us to finish ​(clean) the dish​. And he said: ‘Indeed ​you do

not know in which part of your food is the blessing​.’”

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1803

As stated in the Ayat and Hadith above, wasting food in any quantity is completely

forbidden. Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬is the Most-Loving (‫)اﻟﻮدود‬, but among the exceptions from His love are the

wasteful (shown in context regarding food waste). He repeatedly mentioned this in the Qur’an,

stressing its importance. In addition, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬emphasizes that we should not let even a

small piece of food go to waste, for we do not know what blessings it can hold. He would go as

far as to lick his fingers after a meal just to make sure no scraps of food are left uneaten.
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Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬also says:

ٌ ‫ﺎنۚ إِﱠﻧ ُﻪ ﻟَ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﻋ ُﺪ ﱞو ُﻣِﺒ‬

{‫ﯿﻦ‬ َ ْ ‫ﺎس ُﻛﻠُﻮا ِﻣ ﱠﻤﺎ ِﻓﻲ‬
َ ‫اﻷ ْرض َﺣ َﻼ ًﻻ َﻃﱢﯿﺒًﺎ َو َﻻ َﺗﱠﺘِﺒ ُﻌﻮا ُﺧ ُﻄ َﻮ ِ ﱠ‬ ُ ‫}َﯾﺎ أَﱡﯾ َﻬﺎ اﻟﱠﻨ‬
ِ ‫ات اﻟﺸﯿْﻄ‬ ِ

“O humanity! Eat from what is ​lawful and ​good on the earth and do not follow Satan’s footsteps.

He is truly your sworn enemy.” (Translated by Mustafa Khattab)

Surat-ul-Baqarah 2:168

َ ‫ﻮل ​ "​ َﻣﺎ َﻣ‬

‫ﺮا‬ ‫ﻸ آ َد ِﻣ ﱞﻲ ِو َﻋﺎ ًء َﺷ‬ ُ ‫اﷲِ ـ ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ ـ َﯾُﻘ‬
‫ﻮل ﱠ‬ ُ ‫ َﯾُﻘ‬،‫ْﻦ َﻣ ْﻌ ِﺪ ﯾ َﻜﺮ َب‬
َ ‫ﻮل َﺳ ِﻤ ْﻌ ُﺖ َر ُﺳ‬ َ ‫َﻋ ْﻦ اﻟْ ِﻤ ْﻘﺪَا َم ﺑ‬
ِ
ٌ ُُ ِ ‫ﻠﺸ َﺮ‬
‫ﻠﻄ َﻌﺎم َوُﺛﻠُ ٌﺚ ﻟِ ﱠ‬
‫ْ َ ُُ ٌ ﱠ‬ َ َ ْ ُ ‫ﺎت ُﯾ ِﻘ ْﻤ َﻦ‬
ٌ ‫ِﻣ ْﻦ َﺑ ْﻄ ٍﻦ َﺣ ْﺴ ُﺐ اﻵ َد ِﻣ ﱢﻲ ﻟُ َﻘ ْﯿ َﻤ‬
ِ ‫اب َوﺛﻠﺚ ﻟِﻠﱠﻨ َﻔ‬
."‫ﺲ‬ ِ ِ‫ﺻﻠَﺒ ُﻪ ﻓِﺈ ْن َﻏﻠَﺒ ِﺖ اﻵ َد ِﻣ ﱠﻲ َﻧﻔ ُﺴ ُﻪ ﻓﺜﻠﺚ ﻟ‬

Narrated Miqdam bin Madikarib:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬say: ‘A human being fills no worse vessel than his

stomach. It is sufficient for a human being to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight. But

if he must (fill it), then ​one third​ of ​food​, ​one third​ for ​drink,​ and ​one third​ for ​air​.’”

Sunan Ibn Majah 3349

‫ْﻦ ِر ْﺟﻠَ ْﯿ ِﻪ‬

َ ‫ْﻦ ﻟَ ْﺤَﯿ ْﯿ ِﻪ َو َﻣﺎ َﺑﯿ‬ ‫ﻮل ﱠ‬
ْ ‫ ​ " َﻣ ْﻦ َﯾ‬:‫اﷲِ ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ‬
َ ‫ﻀ َﻤ ْﻦ ﻟِﻲ َﻣﺎ َﺑﯿ‬ َ ‫ َﻗ‬:‫ﺎل‬
ِ ‫ﺎل َر ُﺳ‬ َ ‫َﻋ ْﻦ َﺳ ْﻬ ِﻞ ﺑْﻦ َﺳ ْﻌ ٍﺪ َﻗ‬
ِ
ْ َ‫أ‬
."‫ﺿ َﻤ ْﻦ ﻟَ ُﻪ اﻟْ َﺠﱠﻨ َﺔ‬

Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd:

“The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said, ‘Whosoever gives me a guarantee to ​safeguard what is

between his jaws and what is between his legs, I shall guarantee him ​Jannah​.’”

Riyad-us-Saliheen 1513
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In the Ayah, Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬is calling out to all of mankind and telling them to eat what is

good. We, as believers of Islam, should follow this and refrain from any harmful and unhealthy

food. In the first Hadith, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬is providing us with the best way to keep a balanced

diet: if you are still hungry after eating, then fill your stomach one-third with food, one-third with

drink, and one-third leave empty. Scholars of spirituality comment on this Hadith saying the

stomach is the first desire of the lower self (‫)اﻟﻨﻔﺲ‬, and the key leading to other desires. If this

desire is controlled, it would be the first step to controlling others. In the second Hadith, it can be

extrapolated that the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬guaranteed Jannah (Heaven) to anyone who can assure the

safety of his food consumption.

Thermal Insulation and Installation

The cooling compartment will be made of thermally insulated walls fitted to the

dimensions of the locker’s top shelf. The walls consist of three layers: an outer layer, a middle

layer, and an inner lining. The outer layer is made of polyester, a tough plastic fabric that

protects the compartment from wear and tear. The inner layer is lined with water-resistant and

heat-reflective heavy vinyl. Priscalla Greene explained in her article “How Do Insulated Lunch

Bags Work?” (2020),

“Being heat reflective means that the bag’s foil-like inner layer reflects the food’s

radiated thermal energy back, rather than absorbing it and allowing it to escape the bag.

As a result, the food inside retains its original temperature, flavor, and moisture for

longer than it would do in a regular bag.”

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10

The middle and most important layer is an insulating foam made from the durable

material polyurethane. The polyurethane foam will prevent any heat from seeping out or in to the

compartment’s contents.

This is a visual of what the three compartment layers would look like (outer layer of polyester on

top, inner vinyl lining on bottom, and insulating foam in between).

After measuring, the fabrics will all be coated with a spray adhesive and stuck with each

other before sewing the layers together. The wall facing outwards from the locker will be

attached to the other walls with a zipper to allow students to open and close the compartment

easily. With the three layers of the compartment, food placed inside should stay cold for four to

five hours. Students also have the option of placing a reusable frozen gel pack with the food to

buy an extra three to four hours.

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11

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is apparent through the provided research and findings that the locker

compartment for cooling food and drink is needed for students. The compartment would work by

trapping the food’s thermal energy and keeping it at a desired temperature throughout the school

day. The compartment would also lower the risk of illness in students caused by improper food

storage. It would encourage students to eat healthier and reduce food waste, improving mental

and physical health as well as complying with teachings from the Holy Qur’an and Prophetic

Sunnah.
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References

Alibaba.com. (n.d.). Polyester large three layers insulated tote lunch bag. Retrieved

December 23, 2020, from ​https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Polyester-large-three-

layers-insulated-tote_60832126157.html

ChemicalSafetyFacts. (2020, November 18). Keeping lunch cool: the chemistry of lunch

boxes. Retrieved December 22, 2020, from

https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/keeping-lunch-cool-the-chemistry-of-lunchboxes/

Environmental Protection Agency. (2020, July 15). Composting at home. Retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, October 02). Clostridium perfringens (C.

perfringens). Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/diseases/clostridium-perfringens.html

Curinga, K. (2020, July 21). The effects of a healthy lifestyle. Retrieved from

https://healthfully.com/410858-the-effects-of-a-healthy-lifestyle.html

Florence, M. D., Asbridge, M., & Veugelers, P. J. (2008). Diet quality and academic

performance. ​Journal of School Health,​ ​78​(4), 209-215.

doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00288.x

Greene, P. (2020, February 28). How do insulated lunch bags work? Retrieved December 22,

2020, from​ ​https://totebagfactory.com/blogs/news/how-insulated-lunch-bags-work

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Healthy Food Choices In Schools. (2019, June 13). 3 ways nutrition influences student learning

potential and school performance. Retrieved from

https://healthy-food-choices-in-schools.extension.org/3-ways-nutrition-influences-student-

learning-potential-and-school-performance/#_edn10

Loewenstein, G., Price, J., & Volpp, K. (2016). Habit formation in children: evidence from

incentives for healthy eating. ​Journal of Health Economics,​ ​45,​ 47-54.

doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2015.11.004

Lunchbox Launchpad. (2020, October 20). DIY projects: how to make an insulated lunch

bag. Retrieved December 22, 2020, from

https://www.lunchboxlaunchpad.com/diy-projects-how-to-make-an-insulated-lunch-bag/

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Room temperature. In ​Merriam-Webster.com dictionary.​ Retrieved

December 22, 2020, from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/room%20temperature

Team, F. H. (2020, October 01). Which foods from your fridge to toss (and which to keep) after

a power outage. Retrieved from

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/which-foods-from-your-fridge-to-toss-and-which-to-keep

-after-a-power-outage/

The Hadith, (pp. Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book 25, Hadith Number 17)

Translation, (Vol. 1, Book 23, Hadith 1803)

The Hadith, (pp. Riyad-us-Saliheeen, Book 17, Hadith Number 3)

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The Hadith, (pp. Sunan Ibn Majah, Book 29, Hadith Number 99)

Translation, (Vol. 4, Book 29, Hadith 3349)