Sustainability Efforts
Dining Services has been working to create policies and procedures to support the University's Sustainability Action Plan. We participate in food waste reduction and diversion, reduction of single-use packaging, and are working to source sustainable food options.
Steps Dining Services is Taking to Become More Sustainable
Reduce food waste
Food waste is a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions. When we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport and package it. We will reduce the amount of food waste produced on campus each year and work to maximize the utility of leftover food waste by:
- Collecting food waste in The View and sending to hog farms for use as pig feed
- Eliminate trays in all residence dininig locations, saving thousands of gallons of water per year
- Safely recover leftover unused food products and donate to people in need through the Food Recovery Network.
Expand and promote
We will educate students on sustainability projects, local sourcing and food waste diversion. Through annual educational programming, posters, events, and social media, the campus community will see sustainability efforts within Dining Services. We will also expand sustainable dining options for catering, making it easier to host zero-waste events on campus. We recently launched initiatives such as the OZZI reusable take out containers in T's and the reusable cup discount in retail dining locations.
Dining Services is proud to partner with community organizations to donate left over or unused food product. Through the collaboration of student and culinary staff the university holds a chapter with the Food Recovery Network which helps “fight food waste and hunger by recovering perishable food that would otherwise go to waste.”
More locally- and sustainably-sourced food items
We will make more local and sustainably sourced foods available through our retail, residential and catering dining options each year.