Environmental Responsibility and Campus Dining

If you are a college student, faculty, staff, or administrator, chances are high that you have enjoyed a meal or two in your campus dining hall. Chances are also high that you have witnessed your institution devote increasing resources to eco-initiatives such as LEED-certified buildings or recycling programs or solar panels. But what you may not know is the considerable amount of recent effort that catering companies have spent on enhancing a more environmentally-responsible college meal experience.  

Lately, environmental sustainability and campus dining have gone together like meat and potatoes. Or like tempeh & quinoa (in honor of my vegan readers). I spent some time researching four major catering companies – Aramark, Bon Appetit, Chartwells, and Sodexo – in order to uncover their level of commitment to sustainability. Below are unique highlights of all of their respective initiatives:

ARAMARK

http://www.aramark.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility/environmental-sustainability

• Water conservation is prevalent in low-flow bathrooms, kitchen fixtures, and the laundering process while tap water is electrically activated/ionized in order to clean facilities without the use of harmful chemicals
• Not only are high-efficiency and alternate-fueled vehicles incorporated into their fleet, but other fleet vehicles use a route-optimization program that maps out the most efficient travel routes in order to minimize emissions
• Animal welfare is incorporated into their corporate philosophy - particularly in that suppliers are expected to humanely raise animals, address farm practices such as confinement and rapid growth, and act decisively if any issue of cruelty exists

BON APPETIT

http://www.bamco.com/sourcing/

• The connection between food and climate change has been addressed through the creation of a Low Carbon Diet program which focuses on prioritizing plant-based proteins, preventing food waste, reducing transportation, and supporting sustainable forestry
• The protection of farmworker’s rights is of high significance whether that is backing collective bargaining agreements, creating codes of conduct between farmers and packaging plants, or educating consumers about working conditions
• Launched in 1999, the “Farm To Fork” company-wide initiative requires all chefs to buy at least 20% of ingredients from farmers/fishermen/ranchers/producers within 150 miles.

CHARTWELLS

http://chartwellshighered.com/sustainability

• In order to fight food and water waste, the Imperfectly Delicious Produce program was established to “rescue” fruits and vegetables that had been deemed unsellable because of its appearance (445,000 pounds of produce has been saved to date)
• As of 2015, a commitment has been made to reduce red meat purchases by 30% over 3 years and to train chefs to enhance plant-based menu alternatives
• Their corporate philosophy promotes tray-less dining service, food waste awareness, biodegradable utensils and materials made from bamboo and corn byproducts, bio-diesel fueled vans, Fair Trade Certified products, and sustainably-sourced organic and local seafood and meats.

SODEXO

http://www.sodexo.com/home/corporate-responsibility.html

• While not yet prevalent on a national basis, there has been tremendous success overseas in recovering used cooking oil and diverting it from becoming waste material from landfill so that it can instead be created into a more environmentally-friendly form of biodiesel fuel.
• An ambitious target has been set to cut 34% of global CO2 emissions by 2020 which will include reducing food waste, deploying energy efficiency interventions, integrating low-carbon renewable energy sources, and working with suppliers to reduce emissions in supply chain.
• Through a five day campaign called “WasteLESS Week”, efforts have been made to empower consumers, clients, and employees to reduce the waste and celebrate the benefits of wasting less food, water, energy, paper and raw materials.

It is evident above that college catering companies – from corporate offices all the way down to dining halls – are spending serious resources towards ensuring that meal times meet both the healthy expectations of campus consumers and the demanding criteria of what it means to be environmental sustainability. They are clearly putting their money where your mouth is!

For an excellent compendium of relevant articles and resources about sustainable dining hall practices, readers are strongly urged to visit the “Food & Dining” section of AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Hub. If anyone is interested in learning a bit about what is happening in high school cafeterias, there are informative blogs and podcasts on Go Green Initiative’s food section.

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Bryan McGrath is the Assistant Dean of Students at Wheelock College in Boston, MA. Bryan serves as the Region I Representative for the NASPA Sustainability Knowledge Community.

*The above information is a submission of the Sustainability Leadership Team blog posts  and is provided by the author. The companys mentioned above are for information purposes and to provide examples, and their reference are not intended to demonstrate endorsement or NASPA partnerships.