Food & Dining
Introduction
Modern industrial food production often has deleterious environmental and social impacts. Institutions can use their food purchases to support their local economies; encourage safe, environmentally friendly and humane farming methods; and help eliminate unsafe working conditions and alleviate poverty for farmers. These actions help reduce environmental impacts, preserve regional farmland, improve local food security, and support fair and resilient food systems. Dining services can also support sustainable food systems by preventing food waste and diverting food materials from the waste stream, by making low impact dining options available, and by educating its customers about more sustainable options and practices.
Featured Resources
New Resources
Applied Local Food System Minor
- Butler University (IN)
The Applied Local Food System (ALFS) minor and concentration is a truly cross-disciplinary program where students, instructors, community internship host sites, and community members learn through collaboration. As a cohort ...
- Posted May 23, 2022
- Academic Programs
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We Feed Aggie Animals
- Texas A&M University (TX)
- Chartwells Higher Education (NY)
Texas A&M Aggie Dining launched a new "We Feed Aggie Animals" food waste initiative to enhance goals of eliminating food waste while supporting the campus community. Starting in January 2022 ...
- Posted May 23, 2022
- Case Studies
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Evaluating Food Packaging Waste in Schools: A Systematic Literature Review
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
Public schools in the U.S. generate about 14,500 tons of municipal solid waste daily, and approximately 42% of that is food packaging generated by school foodservice, contributing significantly ...
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Publications
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Food sustainability perception at universities: Education and demographic features effects
- Università degli Studi di Torino
- Università degli Studi di Palermo
The 2030 Agenda of the United Nations merged in 17 goals the strong need to change the pattern of human life on the planet in a path of strengthening sustainability ...
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Publications
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Development of the University Food Environment Assessment (Uni-Food) Tool and Process to Benchmark the Healthiness, Equity, and Environmental Sustainability of University Food Environments
- Monash University (VIC)
- University of Sydney (NSW)
- Deakin University
- University of Melbourne (Victoria)
- University of Wollongong (New South Wales)
- University of Tasmania
- Flinders University
Globally, there is increasing interest in monitoring actions to create healthy, equitable and environmentally sustainable food environments. Currently, there is a lack of detailed tools for monitoring and benchmarking university ...
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Publications
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Learning from the Dirt: Initiating university food gardens as a cross-disciplinary tertiary teaching tool
- UNSW Sydney (NSW)
Food gardens are an underdeveloped resource for teaching and research in Australian universities. While some campuses have food or botanical gardens, outside the biological or physical sciences food growing is ...
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Publications
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Information Disclosure and Climate-Friendly Consumption: Assessing the Impact of Carbon Labelling at a University Dining Hall
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
Global dietary patterns are increasingly reliant on animal products, which are highly carbon intensive and significantly contribute to climate change. While transitioning towards plant-based diets is regarded as an important ...
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Publications
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Contactless Food Box Deliveries: Driving Down Food Insecurity
- University of California, Merced (CA)
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) launched the Contactless Food Box Delivery Program in December 2020 which continues to this day. 5-10 boxes are delivered every week to those ...
- Posted May 19, 2022
- Case Studies
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Washington and Lee Quick Hits: Sustainability Leadership Trip Explores Local Food
- Washington and Lee University (VA)
Washington and Lee University takes student leaders in sustainability on a trip to explore local foods and dining waste. It features the students visiting the campus's local garden that ...
- Posted May 19, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Students’ knowledge and expectations about sustainable food systems in higher education
- University of Kassel
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
- University of Copenhagen
- Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego (Warsaw)
- ISARA Agro School for Life
- Eesti Maaülikool, EMÜ
- FH Münster
- University of Gastronomic Sciences (Piedmont)
To clarify needs and requests of the young generation to the contemporary and future education on food systems, this paper aims to examine the following issues: students’ background knowledge, students ...
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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The Perceived Importance and Intended Purchasing Patterns of Sustainable Foods in Australian University Students
- University of Western Sydney (NSW)
- University of Tasmania
Although there has been considerable research on consumers’ opinions about sustainable foods and purchasing behaviors, the experience of university students remains unclear. This study aims to characterize university students’ perceptions ...
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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Higher education institutions, SDG2 and agri-food sustainability: lessons from Chulalongkorn University and Thailand
- Chulalongkorn University
This paper examines higher education efforts linking United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and agri-food system sustainability given reports of stagnant movement for SDG2 in Southeast Asia and lack of ...
- Posted May 11, 2022
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A comprehensive approach for the feasibility assessment of on-campus food waste composting
- American University of Sharjah (Ash Shariqah)
- German Jordanian University
Food waste management is increasingly emphasized globally due to its economic and environmental impacts and the strategic transformation towards sustainability. This can be observed from the increasing number of Zero ...
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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Integration of food waste composting and vegetable gardens in a university campus
- University of A Coruña (a Coruña)
Local composting (household, community and small scale applications) is considered a sustainable option for bio-waste recovery and is receiving increasing demand from society. Higher education institutions are no exception, but ...
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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Reducing the environmental impact of food service in universities using life cycle assessment
- Eckerd College (FL)
This study aims to use life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impact of food purchases at a small, liberal arts college. The authors also use the results to develop ...
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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From tensions to transformation: Teaching food systems in a graduate dietetics course
- University of Toronto (ON)
Dietitians are deeply embedded within food systems, so food systems concepts are becoming an essential component of dietetic education in Canada. Yet how can we, as educators, better prepare future ...
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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A Discussion About Environmental Justice in Vermont
- University of Vermont (VT)
Project Green Schools was delighted to host A Discussion About Environmental Justice in Vermont in partnership with Vermont House Speaker, Conor Kennedy, Shelburne Farms, VT FEED, Hunger Free Vermont, VEEP ...
- Posted May 9, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Boston College Green Week: BC Dining Hosts Events to Promote Sustainability Initiatives
- Boston College (MA)
Each year, to celebrate Earth Day, Boston College clubs and organizations collaborate to host Green Week. With different events, pop-ups, and educational resources, students are able to see all of ...
- Posted May 4, 2022
- Photographs
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sustainNU Hosts Reuse & Repair Fair
- Northwestern University (IL)
Northwestern's Office of Sustainability hosted a Repair and Reuse Fair featuring a variety of on-campus and local vendors, including a local bike shop, clothing mending organization, tool library, zero-waste ...
- Posted May 4, 2022
- Photographs
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CFR 7/22 Higher Education Webinar: Campus Sustainability and Climate Change Mitigation
- Mount Holyoke College (MA)
V.S. “Raghu” Raghavan, director of sustainability and associate director of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment at Mount Holyoke College, discusses actions campuses can take toward greater sustainability ...
- Posted May 2, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Earth Conscious Menu at JMU Senior Symposium Event
- James Madison University (VA)
On Earth Day, students in JMU's School of Integrated Sciences presented their work at the annual Senior Symposium. This year, the SIS Senior Symposium was recognized by JMU's ...
- Posted May 2, 2022
- Photographs
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JMU Geography Students Celebrate 10 Years of Gardening at Local Elementary School
- James Madison University (VA)
JMU Geography faculty and students celebrated Earth Day with students from an elementary school in Harrisonburg, Virginia as a continuation of 10 years of gardening together. Dr. Amy Goodall and ...
- Posted May 2, 2022
- Photographs
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Queens College Reduces Single-Use Plastics In Our Dining Halls
- City University of New York, Queens College (NY)
Queens College, a college within the City University of New York system, recently launched an initiative to reduce single-use plastics in our campus dining halls. Our food servicer, Mangia Fresca ...
- Posted May 2, 2022
- Photographs
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A Food-Themed Cross-Disciplinary Faculty-Staff Learning Community Enriches Place-Based Experiential Learning Curricula
- Butler University (IN)
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) (IN)
- Indiana University
This document contains instructional resources to facilitate an 8-month Faculty-Staff Learning Community (FSLC) focused on learning and discussion to support the creation of campus farm-situated place-based experiential learning (PBEL) lessons ...
- Posted April 25, 2022
- Course Materials
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Neumann University Earth Day Events
- Neumann University (PA)
Neumann University's Earth Day events started with a mass outside in the Rose Garden. We also had a demonstration of mat weaving recycling plastic bags to give to homeless ...
- Posted April 25, 2022
- Photographs
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Sport Goals Are Sustainably Goals
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (TN)
The University of Tennessee Knoxville's football stadium has a capacity of 102k fans. With the amount of fans each game brings, there is bound to be a lot of ...
- Posted April 18, 2022
- Photographs
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Creating Effective Waste Bin Signage
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
A University of Texas at Austin Zero Waste Working Group used a comprehensive process including signage studies, waste composition data, and a progression of testing to design a new campus-wide ...
- Posted March 10, 2022
- Case Studies
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EPA P3 Funded Project to Build App to Address Food Waste and Insecurity on College Campuses
- Baldwin Wallace University (OH)
- AASHE (PA)
Food waste and insecurity are significant issues with the national average of food insecurity standing at approximately 28% on college campuses. Our student population matches that figure based on a ...
- Posted Feb. 17, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Williams College Reusable To-Go Ware Case Study
- Williams College (MA)
This reusable container program was rolled out when students returned to campus in the Fall of 2020 and was proposed with both sustainability and cost savings in mind. What differentiates ...
- Posted Feb. 1, 2022
- Case Studies
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Zero Waste Networking Meeting
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
This is a meetup for all students, staff, companies, and professionals that are working on campus Zero Waste efforts. Whether you're helping your campus achieve Zero Waste goals, or ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Fostering a Collaborative Work Environment for Food Sustainability
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
This session hopes to encourage higher education institutions to incorporate a collaborative lens for new sustainability initiatives in order to address student turnover, communication challenges, and partnerships between student leaders ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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How Fair Trade Campuses are Collaborating to Amplify Their Impact
- University at Albany (NY)
- University of California, Riverside (CA)
- Fair Trade Colleges & Universities
Fair Trade Campaigns is a powerful grassroots movement mobilizing thousands of conscious consumers and Fair Trade advocates on campuses and in communities across the U.S. Our Fair Trade Colleges ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Amplifying Our Voices: Aligning Food Procurement Standards in a New Era
- Real Food Challenge (MA)
Anchors in Action (AiA) alliance is a national cross-sector partnership among Center for Good Food Purchasing, Health Care Without Harm, and Real Food Challenge. Together these groups represent hospitals, school ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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What the Fork: A Case Study in Bioplastics
- University of Arizona (AZ)
The University of Arizona Compost Cats was founded in 2011 by a small group of students with a mission to divert food waste from the Student Unions away from local ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Conducting Campus Dining Operations Successfully in the Middle of a Pandemic
- Mount Holyoke College (MA)
Mount Holyoke College started tracking food waste with the Leanpath food waste prevention system in October of 2019. With the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic in early 2020 the ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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A Tectonic Shift in Dining Services: Brandeis' New Metrics for Advancing Sustainability Through Food
- Brandeis University (MA)
- Sodexo USA (MD)
In the year leading up to the covid-19 crisis, Brandeis University was busy preparing an RFP for a new dining vendor. This presented a pivotal opportunity to incorporate sustainability in ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Fun with Food Systems: Creative Ways to Increase Food Sovereignty and Build Community Remotely
- Portland Community College (OR)
Food shortages skyrocketed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and community college students were notably affected. Normal campus supports such as in-person food pantries, learning gardens, and our campus ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Assessing Food Security in Higher Education
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Michigan State University (MI)
Food security exists when all people in a community, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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A Zero Waste Campus Is Possible
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
In this workshop we will facilitate a discussion around how students can lead specific efforts to solve waste issues on their campuses. We start with a short presentation on the ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Implementation of a Single-Use Plastics Ban: Navigating Contracts, Procurement, and Outreach
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
In 2020, the UC system passed a single-use plastics policy that aims to greatly reduce plastics on campuses and health systems. The policy went into effect in 2021, starting with ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Food Waste and Food Insecurity: A Multidimensional Approach With Three Pillars of Sustainability
- University of Kentucky (KY)
Food insecurity, a growing concern due to unsustainable and unjust food systems, has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic whereas food waste issues remained prevalent. The pandemic has disproportionately affected ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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The Carbon and Nitrogen Footprint of Food
- Stanford University (CA)
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
Food purchasing can be a significant component of campus carbon and nitrogen footprints. SIMAP (unhsimap.org) is a web-based campus footprint tool that calculates the carbon and nitrogen emissions from ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Expanding Sustainability: Using Food Procurement to Help Poultry Workers (through a new consortium)
- Georgetown University (DC)
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
- University of Michigan (MI)
Many colleges and universities are working on sustainable procurement goals, but how many of us have looked at social sustainability and the impact of our procurement on workers? During the ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Analyzing the University of Oregon's 30 Years of Detailed Data: Where We've Been and What's Next
- University of Oregon (OR)
Analyzing nearly 30 years of University of Oregon's solid waste data reveals changes in behaviors and material streams. Specific policy changes are reflected in the waste streams too. We ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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The People's Fridge: Redistributing Surplus Food and Reducing Food Insecurity
- University of California, Merced (CA)
The People's Fridge is a plant-based community fridge in Merced County with the dual aims of redistributing surplus food and reducing food insecurity. The pandemic further increased food insecurity ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Supporting a Circular Food Economy: Converting Inedible Scraps Into Renewable Energy and Beneficial Fertilizer
- Kent State University (OH)
- InSinkErator (WI)
- Quasar Energy Group (OH)
More than one third of the food produced today is lost or wasted, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Here in the United States, the ...
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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FEAST Fund
- Butler University (IN)
Food Enterprises Achieve Sustainability Together- FEAST Fund supported by Bon Appetit, Butler's food service provider:
This fund allow Butler University and Bon Appetit to achieve our shared sustainability goals ...
- Posted Jan. 5, 2022
- Green Funds
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Place Setting: Enhancing sustainable approaches to food security & community engagement through design of space
- University of Kentucky (KY)
The Campus Kitchen at the University of Kentucky (CKUK) is a student-led service organization that is a partner agency of God’s Pantry Food Bank within the Feeding America’s ...
- Posted Jan. 3, 2022
- Case Studies
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CSUF Food Pantry
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
Addressing food insecurity among college students has been a CSU system-wide effort for a number of years. The Pantry is a new and permanent program to the CSUF campus that ...
- Posted Dec. 9, 2021
- Photographs
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Our Changing Menu: Climate change and the foods we love and need
- Cornell University (NY)
We tell the climate change story through something we encounter and communicate about every day. It is imbedded in our cultures and family histories, and we love and need it ...
- Posted Nov. 29, 2021
- Publications
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community. Additional content and advanced benchmarking tools will be added to this tab over time.
Benchmarking Data
The following links connect to specific Content Displays on the STARS website (AASHE membership and log-in required).
- Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures on products that are third party verified or both local and community-based
- Percentage of total dining service food expenditures on conventional animal products
Programs and Initiatives
The following links connect to specific Content Displays on the STARS website (AASHE membership and log-in required).
- Sustainable food and beverage purchasing programs
- Sustainable food and beverage inventories
- Methodologies used to track/inventory sustainable food and beverage purchases
- Vegan dining programs
- Initiatives to reduce food waste
- Tracking and reducing pre-consumer food waste
- Tracking and reducing post-consumer food waste
- Donating food to feed people
- Pre-consumer food waste composting
- Post-consumer food waste composting
- Using reusable service ware for "dine in" meals
- Providing reusable and/or third party certified compostable containers and service ware for "to go" meals
- Discounts for customers who use reusable containers
Scores
The following link connects to the Score Display on the STARS website (AASHE membership and log-in required).