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

1209 resources

Don't Let it Go to Waste: Three Scrappy Strategies for Managing Food Waste and Organics in Kentucky

  • University of Kentucky (KY)
  • University of Louisville (KY)
  • Western Kentucky University (KY)
  • Aramark (PA)

Food waste is all too often seen as nothing more than 'trash.' Yet capturing food waste for positive transformation can and should be a key component of campus sustainability efforts ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Closing the Loop: Connecting Education and Operations with a Food Waste Dehydrator Project

  • Western Technical College (WI)

In October 2018, in order to meet our sustainability goals and provide relevant connections to coursework in several of our program areas, Western Technical College student government and the facilities ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Fighting Irish, Fighting Food Waste: Converting Food Waste into Energy at Notre Dame

  • University of Notre Dame (IN)

Nearly 40% of all food in the United States goes uneaten, and 95% of all wasted food winds up in the landfill. At Notre Dame, food and hospitality is a ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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California State University Says Goodbye to Single-Use Plastics

  • California State University, Chancellor's Office (CA)
  • California State University, Long Beach (CA)
  • California State University, Los Angeles (CA)

The California State University includes 23 campuses, 500,000 students and sustains more than 150,000 employees. A new system policy enacted in December establishes purchasing practices aimed at eliminating ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Sustainable and Local Food Diversity and Affordability: Successful Procurement Case Studies

  • Aramark (PA)
  • FarmLogix, LLC (IL)

Sustainable and local sourcing was once a movement of privilege used by high-end chefs to delight dining patrons. In this informative session, you will be taken into several case studies ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Food Waste to Energy: Partnering with Dining Halls for Waste Diversion and Electrical Production

  • Central Connecticut State University (CT)

Central CT State University has partnered with our food service vendor to collect food waste from our dining halls. The waste is brought to nearby Quantum BioPower where it produces ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Food Insecurity, Recovery, and Redistribution: Sustainable Food Practices for Institutions

  • Bemidji State University (MN)

Bemidji State University finds itself in a paradoxical struggle: many of our students struggle with food insecurity, but we are so overwhelmed by an excess of food that much of ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Closing the Loop on Food Waste: Leftovers From Catered Events Feed Hungry Students

  • Northern Arizona University (AZ)

Food waste at catered events is an issue we see so often as most event planners tend to over order, while at the same time we see a growth in ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Menus of Change University Research Collaborative: Collaboration to Change the Food System

  • Boston College (MA)

The MCURC is a working group of scholars and campus dining leaders from invited colleges and universities interested in accelerating efforts to move American consumers-and college/university students, scholars, and ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Turning Values Into Results: The Real Food Calculator and Real Food Procurement

  • Real Food Challenge (MA)

Through their purchasing power, institutions of higher education are in a position to create positive change in our food system that is currently dominated by industrial agriculture and exploitative, unsustainable ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Sustaining Local Producers Through University Purchasing

  • Johns Hopkins University (MD)

Universities have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in their local economies by buying local. Through their large purchasing power in food procurement, universities can support a local food ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Local, Sustainable, Grassfed and Delicious: Harvest Table North Carolina Case Study

  • Wake Forest University (NC)
  • Changing Tastes (MA)
  • Harvest Table Culinary Group (PA)

More than two decades of work to promote local, sustainable and real food in colleges has transformed what it means to succeed in foodservice. It's raised awareness of the ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Going Beyond Local to Build Just and Sustainable Rural Economies

  • University of Missouri (MO)
  • Aramark (PA)
  • Farm Forward (OR)
  • Niman Ranch (CO)

Historically, the phrase 'sustainable food' focused exclusively on environmental impacts of food production, but to build a truly sustainable food system we must broaden the aperture to consider how the ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Supporting a Sustainable Economy Through Partnership With Local Food Hubs

  • Gonzaga University (WA)
  • Sodexo USA (MD)
  • Puget Sound Food Hub (WA)
  • LINC Foods (WA)

This session will showcase how to effectively collaborate with local producers to build a more sustainable economy through increased purchases of local products and to raise awareness about food systems ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Meatless to Mindful Monday: The Progression of Promoting Less and Better Meat at UNC Asheville

  • University of North Carolina, Asheville (NC)

In this presentation, we will review the evolution of one school's efforts to promote less and better meat eating on campus. In 2015, UNC Asheville Dining Services began hosting ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Combating Food Insecurity Through Sustainable Student-Led Initiatives

  • Baldwin Wallace University (OH)

This case study will include information on the efforts of staff, faculty, and students to eliminate food insecurity among students on Baldwin Wallace's campus. The project began about three ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Campus Farmers Networking Meeting

  • Loyola University Chicago (IL)
  • University of Utah (UT)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

Join other campus farmers and food system advocates in creating a robust, interdisciplinary network of campus-based growers and partners. Find someone in your region or across the nation to share ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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The Pursuit of Delicious, Carbon-Friendly Food

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

This year, with customer health and the environment in mind, Cal Dining defined their vision statement as 'serving delicious food that happens to be nutritious and sustainable', understanding that serving ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Implementing Experiential Education to Change Food Culture in Non-Land Grant Universities

  • Indiana University Bloomington (IN)

This presentation will cover lessons learned in creating and adapting an experiential sustainable agriculture program as it applies to a non-land grant university, without a dedicated agriculture program. Indiana University ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Big Red Eats Green: Empowering Students to Engage in their University Food System

  • Indiana University Bloomington (IN)

This presentation will share the details of an established, multi-year endeavor that focuses on the relationship between students and the university food system. An event that celebrates and showcases that ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Food as a Conduit: A Toolkit for Leading Institutional Change

  • Boston College (MA)

Change is hard. This interactive session will explore how non-academic campus services like dining, auxiliary and facilities can inspire a culture of sustainability and collaboration across campus and beyond. Boston ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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We Have POWER: Building a Movement for Food Justice on Campus

  • Western Washington University (WA)
  • Real Food Challenge (MA)

Our food system is in crisis. From the fields to the factories, people who work in the food chain face low wages, sexual harassment, and dangerous working conditions. Food insecurity ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Training Future Food System Leaders Using Campus Food Economies

  • Loyola University Chicago (IL)
  • University of Utah (UT)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

This session is guided by two principle questions: 1. What are all the aspects of a campus food economy and how are students engaged? 2. What structures are in place ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Gonzaga's Journey to Create a Sustainable Food Culture on Campus

  • Gonzaga University (WA)

Real Food Club has been working to shift purchasing in our dining facilities to 'Real food' (meaning local, humane, fair-trade, or ecologically sound) since 2013. We are nearing upon the ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Harvard University's Holistic Approach and Model for a Sustainable Food System

  • Harvard University (MA)

The Harvard Office for Sustainability (OFS) convened a multi-disciplinary committee of world-renowned faculty to translate their research into action on campus to create a more sustainable food system that contributes ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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The Future of Real Food

  • Real Food Challenge (MA)

The past ten years have seen a dramatic shift in real food purchasing on college and university campuses. Local food and sustainability are now common conversations in campus dining. Values ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Fair Trade Campus Advocacy for a Sustainable Economy

  • Gonzaga University (WA)
  • 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 Dec. 4, 2019
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Leveraging the Power of Institutional Purchasing to Create a Sustainable Economy through Fair Trade

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • University of California, Irvine (CA)
  • Aramark (PA)
  • 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 Dec. 4, 2019
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Food Systems Down Under: Lessons from the Australian Context and The Fair Food Challenge

  • University of Melbourne (Victoria)

This presentation will look at action in campus food systems in Australian universities. Australia has been slow to adopt action in campus foodscape transformation and there have been recent advancements ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Bring More Plant-Based Options to Your Campus

  • Balanced.org (KS)

In this session, attendees will learn how to work with their university's food service department to increase the amount of plant-based foods on dining hall menus. They'll learn ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Creating a Student-Led Campaign for a Self-Operated Dining System: How to get Started at Your School

  • Western Washington University (WA)

At Western Washington University, students have been leading a multi-year effort to implement a self-operated dining system after the decade long contract with Aramark expires in 2021. Currently, WWU is ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Lessons Learned from a Campus Food Pantry: Sustainability, Social Justice, and Campus Partnerships

  • University of Denver (CO)

Hunger and food insecurity are growing problems on college campuses. The rising cost of a college education and the increasing number of nontraditional students mean that more students are struggling ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Student Food Security: Multi-Tiered Solutions to Reach all Food-Insecure Students

  • Northern Arizona University (AZ)
  • Sodexo USA (MD)
  • Swipe Out Hunger (CA)

Student food insecurity is a social justice issue that University and College Boards, Administrators, and Students are looking to solve. There are no silver bullet solutions, a comprehensive, multi-faceted solution ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Combating Food Waste and Addressing Food Insecurity

  • Appalachian State University (NC)
  • University of the Incarnate Word (TX)
  • Utah State University (UT)

Three Universities, from three different areas of the United States, will present on how each has responded to the issue of Food Insecurity on College Campuses in unique ways. University ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Action in Campus Food: Developing a Framework to Measure Progress in Campus Foodscape Transformation

  • University of Melbourne (Victoria)

This presentation will share the results of a systematic review of 23 institutions' campus food policies and projects using a dataset derived from the STARS food and dining reporting category ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Diverting Waste, Feeding Communities: The Cardinal Cupboard

  • University of Louisville (KY)

Facing the highest rates of food insecurity amongst faculty, staff, and students of the University of Louisville and large amounts of food waste from on-campus dining facilities, student leaders opened ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Working Towards Carbon Neutrality in Michigan Dining: Assessing the Impact of Sustainable Mondays

  • University of Michigan (MI)

In Fall 2018, the University of Michigan publicly pledged to a carbon-neutrality initiative. This pledge addressed carbon emissions from energy production and purchasing, but did not consider Scope 3 emissions ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Mapping the Food Systems Major: A Qualitative Approach to Curriculum Mapping

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

Do you want to make curriculum mapping a more meaningful process? This session will describe a qualitative curriculum mapping approach used to review core courses in the University of Minnesota ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Foodies in Sustainability Education

  • Portland Community College (OR)

In this workshop we will connect and exchange ideas on how best to utilize food to teach sustainability across disciplines. Food has a central place in individual lives, community culture ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Aquaponics: How a Student Project led to a Sustainable Solution to Food Insecurity in the Community

  • Pittsburg State University (KS)

Students at Pittsburg State University (PSU) have made measurable success in creating a sustainable food production system on campus. This poster will focus on Students for Sustainability's (S4S) aquaponics ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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MCURC: Universities Scaling Up Sustainability Together

  • The Culinary Institute of America (NY)
  • Stanford University (CA)
  • AASHE (PA)

The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC) is a working group of scholars and campus dining leaders from colleges and universities interested in accelerating efforts to move American consumers ...

  • Posted Nov. 13, 2019
  • Videos & Webinars
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Sustainable tea and tea bags

  • Ohio University (OH)

Ohio University's Office of Sustainability partnered with Ohio University's Environmental Affairs Commission on student senate to host a sustainable tea and tea bag event. This event used loose ...


University of Vermont Eco-Reps Food Campaign Case Study

  • University of Vermont (VT)

The 2018-2019 professional development offering for the UVM Eco-Reps was a symposium centered around food concerns entitled Taking Root Student Symposium. Having been introduced to a wide variety of food-related ...

  • Posted Sept. 24, 2019
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Campus Composting Best Practices

  • Appalachian State University (NC)
  • Princeton University (NJ)
  • University of Louisville (KY)
  • College & University Recycling Coalition (DC)

Campus Composting Best Practices: Strategies for student engagement & food waste and compostable serveware diversion

Program originally took place May 9, 2019

Presenters:

Jen Maxwell, Sustainability Programs Manager Appalachian State ...

  • Posted Aug. 22, 2019
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Luther College CSA Reimbursement Program

  • Luther College (IA)

Participants in Luther College's CSA Reimbursement Program enjoy a summer workshop about seasonal vegetables.


Cornell Climate Change Demonstration Garden

  • Cornell University (NY)

Climate Change Garden - The Cornell University Climate Change Garden is a permanent campus installation that demonstrates the impact of climate change on plant growth in New York state. Planning for ...


Good Food Purchasing Program, University of Texas at Austin

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

Good Food Purchasing Program - University of Texas at Austin is the first institution of higher education to participate in the Good Food Purchasing Program as a partner with the City ...


UMass Lowell Urban Agriculture Program

  • University of Massachusetts Lowell (MA)

Urban Agriculture Program - The University of Massachusetts Lowell Office of Sustainability developed an urban agriculture program in partnership with Mill City Grows, a local food justice organization. The partnership provides ...


Bowdoin College Carbon Foodprint Dinner

  • Bowdoin College (ME)

Bowdoin's student EcoReps worked with Bowdoin Dining on an educational dinner about the carbon footprint of the meal as part of International Polar Bear Day (Bowdoin's mascot is ...


Students composting at dining hall

  • Butler University (IN)

Collaboration to Scale Food Waste Collection - Butler University partnered with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on a food waste compost collection route, making it affordable to use a large waste hauler ...

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.

All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.

OP 7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

OP 8: Sustainable Dining

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Food & Dining Partners