Leading by Example
The list of Food & Recycling Leaders is comprised of 57 schools that earned "A" grades in this category. Below is a sample of 10 very different institutions that all received high marks in the Food & Recycling category. These summaries are based on data from each school’s profile page.
Carleton College purchases from 15 to 20 local farmers and producers. Dining services buys grass-fed meat and 100 percent organic flour is used in all baking. Carleton has adopted a single-stream recycling program that is expected to increase recovery rates and overall efficiency. The college has also begun composting food waste and other products made out of biodegradable material.
Iowa State University’s Farm to ISU program includes a five-year plan, which aims to have 35 percent of food purchases be sustainable, local, and organic, in addition to raising community awareness and establishing connections with Iowa farmers.
Smith College’s dining services purchases organic produce, in addition to dairy and honey, from 18 local farms. The college has removed bottled water from one to-go location and, instead, will distribute polycarbonate bottles to be refilled and reused by students. Produce from the college’s major supplier comes in large plastic totes to eliminate packaging waste. Food scraps are brought to a local farm to be composted.
The University of Chicago’s dining services currently purchases 11 percent of its products from local women/minority-owned businesses. Organic, fair-trade coffee is also available in the residence halls. Postconsumer food waste is composted at all residential dining locations. Facilities services operates several specialized recycling programs devoted to automotive batteries, motor oil, and other automobile-related fluids; fluorescent bulbs; waste paint; and other materials.
The University of Pennsylvania purchases from 15 to 20 local producers and offers fair-trade and organic products. Students can use their meal plans to purchase local produce at a farmers market on campus, supporting regional farmers and reducing food miles. Biodegradable to-go containers have replaced Styrofoam in the dining halls and reusable bags are offered in retail locations. Penn operates an Earth Tub composting program and will begin sending preconsumer food waste to a composting facility this year.
At Santa Clara University, 80 percent of the produce served in the dining halls comes from local farms. Fair-trade coffee, cage-free eggs, and hormone-free milk are served. Students can use their meal points to buy locally grown produce at the campus farmers market.
Tufts University’s Food Education and Action for Sustainability at Tufts (FEAST) educates the university community about food production and promotes the benefits of local farms, organic growing methods, and fair trade. Dining services purchases local apples, squash, pears, and tomatoes, as well as numerous organic items.
Washington and Lee University purchases some local food, as well as cage-free eggs and organic produce. Uncooked food is composted on site and the compost is then used on campus. Dining services uses biodegradable to-go containers and offers discounts with a reusable mug. Waste grease is used as biodiesel for the campus motor fleet, and the recycling program has a 45 percent diversion rate. The university participates in the Campus Kitchens Project, a community service initiative aimed at turning unused food from college dining halls into nourishing meals for those in need.
At Whitman College, the Low Carbon Diet program is designed to educate students about the connection between food choices and climate change. As part of the program, dining services will reduce the amount of beef it purchases by 25 percent.
Williams College spends 17 percent of its annual food budget on local purchases from numerous local producers. Purchases include grass-fed beef and pork; fair-trade coffee and bananas; cage-free eggs; milk from grass-fed, hormone-free cows; and organic produce. Williams has begun using reusable dishware and utensils for larger outdoor picnics. Dining services composts its food waste.