2008 Woodie Awards
Dining services continues to support sustainability
Eirinn Disbrow
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News
The College's efforts to encourage sustainability have been greatly supported by Dining Services. Dining Services works alongside of Sodexho to purchase products from local vendors, recycle, and reduce and reuse wherever possible. Dining Services has been supporting sustainability for the past few years, however, in the past year or so, they have made more of an active effort to provide the College with definite plans to promote sustainability.
Ron Beimel, Director of Dining Services says, "I am not sure about the sustainability efforts of the College or of Dining Services in the past, but since I have joined the College, I have noticed a tremendous push to raise awareness."
Recently, Dining Services has been purchasing produce that is locally grown whenever possible. The purveyor for the tofu, tempeh, seitan, and many of the soy and rice drinks comes from Lehigh Valley and the purveyor for our fresh fish and meat comes from a company that is less than a mile from the College. They have also been increasing their efforts by using compostable containers, providing cups that are made from corn oil, and distributing over 400 nalgene bottles to students.
Dining Services offers discounts for refilling these nalgene bottles. In addition, fair trade coffee is now offered at all campus locations where coffee is served, new environmentally friendly soaps and chemicals are now being used, and Beimel and Glenn Gerchman, Director of the Student Union and Campus Events, are now in the process of using a company to convert the cooking oil into bio fuel.
Sodexho has been extremely helpful in providing the College with opportunities to continue sustainability. Rhonda Henry, Director of Marketing for Sodexho, explains, "Sodexho has partnerships with the Food Alliance, The Sustainable Food Laboratory, and United Natural Foods. Sodexho has been an active member of industry coalitions which encourage legislators, manufacturers, and consumers to jointly develop rational, not reactionary, strategies to today's environmental needs."
Ron Beimel, Director of Dining Services says, "I am not sure about the sustainability efforts of the College or of Dining Services in the past, but since I have joined the College, I have noticed a tremendous push to raise awareness."
Recently, Dining Services has been purchasing produce that is locally grown whenever possible. The purveyor for the tofu, tempeh, seitan, and many of the soy and rice drinks comes from Lehigh Valley and the purveyor for our fresh fish and meat comes from a company that is less than a mile from the College. They have also been increasing their efforts by using compostable containers, providing cups that are made from corn oil, and distributing over 400 nalgene bottles to students.
Dining Services offers discounts for refilling these nalgene bottles. In addition, fair trade coffee is now offered at all campus locations where coffee is served, new environmentally friendly soaps and chemicals are now being used, and Beimel and Glenn Gerchman, Director of the Student Union and Campus Events, are now in the process of using a company to convert the cooking oil into bio fuel.
Sodexho has been extremely helpful in providing the College with opportunities to continue sustainability. Rhonda Henry, Director of Marketing for Sodexho, explains, "Sodexho has partnerships with the Food Alliance, The Sustainable Food Laboratory, and United Natural Foods. Sodexho has been an active member of industry coalitions which encourage legislators, manufacturers, and consumers to jointly develop rational, not reactionary, strategies to today's environmental needs."