Vanderbilt the Possible
Imagining a Sustainable Campus
Where We Are
Vanderbilt Dining is committed to environmental sustainability through sourcing, waste disposal and outreach. For sourcing, Vanderbilt Dining strives to source foods locally whenever possible, currently purchasing 1.5-2 percent locally. For preparation and waste, Vanderbilt donates 100% of un-consumed prepared food to the Nashville Rescue Mission, composts pre-consumer food waste at Commons, and uses one food pulper that reduces post-consumer food waste by 85% while turning it into fertilizer. All used fry oil at the Commons is donated to the Alternative Energy Club to make soap and the majority of used fry oil at Rand is picked up by Nashville Recycling. However, regarding packaging, Vanderbilt Dining generates a lot of waste with non-reusable take-out containers. Dining also uses a lot of water washing dishes and trays. Vanderbilt also conducts public outreach through their on-campus farmer’s market, lunch-and-learn sessions about sustainable food practices in partnership with Sustain VU, and the annual "Farm To Fork" event to honor local farmers by crafting a four-course meal with 100% local food.
Where We Are Going
We believe Vanderbilt can source 80% local & 100% organic foods. To do this, Vanderbilt would need to implement a policy to source locally. Vanderbilt would create closer partnerships with local farmers and produce abundantly on the envisioned campus farm with many student workers. We also believe Vanderbilt can have zero food waste and severely reduced packaging waste, with efficient donations, composting, and converting all oil into soap at our envisioned soap shop. Further, by offering reusable to-go containers and no trays, Vanderbilt could minimize water consumption. To expedite the process, Vanderbilt would launch a sustainability competition between dining halls.
Success Stories
Carelton College: Trayless Dining
In September 2010, Carlton students collected 500 signatures of support to begin a Trayless Tuesdays pilot program. Trayless Tuesdays were up and running by October 2010. Removing trays from the dining hall reduced food waste by about 21% - almost 80 pounds total per day. A survey of randomly selected diners found that 90% did not oppose Trayless Tuesdays, and 70% did not oppose trayless every day. After discussions with stakeholders among faculty, staff, and administration, Carleton passed a resolution to begin full-time trayless dining in the one of their two major dining halls.
Read how this happened!
List of other universities going tray less
New York Times article on trayless universities
Dining
We have a vision for Vanderbilt Dining to provide local and organic food to the thousands of people who eat on campus every day, accustoming students to a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet. Further, through efficient preparation and recycling of food, Vanderbilt Dining can reduce waste and CO2 emitted by the university.
How To Get Involved
Where
Rand Dining Hall
Duke University
Each year since 2010, students in Duke’s Students for Sustainable Living program have selected winning eateries to be recognized with a Green Dining Award at Duke. They assess with The Performance Assessment for Culinary Excellence (PACE) rating system developed by Duke Dining Services to reward eateries, focusing on criteria such as use of local food, educational outreach about sustainable food, and composting to reduce landfill waste.
Read more about the award HERE