We work together to continually develop and implement sustainable solutions. Through Green Thread, our environmental sustainability platform, we bring innovative and efficient solutions to life. We are passionately focused on reducing the environmental impact within our operations.
Find out more about the Real Food Challenge!
Here are just a few ways we work to make our campus more environmentally conscious:
Local Purchasing
Did you know Dining Services sources food from many local farmers, growers and distributors? The list changes throughout the year depending on seasonality and availability. In addition, The Greenery dining hall houses the greenery micro-farm, producing local, clean herbs, salad greens and micro-greens that are featured in our dishes.
Recycling
Dining Services partners with campus to recycle glass bottles, plastics, cardboard and paper as well as food compost from all dining locations across campus. We are committed to minimizing our environmental footprint. Look for signs in our locations for information on where to put your recyclables and compost.
Reusables
Reusable To-Go Containers
Getting your meal to go from The Greenery? Take part in our Reusable To-Go Container program. Here’s how it works: Visit The Greenery and purchase a $6 reusable container. You can use this container each time you visit The Greenery, we'll even wash it for you! Bring in your dirty container and we'll give you a fresh one to fill-up and take with you.
Fryer Oil Recycling
One hundred percent of dining services used fryer oil is recycled by Encore. We average 150 gallons per week which equates to 104 gallons of biodiesel.
Recycled Content Paper
We use 100% recycled content office and copy paper in all dining locations on campus.
Green Cleaning
All dining locations are committed to using daily green cleaning products in our operations to reduce the need for chemical based cleaning products and provide a healthy and safe learning environment.
Food Donation Program
We are committed to reducing food waste and identifying alternatives for food surplus. Our Food Management Fundamentals provides tools to reduce food surplus through source reduction and internal usage, but there is still a need for an environmentally and socially responsible alternative for disposing edible food waste. Our solution is a Food Donation Program. We donate excess food from Campus Dining Catering and The Greenery to the Thurston County Food Bank on a weekly basis.
Energy & Water Conservation
We train our employees each semester on common energy and water conservation practices in order to conserve precious natural resources.
