Sustainable Dining
Sustainability is integral to Cal Poly and all of our services, check it out what we're doing to help our planet.
2011 Sustainability Report Card - Cal Poly Receives B+ Rating
Cal Poly received a B+ overall rating for their sustainability efforts and a B category rating for their "Food and Recycling" programs. Campus Dining's large composting program diverted 55% of the pre consumer food scraps from landfills last year. During the 2009/10 academic year, over $650,000 was spent on foods processed locally from 16 local farms and 2 Central Coast distributors.
For the full report, visit the College Sustainability Report Card.
Student-Grown Organic Products - As fresh and local as it gets
One of the best parts of attending or working at Cal Poly is being able to enjoy fresh food, grown and produced by Cal Poly students. The Cal Poly Organic farm, Cal Poly Sustainable Farm, and various Ag Enterprises sells its products in Campus & Village Markets. Look for the Cal Poly labels on products such as cheese, chocolate, jams, honey, and produce - you'll be supporting Cal Poly students and eating delicious, fresh food.
Beyond Traditional Recycling - Campus Dining's Inclusive Program
Campus Dining is fully committed to a comprehensive recycling program, which includes composting food scraps, recycling cooking oil, using biofuel in campus vehicles, and donating uneaten food to local food banks. Some highlights of the sustainable program include:
- 128 tons of food scraps were converted to compost during fiscal year 2010-11
- 193,000 pounds of cardboard and 400 large bins of aluminum, plastic, and glass are recycled annually, on average
Hold the Tray - Save Water
If you dine in one of Campus Dining's establishments, you may notice something missing at most places - the trays. That's because washing trays requires thousands of gallons of water a year. Campus Dining is committed to water conservation, and eliminating trays is a simple way that the campus can cut down on water usage.
Being Mindful of Uneaten Food
Every day, Cal Poly students and staff order more food than they can eat, and much of that food ends up in the trash. After noticing that garbage-full after garbage-full of food was being thrown out every day, Campus Dining kicked off an awareness campaign at 19 Metro station, titled "Clean Plate. Clean Planet." to remind students to be mindful of uneaten food for dinner or tomorrow's lunch.
Transportation that's Good for the Earth & the Budget
Campus Dining makes daily trips all around campus delivering ingredients, produce, and prepared foods. To reduce the environmental impact and save on fuel costs, Campus Dining is proud to operate a fleet that features:
- 50% of their fleet program is run on electricity
- Several vans and small trucks are run on bio-diesel
Campus Dining is Mindful of its Paper Sources
As you can imagine, a university of Cal Poly's size generates and uses a lot of paper a year. To help reduce the environmental impact from paper usage, much of the paper that Campus Dining purchases have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which is a non-governmental organization that promotes responsible forest management, worldwide.
Efficient Appliances Reduce Electricity and Water Usage throughout Campus
Behind the scenes on campus, many of the appliances that wash dishes, keep the temperature constant, and cook food are Energy Star certified. To earn an Energy Star label, the government has certified that the appliance meets strict standards for efficiency. This means less water and less electricity are needed to keep Cal Poly running, day-in and day-out.
It takes a lot of California Eggs to Feed a Campus
Cal Poly chickens provide over 50,000 eggs a year to Campus Dining, but that's still not enough to feed all of the students and staff throughout the year! Campus Dining purchases additional eggs solely through NuCal foods, which is an agricultural cooperative composed of Northern California family farmers. All of the farms are sustainably run and provide humane living conditions for the chickens.
Campus Dining offers the Certified Standard for Organics
If you're mindful of how your food was grown, you'll be pleased to know that Campus Dining offers numerous USDA Certified Organic products throughout the campus markets. Whenever possible, Campus Dining staff makes an effort to purchase Certified Organic products so that you have a choice.
B.Y.O.B. - Bring Your Own Bag Please!
Campus Dining is phasing out one-time use plastic bags at all of their operations and replacing them with brown recycled paper bags and vegetable-based "bio" bags.
Campus Dining Supports Local Farms - You Can Too
Cal Poly is located in one of the richest farming areas in the nation. Whenever possible, Campus Dining purchases locally grown produce - not only is it fresher, but it keeps money in the community, and it reduces the carbon footprint. Campus Dining is proud to support numerous local farms and artisans, including:
- Locally baked bread from Edna's Bakery, in SLO
- Seasonal Seafood from Atascadero-based Central Coast Seafood
- Meat from Kaney Food Service Company, in SLO
- Dairy products from Producers Dairy, in Fresno
Feel Good about the Coffee You Drink
Campus Dining believes in supporting advocacy organizations, such as Fair Trade Certified, that fight for fair labor prices and environmental stewardship. You'll see the Fair Trade label in coffee and tea-selling venues all over campus.
Turning Food Scraps into Nutrient-Rich Soil
Since 2009, Campus Dining has diverted pre and post-consumer food scraps from landfills through its compost program. During fiscal year 2010-11, 128 tons of food scraps and coffee grounds were locally composted, resulting in nutrient-rich, valuable soil that can be used to grow delicious, healthy food.
