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sustainability

Cornell Dining is committed to reducing its carbon footprint. Some of our recent actions include: Composting at select Cornell Dining locations, which annually generate more than 1,000,000 pounds of pre- and post-consumer compost material Going "trayless" at select dining locations, which has significantly reduced food waste and water usage Hosting our Annual Fall Harvest Dinner, which provides not only great locally grown food, but also an educational experience for all those who attend Increasing our percentage of locally or regionally grown produce from 12 percent to 20 percent Making available Freshtake Grab-n-Go products, which are packaged using biodegradable containers and labels Cornell Dining offers meal plan options for students, faculty, and staff that are designed to provide flexibility, variety, and plenty of healthy, satisfying dining options. You don't have to be on a meal plan to enjoy exceptional food from Cornell Dining. Cash, Big Red Bucks, MealChoice, the Cornell Card, and major credit cards are accepted at the cash/a la carte dining facilities.

Cornell Dining also actively partners with students and campus colleagues to promote personal responsibility in composting, recycling, and reducing waste.



Take Back the Tap logoCornell Students Take Back the Tap



Composting & recycling

Last year, Cornell Dining composted more than 515 tons of food scraps and organic waste from our All You Care to Eat dining rooms and retail dining facilities.

Our chefs and food preparers compost in all our kitchen facilities (pre-consumer composting), and our customers can compost their waste (post-consumer composting) at Trillium, Martha’s Café, Mattins Café, Ivy Room, Risley Dining, Synapsis Café, 104West!, and One World Café.

Trash Talk @ Cornell

Back-of-house post-consumer organic waste is also composted at Robert Purcell Marketplace Eatery, North Star, Okenshields, Cook House Dining Room, Becker House Dining Room, Jansen’s Dining Room in Hans Bethe House, Keeton House Dining Room, Rose House Dining Room, and Big Red Barn.

Customers may recycle glass bottles, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and newspapers in all Cornell Dining units.

Trayless dining

In order to reduce food waste and electrical use, and to save thousands of gallons of water each month, Cornell Dining has introduced trayless dining at Cook House Dining Room, Becker House Dining Room, Jansen’s Dining Room in Hans Bethe House, Hughes Dining, Ivy Room, Keeton House Dining Room, Okenshields, Rose House Dining Room, and Risley Dining.

Local foods initiative

Through our Local Food Growers Initiative, Cornell Dining actively partners with the local farming community to purchase seasonal produce from local and regional sources.

Cornell Dining hosts an annual Farm-to-You Fall Harvest Dinner featuring locally grown food, and organizes dinner events with local farmers and area chefs, facilitating partnerships that promote healthy and sustainable dining. We also purchase fresh seasonal specialty greens and herbs from Dilmun Hill, Cornell’s student-run organic farm.

Fair Trade coffee

Since 2002, Cornell Dining has provided Fair Trade coffee in all of our coffee shops and retail locations. Fair Trade guarantees a set price to coffee growers, enabling them to implement sustainable farming practices, become more self-sufficient and less vulnerable to market price fluctuations, and improve the quality of life in their communities.

To provide Fair Trade coffee, Cornell Dining partners with Ithaca Coffee Company, a local community business, and Seattle’s Best.

Reusable coffee mugs

Reusable stainless steel coffee mugs are available in all Cornell Dining cafés on campus.

Sustainable laundry

Based on a student-led effort to sell eco-conscious laundry detergent on campus, Cornell Dining stocks environmentally friendly detergent in our conveniences stores.

Student Sustainability Coordinators

Cornell Dining has two part-time Student Sustainability Coordinators who oversee and work to expand our composting efforts, as well as other sustainable initiatives such as green purchasing and event guides, energy conservation, reusable mugs, and reusable bags.

Cornell sustainability resources

 
Last Updated March 12, 2012