Campus dining services is doing more than removing trays from dining halls to improve sustainability.

Though organic foods are not regularly available in the dining halls, some natural and organic meals are featured by semester in collaboration with local producers, said Jon Maney, director of operations for ARAMARK.

The organic foods that are available on campus come from Unified Natural Foods, Inc. [UNFI] and Albert’s Organics, the nation’s largest distributor of organic produce.

“We have featured an extensive line of UNFI products at Danieley Commons and now an even more expanded line at the Fountain Market,” Maney said. The Colonnades will now have a fresh produce program through Albert’s.

• According to the campus dining Web site, all dining locations on campus now use 100 percent recycled paper and recyclable napkins.

• The Colonnades dining hall uses natural light in all of its offices and occupancy monitors to reduce energy consumption. The building also has energy efficient lights, controlled heating and air conditioning and Energy Star appliances.

• Campus dining “places preference on food grown within our area, state and then region of the country, in that order. Conventional produce from around the world will still be available when an item is not in season locally.”

• Plans are underway for students to do a “waste audit” in preparation for a composting site near campus.

• Fair Trade coffee is sold at all retail locations on campus.

News Editor: Kaitlin Ugolik - 09/26/07