Sustainability

• Suffolk University Sustainability webpage
• Sodexo Sustainability Efforts

Local Foods

Suffolk Dining Services continues to strengthen all of their efforts towards purchasing locally grown products and working with locally owned businesses. Look in our restaurants for our local product signs.

Who / What?

Suffolk Dining Services works with it's vendors to source items locally whenever possible. In addition, purchases are also made directly from local vendors including:

When?

All year long as available, some items are definitely seasonal.

Why local?

• Local products spend less time in transit and therefore arrive faster & fresher
• Chefs can offer different varieties of vegetables grown locally for flavor and character – rather than vegetables grown for interstate durability
• Local eating connects students to the environment by respecting seasonality and the unique features of our bioregion
• Local purchasing eliminates the need for long-distance hauling and substantially reduces greenhouse gas emissions from trucking – limiting our carbon footprint
• Local purchasing supports the viability of local farms and protects land by supporting sustainable agricultural use
  
  Resources:
  • Massachusetts Agricultural Resources www.mass.gov/agr
  • New England Apples www.newenglandapples.org
  • New England Organics www.newenglandorganics.com
  • Rainforest Alliance Program
  

Fair Trade Products

Suffolk Dining Services has been serving Fair Trade coffee selections to their customers since 2002. Today Fair Trade coffee selections are offered at all locations on campus and from several coffee vendors.
Fair Trade Products guarantee a minimum price for small farmers' harvests and encourages organic and sustainable cultivation methods that are safer for communities. The cultivation of coffee has become an issue with both environmental and human rights implications.

Coffee - What Brand / Where?

Green Mountain Fair Trade Coffee (a New England based company) selections are offered at our resident dining locations on campus. This coffee program offers both certified fair trade as well as rainforest alliance selections. We offer Starbucks at our other locations and our Sawyer café location will soon offer Peet’s coffee.

Waste Reduction & Prevention

Suffolk Dining Services works hard to put green dining practices in place. These sustainable practices touch many areas of conservation including waste reduction, as well as waste prevention:

• Water Conservation (Pilot program coming)
• Food and Paper Waste Reduction and Prevention
• Renewable and Recycled Materials Use
  

Water Conservation and Waste Water Prevention

As a pilot program we will be using a low flow spray head in our Donahue Café operation starting in December 2009.

Food and Paper Waste Reduction and Prevention

• Just in time cooking and batch cooking in our halls and the campus center help reduce pre-consumer food waste.
• Just in time production in all restaurants reduces pre-consumer food waste by up to 80%
• Reusable mug campaign "Mug Club"
  

How You Can Help

You can help us in our sustainability in a number of ways:

• Take only the number of napkins you need per meal.
• Take only one disposable cup for each beverage purchased.
• Join our The Mug Club Program (and use your mug). Not only do you help the environment, but also you get a great discount when you use your mug.
• Recycle aluminum cans and bottle throughout campus at the designated recycling centers.
• Dine in at your favorite campus location to ensure your take out packaging is properly disposed of.
• Get involved with the many student sponsored campus environmental groups.