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Dining

U.Va. Dining Sustainability Initiatives
Sustainable Bull's Eye: Dining Purchasing Priorities

1. Virginia Grown. According to U.Va. Dining standards, local foods are defined as those coming from the state of Virginia. Foods that have been trucked across the country, or shipped in from overseas, are often picked before ripe so that they can withstand the long, grueling trip they must take in between farm and fork. Their ripening process is thus very different than what would naturally occur in the field, and as a result, flavor and consistency may be sacrificed. Native Virginian foods are fresher, having come from within about 250 miles of Charlottesville, rather than having been trucked across the country or even shipped in from overseas. Local produce also supports Virginia's farmers, and in turn, supports Virginia's economy.

What is U.Va. doing to promote Virginia Grown foods?

  • Dining purchases salsa from the Farm at Red Hill in North Garden, VA, just south of Charlottesville. This salsa is offered in the quesadilla at the Fine Arts Café and is also sold at convenience stores on Grounds.
  • The queso blanco and mozzarella cheese in several of the Fine Arts Café menu items comes from Perfect Flavor Creamery in Waynesboro, VA.
  • The beef in the Fine Arts Café's "Local Burger" is from Wolf Creek Farms of Wolftown, VA.
  • Dining purchases 100% of its apples from Dickie Brother and Crown Orchard in Albemarle County, VA.
  • Dining purchases 100% of its potatoes from Valley Farming in Dayton, VA.
  • The shelled, cage-free eggs that Dining purchases are from Glenwood Farms in Jetersville, VA.

2. Seasonal. U.Va. Dining purchases certain items when they are in season in order to heighten awareness of the southeastern climate's growing cycle. Rather than taking produce for granted, eating seasonally allows us to appreciate an item as it naturally matures and becomes ready to be harvested at its height of freshness. Seasonal eating also leaves more room for creativity in use of ingredients. In the fall, for example, Dining can explore the native heirloom varietals of kale or chard when creating a dish that involves greens. In this way, we are celebrating Virginia's agricultural roots as we rediscover flavors throughout the seasons.

What is U.Va. doing to promote Seasonal Foods?

  • Dining procures produce – summer squash, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, and more – from Virginia farms via Cavalier Produce when seasonally available.
  • Dining hosts theme meals that showcase various locally sourced items when seasonally appropriate.

3. Organic. The current large-scale agricultural model is dependent upon large quantities of fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemical and synthetic inputs. These additives allow for more efficient production and land-use, but come at an externalized price. Of particular concern is the chemical-laden run-off that leaves these conventionally farmed fields and enters our watersheds, like the fragile yet ecologically vital Chesapeake Bay. Organic agricultural methods acknowledge the toll that farming may take on the environment and are thus sensitive to its impact on the natural world. Organic produce may be qualified as such when no pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are used in their growing process. Meat, eggs, and dairy products qualify as organic if the animal that produces those items is raised without antibiotics or growth hormones.

What is U.Va. doing to promote organically grown and produced foods?

  • The salad bar at Runk Dining Hall is 100% organic.
  • The Fine Arts Café menu contains many organic products, including Pesto Chicken Salad, all the Chili Garlic Chicken in the Bowls and Salad, Gilled Chicken Sandwich, Wolf Creek Farms Burger, Steak and Cheese Sandwich, Turkey and Roasted Garlic Wrap.

4. Humane. The humane criterion focuses on the treatment of animals that are consumed for food. Large-scale livestock operations, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), raise their animals in confinement. Because all aspects of living – feeding, bodily functions, etc – take place within very concentrated areas, diseases and infections are common, and therefore so are antibiotic and hormone injections. These problems may filter up the food chain and reach humans upon our consumption of meat. Humane standards seek to ensure that livestock will be raised in a way that mimics their natural existence, and that the animals will thus not be exposed to undue stress or synthetic products.

What is U.Va. doing to promote humanely treated animals?

  • Certified humane, cage-free shell eggs are used in all U.Va. Dining operations.
  • Dining purchases its milk from Shenandoah’s Pride, a Virginia-based milk distributer that bans its dairy farmers from injecting their cows with rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone).
  • In addition to being local, the beef in the Fine Arts Café’s "Local Burger" is also 100% grass-fed and free range.
  • Dining has adopted the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch standards to determine seafood purchasing guidelines at all dining locations.

5. Fair Trade. Fair Trade Certification verifies that international trade of agricultural products will benefit numerous farmers in developing countries throughout Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Fair Trade guarantees minimum floor pricing, fair labor conditions, direct trade and eliminating price-gouging middlemen. This practice also prohibits the use of GMOS, encourages a reduction in chemical use, and empowers its farmers to improve their communities’ infrastructure with the financial benefit that comes from fair trade prices. Products that may be Fair Trade Certified include coffee, tea, spices, chocolate, bananas and sugar.

What is U.Va. doing to promote Fair Trade?

  • U.Va. offers fair trade bananas at the Fine Arts Café.
  • U.Va. supplies certified Fair Trade coffee through some of Java City’s offerings as well as Pura Vida to multiple coffee-serving locations (cafes and dining halls throughout Grounds). Greenberry’s serves fairly traded (fits criteria without official certification) coffee at its cafes. 

Waste Reduction
Aside from these five purchasing priorities, U.Va. Dining is also working to reduce its waste production and use of disposables.  Here are some ways that Dining is actively diverting materials from the waste stream.

  • Reusable to-go containers.
    • Starting fall of 2009, students may opt into the reusable to-go container program. Students participating in this initiative may check out dishwasher safe containers from the dining halls and, instead of throwing them away after one use, bring back the dirty container for washing.
  • Trayless dining.
    • Trays were removed from the dining halls at the start of the 2008-2009 academic year. This conserves water and energy, and additionally reduces the need for cleaning chemicals.
  • Coffee discounts from bringing in reusable mug.
    • Discounts are all available at all coffee locations on Grounds for students that bring in their own reusable coffee mugs.
  • Composting.
    • Pre- and post-consumer food waste from O-Hill Dining Hall is sent to Panorama Pay-Dirt in Earlysville, VA to be composted.  Students are involved in soil testing to ensure that the product coming out of Panorama is safe and healthy.
  • Recycling 100% of used cooking oil.
    • UVa Dining has partnered with Charlottesville-based Greenlight Biofuels, a company that processes all of Dining's used cooking oil into its clean burning biodiesel product.
  • Recycling metal, plastics, papers.
    • The award-winning U.Va. Recycling program collects all of Dining's back of house recyclables, as well as provides containers and publicity materials in the front of the house for student recycling. Metal, plastic and paper are all collected by U.Va. Recycling from all dining locations and administrative offices. 35% of dining waste is diverted from the landfill via recycling, and 100% of potentially recyclable waste in the kitchens and offices is recycled.
  • Biodegradable food containers.
    • Any student not participating in the reusable to-go container program will automatically receive a biodegradable box upon requesting a to-go container. Additionally, the food containers for Sbarro, Paos and Pizza Hut are all compostable and recyclable, and disposable catering ware is also recyclable.

U.Va. Dining's Sustainability Brochure (PDF)

More Information.

Housing

Efforts to date include retrofitting lighting to reduce consumption, installing low flow toilets and shower heads, providing front loading washing machines, installing Energy Star related appliances, purchasing hybrid vehicles, and enhancing recycling activities. Housing will continue to look for ways to increase its sustainability efforts, reduce its impact on the environment, and incorporate initiatives into its operations and the student experience. Goals in 2008-2009 include: pursue LEED certification on new housing construction; continue to incorporate sustainable technologies, materials and methods into renovation projects; explore emerging furniture products composed of recycled and/or renewable materials; survey housing facilities to determine whether additional or improved lighting strategies can be accomplished to further reduce electricity consumption; establish a Housing advisory group, in collaboration with the UVa Recycling Department, focused on sustainable practices, activities and awareness programming, initially centered in the first-year residential areas.