CDT Fall 2022 - 27

MAKING OUR BLUE A
L I T TLE MORE GR E E N:
USING THE NACUFS COLLEGIATE
FOODSERVICE SUSTAINABILITY GUIDE©
Keith Soster
Director of Sustainability,
Student & Community Engagement
University of Michigan
Whitney Zhang
Student Sustainability Intern
University of Michigan
Michigan Dining has been quite involved in
sustainability initiatives over the last 10 years.
We participate in many reporting paths with
various institutions including Association for the
Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
(AASHE), Sustainable Tracking and Reporting
System™ (STARS®), Humane Society of the United
States (HSUS), People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals (PETA), Michigan Farm to Institution
Network (MFIN), Menus of Change University
Research Collaborative (MCURC), and the newest
addition: the NACUFS Collegiate Foodservice
Sustainability Guide©
. This assessment system was
developed in part by University of Michigan (UM)
colleagues who work within college and university
foodservice, so the information gleaned is likely to
increase our collective work to influence vendors,
increase sustainability expectations, and leverage
our collective power.
Michigan Dining used this assessment tool to
establish a baseline of how our department
performs regarding nationally-standardized,
collegiate sustainability measures. This allowed us
to recognize areas where our sustainability efforts
have been successful and identify long-term goals
to improve other areas. The guide was a great
reference and the tool kept the identification of our
initiatives organized. After taking our first attempt
at the assessment tool, we wanted to support other
universities considering using the tool by sharing our
process and what we learned along the way.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Dining
CELEBRATING ONE YEAR OF THE NACUFS COLLEGIATE FOODSERvICE SUSTAINABILITY GUIDE | CAMPUS DINING TODAY
27
CDT Fall 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CDT Fall 2022
