Summer 2024 Campus Dining Today - 56

Benefits of working together
Kickstarting projects like these could turn the campus
into a place where every meal is a chance to do right by
one's body and the planet. Plus, it's a way to get everyone
involved in making the dining hall a powerhouse of healthy,
earth-friendly eats.
Chen and team's 2011 research explores why campus food
administrators decide to go green, including their own
eco-friendly mindset. Knowing this helps schools create
better strategies for more sustainable campus eating and
sparks ideas for greening up the campus dining scene.
Sustainability Sandbox aims to carve out a creative zone
where students, administrators, and brainy types cook up
earth-friendly dining moves. Think veggie menus, energysaving
stunts, and super-smart recycling. The sandbox
becomes ground zero for trying out green ideas and
getting everyone hyped about living more sustainably.
Green Leaders Squad is where students get to flex their
eco-muscles and lead the charge in making dining on
campus greener. They partner with researchers to dig into
what works and get their friends on board with activities
like reducing food waste or choosing the plant-powered
nuggets over meat burgers and fries. They'd be the link
between what students want and what the dining hall
dishes out. With this data, colleges can back up their dining
leadership to push past hurdles and make real changes,
keeping campus menus fresh and in tune with the times.
Wrap this all up, and you've got a full picture of how
campus dining can go greener. It's about working together,
digging into what motivates people, and rolling with the
dietary trends of the students. It's about the big picture:
making sure campus food evolves with the world and
keeps colleges at the forefront of sustainability.
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Collaborative partnerships between educational
institutions and plant-based manufacturers can
revolutionize campus dining, bringing about an era of
eco-friendly, wallet-friendly, and student-friendly food
options. These partnerships are more than a menu
update-they're about rethinking the role of campus
eateries in promoting a sustainable lifestyle.
On the environmental front, ditching meat for plants in
campus kitchens is a big win for the planet. Poore and
Nemecek's " Science " study shows that plant-based fare
could slash food-related emissions by up to 73 percent
worldwide. With colleges buying and serving food in
huge quantities, this change could have a huge impact.
Economically, green menus can also make more cents
(and sense). For example, when the University of North
Texas turned one of their dining halls into a totally vegan
spot, there were doubts. But the switch didn't break the
bank and actually drew in more students, bumping up
meal plan sales by 20 percent according to Foodservice
Equipment & Supplies Magazine.
Aramark, a major player in the campus dining business,
is riding this veggie wave, too, pledging to go 44 percent
plant-based by 2025 at more than 250 colleges. With
a big chunk of Gen Z keen on cutting back on meat for
health and the environment, it's a savvy business move.
(Plant Based News 2022 & Business Wire 2022)
(Vending Times)
When it comes to getting students on board with
sustainability, tasty plant-based meals do the trick. They
cater to various diets and show students the school is
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CAMPUS DINING TODAY | COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES
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Summer 2024 Campus Dining Today

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