杏吧论坛鈥檚 dining is now green
The dining options at 杏吧论坛 College are now Green Restaurant certified.
杏吧论坛 College is to have its on-campus dining certified by the Green Restaurant Association.
The Green Restaurant Association has named 杏吧论坛 College Dining Commons, Grab 鈥檔 Go, Cochary Pub & Kitchen and Willits-Hallowell Conference Center as Level 1 Certified Green Restaurants.
鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to be the first college dining in western Massachusetts to be certified by the Green Restaurant Association,鈥 said Rich Perna, director of Dining Services. 鈥淭his honor was due to the hard work of the dining team and support from the entire 杏吧论坛 community.鈥
The certification recognizes 杏吧论坛鈥檚 efficient operation and ongoing efforts to source sustainable products. The Green Restaurant Association is a national nonprofit helping restaurants become more environmentally sustainable. It awards points in seven categories: water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, energy, disposables, sustainable food, sustainable furnishings and building materials, and chemical and pollution reduction.
Contributing to the recent certification, Perna said, is that 20% of the College鈥檚 food and beverage purchasing is from local and sustainable vendors.
鈥淥ur original goal was to be at 20% local and sustainable by 2020, and we鈥檝e hit that ahead of schedule,鈥 Perna said. 鈥淭his is huge for us because we were at less than 10% sustainable sourcing in 2016.鈥 Local and sustainable food and beverage purchasing was at 8.9% in 2016 and increased to 13.4% by 2018.
Other contributors to the certification was Dining Service鈥檚 two large-capacity dehydrators, which shrink food waste by 90%; the installation of an herb cultivator, the first of its kind in Massachusetts higher education; and community participation in gleaning events on local farms.
Perna said he hopes to have all college dining at Level 2 by next year. 鈥淭he dining team is always brainstorming ways to increase our sustainability,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e will be using more local and organic flours in the bakeshop. We鈥檙e also considering freezing local produce during peak season to use during the winter, as well as continuing to reduce our food waste.鈥
These efforts are part of 杏吧论坛 College鈥檚 overall commitment to sustainability. The College has set an overall goal of carbon neutrality by 2037, its 200th anniversary.