Furman Campus Dining is committed to supporting sustainability projects. We will continue to add programs as they are developed. Below is a recap of the programs that are currently in place as of the 2007-2008 academic year.
RECYCLING
We recycle our used fryer oil in two ways:
1. To create biodiesel fuel for on-campus consumption
2. As ingredients in protein feed supplements for animals.
Cardboard – we recycle approximately 11,000 pounds of cardboard during the academic year.
We purchase 100% recycled napkins for DH and PD (these are also 100% bleach free)
The total volume of napkins is 172 cases or 4,300 pounds of recycled paper through SCA Tissue.
SCA is an active member of the U.S. Green Building Council and is an advocate of the green building movement. SCA provides sustainable systems and "green" products that can contribute toward credits under the LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) program.”
Prepared unused food products - any prepared food that will not be used internally is donated to Loaves and Fishes a local Gleaming source.
Compost - Campus Dining has been working with the University by composting it's pre-consumer waste since 2006.
PURCHASING
Fair Trade Coffee is sold in the Tower Cafe. “Fair Trade is a viable solution to . . . assuring consumers that the coffee we drink was purchased under fair conditions. To become Fair Trade certified, an importer must meet stringent international criteria; paying a minimum price per pound of $1.26, providing much needed credit to farmers, and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming. Fair Trade for coffee farmers means community development, health, education, and environmental stewardship.”
For more information on the total Starbuck's commitment to "good coffee doing good", please visit this site http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/origins.asp.
Bulk dispensers are used when practical to reduce packaging. Products available in bulk include juices, sodas, milk, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and most cereal.
Proprietary food management software ensures that we forecast accurately to match food production to comsumption.
We are using leverage with our vendors to help develop more local sourcing for produce and other products. This year we will also be marketing local produce to our students, to further educate them on local sourcing. We will be informing them of the location, the name of the farm, and if the product is seasonal as we put these products out for consumption.
We use china, flateware and glasses in campus dining rooms that are washed and sanitized for reuse - reducing the amount of paper packaging.
This year we will distribute any old china to University Students. This will encourage students not to buy disposible dishware throughout the school year.
Reusable cleaning cloths are used to clean our locations rather than paper.
RECYCLEMANIA
Food Composting - Dining Services is participating this Spring in Recyclemania! All pre-consumer waste is being collected and composted in various locations around Furman's campus. The compost is planned to later be used in an organic garden run by the University. The Dining Hall alone is saving over 1,000 lb of food waste which is no longer heading to the landfills.
BIODEGRADABLE DISPOSABLE PRODUCTS
Dispoz-o Products, a local company out of Fountain Inn, SC is now suppling all dining location with their Enviroware line of disposable products. Containers, forks, knives, spoons, straws, plates, and more are made out of a biodegradable material that naturally decomposes in the landfills within as little as 9 months, when some plastic materials may take up to 400 years to decompose. Being a local company, Dispoz-o also helps Dining Services and Furman University reduce it's carbon footprint. For more information regarding Dispoz-o Products, check out their web-site at www.dispozo.com.
REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
By rethinking the amount of orders Dining Services receives in a week, we have been able to reduce our carbon footprint by ordering more, less often. Rather than receiving two deliveries a week from vendors such as Einstein's, Freshens, and Starbucks, we've re-organized our delivery patterns to eliminate some orders. The reduction in orders helps reduce the total amount of fuel consumed by our purveyors.