Sustainability is important to Campus Dining Services and we are committed to the environment and to the community we operate in. We strive to conserve resources through a variety of initiatives that are currently in action.

Compostable products:
We have switched all of our disposable ware over to compostable products. We now use Greenware for our cold cups, lids, portion cups and clamshells. Greenware products are made from NatureWorks and are compostable in the Silver Springs compost program offered in Dining Service locations.

Trayless dining:
Trays needed to be washed after each use and have been found to increase food waste. Since we have gone trayless we have saved countless gallons of water and decreased our food waste. 

Chemical Free Cleaning:
This year we invested in a 100% chemical free cleaning system.
We now use spray bottles and floor scrubbers that ionize tap water to make it a powerful cleaner that breaks apart dirt and kills harmful bacteria at the same level as commercial chemicals. These new products have dramatically reduced our need for chemicals and are an important step in increasing our sustainability.



Conserving resources:
Measures are used to reduce water and electrical consumption. We no longer defrost with running water and instead thaw all our products naturally. We also are working to conserve energy by unplugging equipment when not in use and turning off or dimming the lights during non-working hours.

Commitment to community:
We support local farmers and producers in our region and also strive to use organic foods when possible. Last year 35% of our food was local or organic. This year we hope to reach a goal of 40%. Some of the local farms we use everyday are…

Stiebr's:
A farm located in Yelm, WA. Stiebr provides Campus Dining Services with all of our eggs. The eggs are certified cage free and a 100% vegetarian feed.

Smith Brothers:
Campus Dining Services milk provider is located in Kent, WA. Smith Brothers is a local company and their cows are never treated with hormones.

Campus Dining Services is dedicated to sustainability, we are actively seeking out new ways to become more environmentally friendly and are proud of our sustainable initiatives. We would be happy to share more information or answer any questions you may have on our sustainable practices.

Our sustainability is recognized: Evergreen was named in the top 10 of the Sierra Club "Cool Schools List". This list was made by judging schools on such categories such as food sustainability, waste management and efficiency. Check out http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200909/coolschools/ for the full article.