Sustainability

CONNect to Local is Sodexo’s commitment to make a positive economic impact in the state of Connecticut through the purchase of local products, produce, services and responsibly harvested seasonal seafood. Through CONNect to Local, Sodexo is committed to fostering a strong economy in Connecticut and creating inclusive market opportunities for local producers, aggregators, and fisheries.

Agricultural products are local if it is:

• Exclusively grown or trapped in Connecticut.

• Derived from an animal that was raised for at least one-third of its life in Connecticut (except milk).

• For milk, the majority was produced from Connecticut animals.

• Honey produced by Connecticut colonies located exclusively in Connecticut when all nectar was collected.

Processed foods are local if:

• 50% or more of all product ingredients by volume (excluding water) are raw agricultural products that are local to Connecticut.

AND

• Either processed or the food manufacturer is headquartered in Connecticut.

Unique food products are local if two or more of the following are true:

• 50% or more of all ingredients by volume (excluding water) are raw agricultural products that are local to Connecticut.

• Substantial transformation of the ingredients in the product occurred in Connecticut.

• The headquarters of the company that manufactures the product is in Connecticut.

Food grown, raised, or harvested within the six New England states or parts of New York (+50-mile radius)

Agricultural products are regional if:

• The vendor of the product is a regional food business and 100% of the ingredients were grown, raised, or harvested on farms within the six New England states or parts of New York (+50-mile radius)

Processed and Unique foods are regional if:

• Vendor of the product is a regional food business and at least 50% of the ingredients were grown, raised, or harvested on farms within the six New England states or parts of New York (+50-mile radius)
(for example: broccoli soup, in which the broccoli and dairy were sourced regionally and equal 50% or more of the ingredients)

Sodexo is proud to sign on as a Northeast Organic Family Farm partner to support organic dairy farms in the Northeast and to help secure the future of organic dairy. We’re committed to purchasing organic dairy products from brands that source their milk from our region.

At Southern, one of the main ways in which we are able to support this initiative is through utilization of Stonyfield Yogurt. You can find this yogurt in our main dining hall and enjoy this yogurt in products produced at our student center locations.

To learn about our commitment and the partnership, please visit www.saveorganicfamilyfarms.org

Have you ever wondered where the food you leave on your plate in Conn Hall goes? We have been composting with Blue Earth Compost out of Hartford, CT since September 2017.

Once Blue Earth picks the waste up, it goes to Quantum Biopower, where it’s processed using Anaerobic Digestion technology to create biogas and compost. Biogas is used as a source of renewable energy to create electricity for the facility and the community. The compost is generally sold and is used as a fertilizer for gardens and plants.

We’ve composted 81,293 lbs of waste with Blue Earth Compost since the start of the 2024-2025 academic year! The mitigated CO2 emissions are equivalent to:

• 22,437 pounds of carbon dioxide
• 873 gallons of gasoline burned
• 1,750,727 smartphones charged
• 127 seedlings planted
• 10,646 kWh energy created
• 19,483K miles driven by an average car

Learn more about the composting process on the Blue Earth Instagram @blue_earth_compost

• Recycling reduces waste sent to landfills and incinerators.

• Recycling prevents pollution.

• Recycling conserves natural resources.

• Recycling conserves energy.

• Recycling creates jobs, producing economic benefits.

Our kitchens use WasteWatch powered by Leanpath systems. This allows our culinary teams to monitor and track our food waste while we prepare your meals. By using Leanpath, we are able to easily identify causes of food waste in real-time and make necessary adjustments to our procedures to help combat food waste.

In addition to helping us reduce waste, the insights gained from this program allow us to better tailor our menus to the tastes and needs of the SCSU Community—it's a win-win all around.

Southern Dining is committed to certain practices that help keep our operations more sustainable and better for the environment. Some of these include:

100% sustainable seafood

Fair Trade

Harvest of the month

Cage Free

Read more:

Animal Welfare

Commitment to a responsible supply chain

Sodexo's Better Tomorrow initiative has us committed to serving 50% plant-based meals by the end of 2025. Because plant-based ingredients have lower greenhouse gas emissions, advancing plant-based eating is a critical strategy in addressing climate change. Plant-based meals only use ingredients from plants such as: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. They may also include honey and sugar depending on varying definitions.
You can find plant-based meals all over campus including black bean burgers at the Student Center Food Court, a vegan station at Connecticut Hall, and avocado toast at Dunkin’. Be on the lookout for this plant-based symbol on the Everyday app and throughout Connecticut Hall.

Southern has been a part of the Food Recovery Network since 2017. Through this program, our dining services and the Office of Sustainability have saved nearly 10,000lbs of food from ending up in a landfill throughout the '24/'25 school year!

The FRN saved the following amounts of overproduction:

Fall 2024

Connecticut Hall–3397lbs

Retail Spaces–281lbs

Total–3678lbs

Spring 2025

Connecticut Hall–5924lbs

Retail Spaces–618lbs

Total–6542lbs

Learn more about this program and how you can volunteer.

Did you know that Southern has a Campus Community Garden located behind Davis Hall? Southern dining is working to once again be able to use the produce grown there throughout our facilities. The Office of Sustainability grows tomatoes, squash, corn, eggplant, cucumbers, lettuce, kale, herbs, peppers, beets, raspberries, wildflowers, and more! Every year, they donate hundreds of pounds of the garden's fruits, vegetables, and herbs to local soup kitchens.

Learn more about the garden and how you can get your hands dirty!

• 100% recycled paper napkins in Xpress Nap Dispensers to encourage guests to take few napkins

• Reusable dishware in resident dining

• Green certified cleaning supplies

• Bulk condiments

• On/Off protocols for our equipment

• Trayless dining. Customers without trays typically waste less food and beverages. Trayless dining reduces the amount of water and detergents needed to wash trays which also saves energy.