Southern Sustainable

We recognize and understand the role that we play as an employer, service provider, and corporate citizen and the impact we can make on individuals, our communities, and the environment. Your Southern Dining Team is committed to providing a sustainable and environmentally conscious dining program. Rose Forrest, Sustainability Coordinator, leads the charge and helps guide our team to make conscious and sustainable decisions.

If you want to learn more about our sustainability efforts on campus, please don't hesitate to contact Rose at Rose.Forrest@sodexo.com.

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 (+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 plus 50 miles.
 
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 plus 50 miles (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. 
 
To learn about our commitment and the partnership, please visit www.saveorganicfamilyfarms.org

WasteWatch REUSE is our resident dining takeout program. This program is designed to provide students with convenient to-go options in Connecticut Hall, while upholding the campus commitment to sustainability and waste reduction.

HOW IT WORKS: 

1. Bring your reusable to go container with you to Connecticut Hall if you plan to take your meal to-go. You will not be allowed to take-out food without it! 

2. Let the cashier know that you’d like your meal to-go. 

3. The cashier will exchange your container for a new, cleaned and sanitized container.

4. Fill your container with your take-out meal and you are free to go! 

5. Rinse your container, bring it back with you the next time you wish to take your meal to-go and repeat the process! 

A $5 enrollment fee applies. Commuters, faculty & staff may also participate in this program. A $5 replacement fee will be charged for lost or damaged containers. If you have questions, please see a Campus Dining Manager or contact us via the feedback section of our website. 

Learn more about the program!

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 79,000 lbs of waste with Blue Earth Compost since the start of the 2021 – 2022 academic year! The mitigated CO2 emissions are equivalent to:

- 44.2K pounds of carbon dioxide
- 2.26K gallons of gasoline burned
- 2.4M smartphones charged
- 332 seedlings planted
- 10.3K kWh energy created
- 50K miles driven by an average car

Learn more about the composting process on our Instagram @SCSUCampusDining
• 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.
100% sustainable seafood
Fair Trade
Harvest of the month
Cage Free
 
Read more:
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.

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 Plant based icon 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 over 6,000 lbs of food from the landfill and donated it to local non-profits during the fall of 2023!

Learn more about this program and how you can volunteer.

Did you know that Southern has a Campus Community Garden located behind Davis Hall?

The Office of Sustainability grows tomatoes, squash, corn, eggplant, cucumbers, lettuce, kale, herbs, peppers, beets, raspberries, wildflowers, and more! We’ll use some of the fresh crops on our menus, and 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 Xprss Nap Dispensers to encourage guests to take few napkins
• Reusable dishware in resident dining
• 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.