Western has ordered up international sustainability success thanks to a creative takeout idea.
The university’s Hospitality Services was recognized recently with a Silver in the Waste Management category of the 2014 Sustainability Awards, presented by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS). The awards annually honour outstanding leadership in environmental sustainability, specifically as it relates to campus dining operations.
Washington University at St. Louis won Gold in the category; University of California, Berkeley won bronze.
More than 55 colleges and universities across North America submitted entries in four categories, including Waste Management; Procurement Practices; Outreach and Education; as well as Energy and Water Conservation. Each entry was judged by a team of collegiate dining professionals including food service directors and sustainability coordinators.
Western was the only Canadian university honoured.
Hospitality Services was recognized for Residence Dining’s XChange4Change (XC4C), a reusable takeout container program. First piloted in 2012, the program was expanded into all residence students in September 2013.
“Our team recognized the environmental benefit to reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill, by using the reusable XC4C takeout containers, could result in a tremendous positive impact on our environment,” said Janet Smith, Hospitality Services marketing manager. “We also felt that a stronger sense of overall environmental responsibility would be one of the messages that the XC4C program instills onto the students living in our residence operations at Western.”
“This initiative is but one example of how we can all work together to meet Western’s goal to become zero waste by the year 2022.”
Zero waste is defined as 90 per cent or more diversion of waste from landfill through recycling and/or composting.
“Sustainability is a growing trend in food service,” said Sheryl Kidwell, 2014 Sustainability Awards committee chair, of the University of Kansas. “Dining services play a pivotal role in the overall sustainability goals of a campus.”
Winners of the 2014 Sustainability Awards, presented by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) include:
Waste Management
Gold – Washington University at St. Louis
Silver – Western University
Bronze – University of California, Berkeley
Materials and Resources
Silver – University of Connecticut
Outreach and Education
Gold – University of Montana
Silver – Washington College
Bronze – North Carolina State University
Procurement Practices
Gold – University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Silver – Michigan State University
Bronze – Purdue University