Bowling Green State University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

BGSU Dining, in partnership with Chartwells Higher Education, actively supports sustainability and community engagement through programs that promote local food systems, reduce waste, and provide resources for those in need.

Annual Farmers’ Market & Local Sourcing

Each fall, BGSU Dining hosts a Farmers’ Market, offering students and faculty access to fresh, locally sourced produce and goods from regional vendors. This event highlights BGSU Dining’s commitment to supporting small businesses and sustainable agriculture while educating the campus community on responsible food choices.

Food Waste Reduction & Community Support

BGSU Dining also implements programs that reduce food waste while benefiting the local community:

·       Feed More, Waste Less repurposes unserved food from dining halls into nutritious, pre-portioned frozen meals for students in need through the Falcon Food Pantry. This initiative, developed by a BGSU student, helps combat food insecurity while diverting food waste from landfills.

·       Wag More, Waste Less transforms food scraps into dog treats for the Wood County Dog Shelter, showcasing an innovative approach to waste reduction.

·       Ozzi Reusable Container Program provides a sustainable alternative to disposable to-go packaging, further minimizing campus waste.

Through these efforts, BGSU Dining integrates sustainability into daily operations while supporting local businesses, reducing environmental impact, and addressing food insecurity in the campus and surrounding community.

BGSU Dining, in partnership with Chartwells Higher Education, is committed to supporting disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its food and beverage purchasing practices. By prioritizing partnerships with regional vendors, minority- and women-owned businesses, and sustainable producers, BGSU Dining helps strengthen the local economy while fostering a more diverse and responsible food system.

A key part of this effort is BGSU Dining’s partnership with Premier Produce One, a regional supplier that sources fresh, locally grown produce and other high-quality ingredients from Ohio-based farmers and producers. This relationship ensures that a significant portion of BGSU Dining’s food supply supports local agriculture and small businesses, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable and community-driven food sourcing.

Additionally, BGSU Dining incorporates products from social enterprises that align with its sustainability and community impact goals. This includes collaborations with campus organizations like the BGSU Beekeeping Club, which helps promote local honey products, supporting student-led sustainability initiatives while engaging with the broader community. BGSU Dining also operates the Ozzi reusable to-go container program, reducing single-use waste and supporting eco-friendly business solutions.

Chartwells Higher Education, as BGSU Dining’s dining services provider, has a national framework for engaging with diverse and local suppliers, exemplified through programs that showcase seasonal produce, farm partnerships, and local market events. These efforts help create more sustainable supply chains and economic opportunities for businesses that might otherwise face barriers to entry in large-scale food service.

Through these initiatives, BGSU Dining continues to prioritize ethical and community-focused purchasing, ensuring that its dining operations contribute to a more equitable, sustainable, and locally connected food system.

BGSU Dining actively promotes low-impact dining through various initiatives that encourage plant-forward eating and sustainable food choices. One significant effort includes hosting Zero Waste picnics in collaboration with Campus Sustainability at the beginning of each fall semester. These events focus on waste reduction by utilizing compostable serviceware, implementing effective waste sorting stations, and engaging students through educational activities.​

To further enhance sustainability, BGSU Dining offers climate-friendly menu labeling to assist students in making environmentally conscious dining choices. This program, launched in spring 2024, identifies menu items with low greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) using the HowGood sustainability assessment system. Dishes that qualify have agricultural and ingredient processing impacts below 70% of all products assessed.​

In addition, BGSU Dining has implemented the Ozzi reusable to-go box program to minimize single-use container waste. This system provides durable, reusable containers for take-out meals, significantly reducing the reliance on disposable packaging. Students can participate by obtaining an Ozzi container and returning it after use for cleaning and redistribution, promoting a sustainable, closed-loop system. ​

To support these initiatives, BGSU Dining created a Sustainability Coordinator student position, with undergraduate students leading projects focused on waste reduction, sustainable sourcing, composting, and plant-forward education. These student coordinators regularly partner with the Office of Campus Sustainability to expand sustainable dining efforts across campus.​

At The Oaks Dining Center, sustainability remains a core focus, with infrastructure supporting eco-friendly operations, including a grey water system, solar panels, and furniture made from reclaimed wood sourced from Northwest Ohio. These repurposed pieces, branded with a unique insignia, serve as visible reminders of BGSU Dining’s commitment to green practices.​

Through these programs, BGSU Dining continues to create opportunities for students to engage in low-impact dining and plant-forward eating, reinforcing the university’s dedication to sustainability.

The Vegan meal stations at the Oaks, "Rooted" , offers a full vegan/vegetarian meal every day, including an entree, side, and dessert. Individuals with dairy allergies can feel comfortable eating at this station also. Vegan options are also available at Carillon Place and to a more limited extent in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union.  The vegan offerings at the Oaks and Carillon Place have been in place since the buidings were constructed in 2010 and have increased each year since.

BGSU Dining, in partnership with Chartwells Higher Education, has been proactively informing customers about low-impact food choices and sustainability practices through comprehensive labeling and signage in dining halls since Spring 2022. This initiative is part of a broader commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.​

Climate-Friendly Menu Labeling

In collaboration with HowGood, an independent research company with the world's largest database on product sustainability, BGSU Dining introduced climate-friendly labels on its menu boards. These labels provide clear information about which menu items are considered climate-friendly, enabling students and faculty to make informed dining choices that align with their environmental values.

BGSU Dining by Chartwells has partnered with HowGood since Spring of 2022. All of our menu boards provide information about which menu items are considered Climate Friendly.

The partnership with HowGood allows BGSU Dining to assess recipes across eight key impact metrics:

·       Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Evaluating the carbon footprint associated with each menu item.​

·       Processing: Considering the extent of processing ingredients undergo.​

·       Water Usage: Measuring the water required for ingredient production.​

·       Soil Health: Assessing agricultural practices that affect soil quality.​

·       Land Use: Analyzing the amount of land needed for ingredient cultivation.​

·       Biodiversity: Understanding the impact on ecosystem variety.​

·       Animal Welfare: Ensuring ethical treatment of animals in the supply chain.​

·       Labor Risk: Evaluating fair labor practices involved in productionBy integrating HowGood's extensive research, BGSU Dining ensures that the food served meets high sustainability standards. ​

Impact on Student Choices

The introduction of climate-friendly labeling has positively influenced dining choices:​

·       Increased Demand: There has been a 37% rise in the production of recipes that received positive ratings from HowGood, indicating a shift towards more sustainable dining preferences among students. ​

·       Recipe Improvement: Initially, less than a third of Chartwells' recipes nationwide received positive HowGood scores. One year later, nearly 44% of recipes achieved positive ratings, reflecting continuous improvement in menu offerings. ​

Educational Signage and Engagement

Beyond menu boards, BGSU Dining has implemented educational signage throughout dining halls to:​

·       Highlight Sustainable Practices: Inform patrons about ongoing sustainability initiatives.​

·       Encourage Conscious Choices: Motivate the campus community to select low-impact meals.​

These efforts are complemented by programs and events that engage students in discussions about food sustainability, further promoting a culture of environmental awareness on campus.​

Through these comprehensive measures, BGSU Dining demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability, empowering the university community to make choices that positively impact the planet.

BGSU Dining uses the "Waste Not 2.0" program of food waste measurement in an attempt to reduce food waste in the kitchens at its source.

All BGSU Dining facilities are trayless. The Oaks, and Carillon Place were designed to be trayless as they are LEED Gold and LEED Silver respectively.  No trays have been used in Kreischer Dining for more than 10 years.  Plates used in all dining centers are relatively small, to encourage smaller portions, while allowing students to return to the serving areas to select additional choices if they wish.

BGSU Dining currently partners with the on campus food pantry (Falcon Food Pantry), located in Central Hall, to provide a number of frozen meals several times a week.  These meals are composed of leftover entrees from the dining centers from the previous day and are packaged and transported by the BGSU Dining Sustainability Intern, who is a student majoring in Environmental Science.  The meals are available at  no cost to any food pantry patron.  Limited numbers of other food items are also made available in the Food Pantry, and varies from week to week.  Donated items have included bagels and other baked goods, packaged snacks, and fruit/vegetables.

BGSU Campus Sustainability collaborates with BGSU Dining to provide a preconsumer composting service at each dining location on campus, which includes The Oaks, Bowen-Thompson Student Union, Carillon Place, and Kreischer Late Night Dining/Commissary.  Campus Sustainability has contracted Stevens Disposal, Inc., which picks up the preconsumer materials from containers located behind each dining area twice a week.  The material is hauled to Hirzel Farms, Inc, a Class 2 composting facility located in Pemberville, Ohio, which is 8 miles from Bowling Green.  Campus Sustainaility provides training to BGSU Dining staff on the proper materials to place in these containers, how to avoid contamination and the benefits of composting. A large part of the cost of running the composting program is provided by the Student Green Initiatives Fund, which comes from contributions by students each semester of $5.

There are several times during the academic year that Zero Waste events are conducted, (Convocation picnic with first year students in August; All Campus Picnic during Homecoming week, and several other varying events).  For these events, post-consumer composting is also practiced and additional containers are provided and monitored during events by a core of volunteers supervised by Campus Sustainability.

The two largest dining centers on campus (The Oaks, and Carillon Place) utlize only reusable plates, silverware and cups/glasses.  This was a feature that was planned during building design and construction and was part of the LEED point award process.

The to-go option is only available at Carillon Place and employs reusable "Ozzi" to-go containers issued to students at the beginning of the fall semester.  Students can exchange their used Ozzi container for a clean/sanitized one at the service counter in the dining center.  To-go is not available at The Oaks Dining Center. For Zero Waste events, compostable plates, and a compostable utensil are provided, and drinks are served in recyclable cans/bottles, with a 100% recovery at the event.