Northern Arizona University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

i) The Open Air Markets, a recurring event since the Spring of 2014, take place once a week during each semester on campus. These markets, facilitated by NAU Campus Dining, provide a platform to showcase fresh, locally sourced seasonal produce from Arizona. Additionally, the markets feature hand-crafted artisanal foods from Flagstaff and northern Arizona businesses. Beyond being a culinary experience, these markets serve as a canvas for Northern Arizona University's students, staff, and faculty to display their artistic talents through art exhibitions, handcrafted items, and live music performances. The Open-Air Markets foster a sense of community on campus, acting as a conduit for local foods, crafts, and artists. They also play a pivotal role in imparting knowledge and raising awareness about sustainability, well-being, and communal support. This year's markets witnessed a diverse congregation of approximately 40 vendors, encompassing a spectrum ranging from small women-owned enterprises to student-operated booths. NAU Campus Dining consistently integrates sustainability concepts into these markets, spotlighting distinct themes each week to educate students about sustainable practices.

ii) To enhance students' utilization of their meal plans and offer them a glimpse into the experience of engaging with a local CSA, we conceived the concept of 'Market Baskets,' a recurring weekly feature. Resonating with the essence of a CSA box, these Open Air Market Baskets encompass an array of in-season fruits, vegetables, and regionally sourced culinary delights. Valued at $20, students have the privilege to procure these treasures using a combination of meal credits, dining funds, or other accepted payment modalities. Beyond fostering student involvement in the markets, this initiative serves as a conduit for heightening their consciousness of the cyclical rhythm of seasonal produce. Simultaneously, it underscores the imperative of bolstering local agriculture through conscientious consumption.

i) This past school year, NAU Campus Dining brought a new concept to campus called Lemon Grass! Created by renowned Celebrity Chef Mai Pham, who grew up in Vietnam and Thailand, Lemon Grass Kitchen offers a wide variety of customizable plant-based proteins! Celebrate deliciousness, get nourished, and satisfied, and feel good that your dining choices positively impact global sustainability. Lemon Grass only has one meat option and focuses heavily on plant-forward options and only showcases those options. The meat is cooked on a separate grill as well.


ii) The Green Scene Café offers a range of customizable sandwiches, salads, and wraps, accompanied by Intelligentsia coffee, tea, and campus-baked pastries. Apart from its focus on plant-based fare, the café places a spotlight on locally sourced and seasonally available produce. What sets the Green Scene apart is its commitment to environmental consciousness, demonstrated through a thorough Life Cycle Analysis conducted for each menu item. This analysis results in the assignment of a carbon footprint to each dish, effectively raising awareness among students and campus patrons about the ecological impact of their dining preferences.

In a concerted effort to minimize waste, customers are actively encouraged to opt for reusable service ware when dining in, or reusable to-go containers when taking their food out. For instances where reusables aren't feasible, we provide single-use plant-based compostable packaging for "to go" orders. Furthermore, the café introduces "Limited Time Offers" that introduce new specialty menu items infused with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. These offerings rotate periodically throughout the year, providing a fresh and exciting culinary experience.

i) We have worked locally to develop direct vendor relationships with some small Flagstaff businesses, one of which is now our primary supplier of tortillas and hot sauce. This small business is owned and operated by a recent graduate of Northern Arizona University, and they have crafted the first and only line of specialty sauces made completely with natural ingredients, right here in Flagstaff. We also work with our distributors to support small farms, disadvantaged businesses, and SMEs through our food and beverage purchasing.

ii) On a national scale, Sodexo orchestrates a dynamic tapestry of over 3000 diverse and small enterprises, encompassing local, regional, and national entities. Many of these entities harmonize with our supply chain at NAU, underscoring our dedication to supplier diversity. This commitment is concretized through the Supplier Diversity Procurement Policy, which encapsulates multifaceted objectives. Embracing a holistic ethos, this policy integrates accountability at all managerial echelons, augments supplier diversity through strategic scorecards, incorporates qualified diverse vendors in procurement proposals, and sets tangible supplier diversity goals at divisional and corporate tiers, with regular reporting. Actively scouting for diverse vendors is intrinsic to our methodology, encompassing engagement with Sodexo's supplier diversity portal, participation in diverse consortia, and active involvement in relevant events. This unified endeavor mandates manufacturers to institute supplier diversity programs within a year of contracting and seamlessly integrates supplier diversity into the fabric of business reviews.

iii) Our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) transcends not only our workforce but also resonates within our supply network. Firmly rooted in our corporate ethos, we firmly believe that fostering diversity enriches our talent pool, paralleling our core conviction that a diverse supplier base magnifies our resonance in the market. This philosophy extends to our alignment with partners who share our ardor for unleashing talent in all its manifestations.

iv) Sodexo's resolute pledge to inclusivity resonates tangibly, manifesting in a robust inclusion program monitored every year across various countries. Our commitment is two-pronged: empowering women and fostering underutilized suppliers, a definition contextualized per region, in tandem with championing spend with local small businesses and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). Our global objective, to allocate 25% of our spend towards SMEs, encapsulates our unwavering commitment to diversity, with a focal emphasis on diverse SMEs, by the year 2025.

i) In the Spring of 2023, NAU Campus Dining began to do Plant-based takeovers showcasing plant-based foods in both the dining halls. Sodexo also brought a Sodexo Chef to do a cooking demonstration on vegan nachos.

ii) Every year we also host an event called SLOW Foods to help connect students to local farms and eat sustainability, local, organic, and whole. During this event, we showcase the local farms that we procure from. Our commitment to sustainability is exemplified through our longstanding advocacy of Meatless Mondays, a movement we've championed for multiple years. This ethos extends to our culinary choices as well. We've embraced a plant-forward strategy in crafting menus for our resident dining halls on campus, consistently prioritizing plant-based offerings.

iii) Our dedication to this approach is also evident in our thoughtful renovation plans for the DuB Dining District, where we've strategically emphasized plant-based foods. As a focal point upon entering the dining hall, the "Plant Forward" station takes center stage, symbolizing our commitment to sustainable, plant-centric dining.

i) We are very proud of the variety and quality of our vegan and vegetarian offerings on campus. We've developed a plant-based dining on-campus guide to help new students familiarize themselves with some of the options. Additionally, our mobile application allows customers to search specifically for vegan menu items (as well as vegetarian). Both of the dining halls on campus promote both vegan and vegetarian options on a variety of platforms with special icons indicating those items that are vegan to make them easier to find. Each of the dining halls also has a platform dedicated solely to plant-based foods as well.

ii) Additionally, we feature a Superfoods Bar at the Hot Spot which specializes in nutrient-dense foods such as whole grains, nuts, legumes, and fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants, often high in protein and healthy fiber to provide a complete protein from plant-based foods. Two different types of hummus are made from scratch daily to feature on the bar along with some additional veggies and pita chips for dipping. We also offer the newly popular “Impossible meats” at some of our retail locations.

iii) 13 retail dining locations throughout campus now offer vegan options so members of NAU’s community don’t have to leave campus.

iv) Sodexo recently made a commitment to have 50% plant-based menus by 2025.

We place a strong emphasis on transparent communication to educate both students and staff about our sustainability initiatives. Throughout our resident dining locations, informative signage serves as a constant reminder of our commitment. These signs showcase the Arizona farms from which we source our produce, underscoring our focus on supporting local agriculture by promoting some of the Arizona farms we get produce from. Special icons are employed to identify vegan and vegetarian choices, while local and organic selections receive prominent mention on our menus.

To further engage and enlighten our customers, we employ a range of communication channels. Table tents, menu signs, and dynamic digital screens play a pivotal role in conveying the message of environmentally conscious dining. These vehicles effectively inform our patrons about the positive impact of opting for lower-impact food choices. By utilizing diverse communication tools, we endeavor to create a dining environment that is both educational and supportive of sustainable practices.

i) We measure and carefully analyze food waste through a program developed specifically for minimizing food waste called LeanPath. The LeanPath software records all pre-consumer food waste in both of the resident dining hall kitchens. This program not only allows chefs and kitchen staff a way to monitor food waste but it gives them a projection of the weight and dollar amount that would be wasted in a year if current practices are followed. The chefs are then able to see patterns of food waste during meal prep and enforce an action plan to reduce food waste before it ever leaves the kitchen. The numbers generated in LeanPath are also cross-referenced with the NAU Compost Program daily weight logs.

ii) We also have a SOMAT post-consumer composting system, making these locations virtually zero waste. The compost derived from this system is donated to campus and community gardens. Through the use of these tools and efforts, NAU Campus Dining has seen a reduction in food waste entering landfills of more than 600,000 pounds annually.

i) Resident dining halls removed the option for customers to use trays since 2009 to encourage more mindful eating behaviors, such as taking one plate at a time. This practice alone has reduced post-consumer waste significantly. Trayless dining also reduces water waste, and energy waste, and helps the campus save on detergent and energy costs. NAU Campus Dining Services also coordinates events like “Weigh the Waste” within each resident dining location throughout the academic year to help bring awareness on ways for post-consumer waste reduction. We work closely with students to help put on this event. Students can sort and weigh the waste and analyze the post-consumer waste stream to allow for improvements in waste minimization and are empowered as individuals to reduce their overall waste footprint. While at the Weigh the Waste event students will also table for Food Recovery Network, Louie’s Leftovers, and other food insecurity programs as well.

ii) At NAU Campus Dining Services, we're further dedicated to raising awareness about waste reduction. Initiatives like "Weigh the Waste" are organized throughout the academic year, involving students from the First Year Seminar course. This engagement activity involves students sorting and weighing waste, focusing on post-consumer waste. The insights gathered from these efforts aid in identifying areas for improvement in waste minimization, empowering participants to actively reduce their waste footprint.

iii) Collaboration extends to NAU Athletics, which teams up with NAU Dining and the Office of Sustainability to participate in the EPA Game Day Challenge. This initiative urges football enthusiasts to be conscious of their game-day waste, driving home the importance of responsible waste management among fans.

These combined efforts underscore our ongoing commitment to sustainable practices and our dedication to nurturing a waste-conscious campus culture.

i) NAU Campus Dining donates food regularly to our local food bank, Sunshine Rescue Mission, and Flagstaff Family Food Center. Additionally, through the partnership with the NAU Food Recovery Network, we work with students to donate more perishable foods daily, donating between 14,000 and 16,000 lbs of food annually from this program.

ii) In alignment with our dedication to fostering a supportive campus community, Campus Dining extends its support to Louie's Cupboard, a food pantry located on campus. Our involvement includes annual food drives and matching donation campaigns. These combined efforts yield over 1,600 pounds of donated food to Louie's Cupboard each year, contributing to the well-being of our campus community.

iii) Our commitment to reducing food waste also extends to catering events through our innovative "Louie's Leftovers" initiative. This catering surplus alert system notifies campus members who have opted in, allowing them to receive alerts regarding surplus food remaining at the end of certain catering events. This initiative not only minimizes waste but also enables individuals to partake in sharing these surplus resources.

These collective endeavors showcase our continuous dedication to supporting our local community, minimizing food waste, and creating a more sustainable and inclusive campus environment.

For several years, the Students for Sustainable Living and Urban Gardening (SSLUG) group on campus has worked with the South Resident Dining Facility (the DuB) to collect pre-consumer food waste to be composted in their garden. SSLUG manages approximately 200 lbs of pre-consumer waste per week for composting purposes. In 2012, a NAU graduate student conducted his master’s research on campus composting and with the help of grant funding, NAU Campus Dining and NAU Grounds and Campus Services, the NAU Composting Program was born and is still run by NAU Grounds and Campus Services. This program is still running and has helped reduce nearly 300,000 lbs of organic pre- & post-consumer food waste and other compostable materials and has prevented 250 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere yearly for the past 10 years.

With financial support from the Student Green Fund, NAU Campus Dining now operates a cutting-edge compost processing system, SOMAT, in their dish areas at both resident dining hall locations. These machines work semi-autonomously to pulp, grind, extract, and dehydrate all food waste, napkins, and other compostable-packaged items. This technologically advanced system safely “cooks” previously non-compostable items such as meats, oils, cheeses, and some plastics into compostable goods that has helped remove nearly 100,000 lbs of waste material from the University’s annual waste stream. These dehydrated materials are managed by NAU Grounds and Campus Services and are often combined with pre-consumer food waste products such as compostable cups, lawn clippings, leaves, and horse manure to promote the natural decomposition process. The resulting material is used throughout campus for landscaping purposes.

At both of our resident dining locations, a conscious decision has been made to exclusively use "dine-in" service ware. This choice aligns with our commitment to minimizing single-use disposable waste and fostering a more sustainable dining environment.

In line with these sustainability efforts, we introduced the O2GO reusable container program in collaboration with the Green Fund in the spring of 2018. This initiative is geared towards mitigating the use of single-use disposables in our retail dining areas. Presently, as many as 14 retail "to go" locations actively participate in this program, encompassing both food containers and cups. This initiative offers a viable alternative to the traditional disposable options.

Our commitment to sustainability extends to our catering services as well. A notable policy change has been implemented, which defaults all food orders in the student unions and activities buildings to reusable service ware. This shift exemplifies our intent to make sustainable choices the default option in our operations.

Furthermore, we've taken a proactive approach to reducing plastic waste. In the fall of 2018, we initiated the discontinuation of single-use disposable plastic straws, underlining our dedication to addressing environmental concerns and promoting sustainable practices.

These combined efforts signify our unwavering commitment to reducing the ecological footprint of our dining operations and fostering a more sustainable campus dining experience.

All retail 16oz cold beverage cups provided by Pepsico are compostable. NAU Campus Dining provides compostable to-go ware for catering events as well as reusable “Choose to Reuse” green containers from the O2Go machine. This provides students an option to eat on campus with zero waste. Students are also encouraged to bring their own mugs/ cups to retail dining locations. All campus dining locations offer compostable to-go containers for their salad and sandwich options as well as compostable utensils.

Both resident dining locations use all “dine in” service-ware. Additionally, the O2GO reusable container program was implemented in collaboration with the Green Fund in the Spring of 2018 to reduce single-use disposable waste in our retail dining locations. Currently 20 retail "to go" locations participate in this program utilizing both food containers and cups. Additionally, catering has created a policy defaulting all food orders in the student unions & activities buildings to reusable service ware. In the Fall of 2018, we also eliminated the use of single-use disposable plastic straws.

The BYOC “Bring Your Own Cup” Campaign on campus encourages students and customers to bring their own mug when purchasing beverages on campus so that they may receive a $.50 discount on their drink purchase. We will be pushing this campaign aggressively now that COVID restrictions have been lifted.

NAU Campus Dining partners with NAU Health Promotion on several health, wellness, and nutrition programs throughout the school year. This partnership supports NAU Fit and NAU Eats by providing education on healthy lifestyle habits, promoting healthful dining options via Mindful sampling in the resident dining halls, and putting on events like cooking demos, Health-A-Palooza, and Healthy Living Expo. There are culturally diverse menus presented throughout the year to celebrate the many cultures at NAU such as Hispanic Heritage, Native American, Black History Month, Asian Pacific Islanders, and International Week menus to name a few.

Information provided by: francisca.alvarado@sodexo.com