[SUSTAINABILITY] LIVING HERE
Sustainability Sustainability is an important topic, and we’re making changes to our dining centers and residence halls to be more earth-conscious and to better serve customers and the local community. Last year, we composted more than 400 tons of food waste from five major dining facilities, rather than sending it to the landfill. Some of it is even used in our own garden—we grow just over two acres of sustainably produced vegetables and herbs at the Dining Services Garden at Kentland Farm, right off the main campus. The produce is served in the campus dining centers, especially at our local/ sustainable food venue, the Farms & Fields Project at Owens Food Court. We don’t stop at just composting the waste we already have, however. We also work to reduce waste by going trayless at D2, selling special reusable bottles (use them to get free water and discounted fountain drinks), donating leftover items to local hunger relief organizations, and recycling in the dining centers. We serve local and sustainable foods whenever possible, including delicious Homestead Creamery ice cream from Franklin County, Virginia Tech-produced meats, Black Eagle Farm eggs, and direct-relationship coffee.
The garden is maintained
by student volunteers.
Look for labels such as “organic,” “local,” “vegan,” and “vegetarian” in the dining centers.
To stay up-to-date on sustainability in Dining Services (and find out how you can help), visit www.farmsandfields.wordpress.com. The residence halls have been making some changes, too. All bathrooms were upgraded with pressure-compensating shower heads that reduce water flow by 33 percent, and light bulbs in the common areas are being replaced with T8 fixtures that use less energy and give off better light. Staff members received Green Zone Certification for using greener cleaning chemicals and recycled paper products in the halls when possible. To ensure that campus becomes a more sustainable place to live, all new residence halls, including the Ambler Johnston renovations, will meet requirements for U.S. Green Building Council LEED silver certification or higher.
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