Sustainability: A Strategic Imperative for College Dining Services

Sustainability is more than a buzzword within Williams College dining services; it's an imperative. One of the most important ways the college achieves sustainability is by reducing food waste and minimizing resource consumption—a goal that is written into the department's systems, policies, infrastructure, and building design.

"We have made tremendous strides," says Chris Abayasinghe, assistant director of dining services.

All campus food waste—20 tons annually—is salvaged, then hauled off campus to be used as compost on local farms.

New garbage disposals in two of the four dining halls have reduced water consumption from 1,200 gallons of water per meal to 3 gallons per meal, each. Replacing the dish machine in another dining hall resulted in an annual water savings of 780,000 gallons of water, while reducing energy costs of the water needed to be heated. Replacing all rinse jet sprayers on campus with low distribution spray heads saved two gallons of water every minute—an accumulated water savings of over one million gallons annually.

At the Paresky Center, the major hub for the college's food preparation, an on-site bakery uses a rotary oven to bake up to 90 two-pound bread loaves at once, significantly reducing energy consumption. Another oven bakes 380 cookies every 10 minutes in a minimal space. On-demand induction stovetops heat up instantly as needed, using minimal energy. Meanwhile, occupancy sensors automatically adjust the heating, cooling, and lighting to the minimum necessary.

Sustainability is addressed in the smallest details, as well -- from napkin dispensers that dispense only a single napkin at a time, to biodegradable soaps that are dispensed in specific amounts to reduce waste. Dining services uses minimal disposables, and those that are used are fully compostable.

In addition, Williams goes through 120 gallons of vegetable oil every week. Rather than discarding it, the college saves it for a local pork farm, Flying Pigs Farm, which converts it to biodiesel fuel. Flying Pigs then uses this biodiesel to deliver its products to restaurants in the New York City area—in this way, the college helps small farms lessen their own carbon footprint.

"We're shooting for sustainability from every angle," says Abayasinghe. "This includes purchasing, catering events, the equipment we use, the design of our buildings, how we serve our food, and what we do with the leftovers. Sustainability has become our standard operating procedure."

Source: Williams College