College Awarded Foodservice Sustainability Grant for Best Practices
Dickinson Website
Novemeber 8, 2007

Dickinson College has received a $5,000 award from the Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability (HCFS) for having the most innovative and best-executed foodservice sustainability project of the year.

Keith Martin, director of dining services, accepted the grant on behalf of the college.

“We are delighted to have been recognized by the HCFS for our sustainability efforts,” said Martin, who will serve as an HCFS fellow and help select future operations for grant recognition. “We are very committed to our sustainability program and welcome the opportunity to serve as a model for other institutions.”

Troy, Ohio-based Hobart provides commercial food equipment and service for the foodservice and food retail industries. Hobart launched the HCFS to provide thought leadership and counsel on sustainable design efforts and innovation for the foodservice industry.

Hobart praised Dickinson for establishing several sustainability programs, including the Dickinson College Organic Farm, a collaborative effort between the dining services staff, faculty and students. The farm supplies the college dining hall with fresh produce raised without the use of chemicals. By purchasing vegetables from the college farm at market price, dining services is saving food and transportation costs. This year, more than $6,500 has been reinvested into the college farm instead of being paid to outside suppliers.

Dickinson has also established initiatives to reduce waste and water and energy use at the college:

– Dining services has expanded its composting program. Approximately 200 to 300 pounds of food waste is collected each day and composted. The composting program not only reduces landfill costs and the fuel associated with waste removal but also saves the college more than $1,300 annually on trash bag costs. In a related development, this week, Dickinson received a $93,000 state grant to purchase equipment that will enable the college’s organic farm to expand and accept more organic materials from existing and new sources, including local businesses.

– The college has reduced water consumption by nearly 1.2 million gallons a year. The college saves 98,000 gallons of water and 57,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually by using unbleached napkins made from 100 percent recycled material. Putting napkins in a basket on each table instead of using napkin dispensers in the cafeteria has saved the college $7,000 annually.

– Recycling bins are placed in all dining services facilities. Students and faculty are able to purchase a reusable canvas bag to reduce waste from paper bags.

– The college implemented a bio-diesel production project that uses restaurant oil as feedstock for producing a renewable form of fuel. Up to 100 gallons of fryer oil is converted into fuel each week. This fuel powers college vehicles such as garbage trucks, lawn mowers, farm equipment and President William G. Durden’s car.

The Hobart award and state composting grant come two weeks after Dickinson received an overall grade of B+, and was singled out as a campus sustainability leader, in the 2008 College Sustainability Report Card, which examined sustainability activities at colleges and universities with the 200 largest endowments in the United States and Canada.

Dickinson received an A, the top rating, in five categories, including Food and Recycling.

For more information about the Hobart award, visit www.hobartcorp.com/sustainabledesign/hcfs/grant2007.aspx