Cornell Dining is passionately committed to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint.
Cornell Dining is proud to have received full marks for our efforts to reduce landfill, energy and water waste, in addition to providing a diverse array of sustainable food choices.
With the help of two part-time Student Sustainability Coordinators – and with collaboration from numerous student groups and campus colleagues – we have introduced the following initiatives in recent years:
- An increase in the amount of locally- and regionally-grown and produced food to 26% of all food we purchase
- The introduction of local ground beef in the Ivy Room, one of our most active retail locations.
- Pre-consumer composting in all of our kitchen facilities, and post-consumer composting at Trillium, Martha's Café, Mattins Café, Ivy Room, Risley Dining, Synapsis Café, 104West!, Cornell Dairy Bar, and One World Café, generating more than 850 tons of compost material each year.
- Recyclable packaging and containers for all of our Freshtake Grab-n-Go products.
- Transition to
permanent dishes and cutlery at Ivy Room
- Reusable stainless steel water bottles for sale, and easy access to tap water at all of our soda fountain stations, in a collaborative effort with Take Back the Tap.
- Reusable coffee mugs available via Mug Club for sale with discounted coffee prices when used.
You can find more information on Cornell's sustainability efforts by visiting the following:
Cornell Sustainable Campus
Sustainable Cornell Brochure: How You Can Make a Difference on Campus
Campus Life's Guide to Living Sustainably
Dilmun Hill Cornell Student Farm
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Contact us at sustainabledining@cornell.edu.