CHICAGO—The Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability (HCFS) awarded Dickinson College a $5,000 grant for having the most innovative and best-executed foodservice sustainability project of the year. Dickinson College, a liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pa., was judged as having the best sustainability program from among numerous entrants nationwide, which included educational institutions, foodservice establishments and healthcare facilities. The grant was presented to Keith Martin, Dickinson College’s director of dining services, by the four HCFS fellows during the 2007 Greenbuild Expo in Chicago.
“While all of the grant entry submissions showed remarkable sustainability initiatives, Dickinson College stood above the rest in planning, execution and return on investment,” says Rick Cartwright, vice president and general manager of retail systems, ITW Food Equipment Group and HCFS fellow with the Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability. “The integrated approach of Dickinson College’s sustainability programs should serve as an example to other establishments seeking to implement similar initiatives that improve the environment, while also making economic sense.”
Dickinson has established several sustainability programs including the Dickinson College Farm, a collaborative effort between the colleges’ Dining Services staff, faculty and students. The farm supplies the college dining hall with fresh produce raised without the use of chemicals. Some of the farm crops provided to the college kitchen include baby spinach, mesclun mix, tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs, cabbage, cucumbers, squash and leaf lettuce. 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.
Composting Program Expanded
The college has also established initiatives to reduce waste and water and energy use at the college. Dickinson College’s Dining Services has expanded its composting program from the original small effort of composting salad bar waste to include almost every department of Dining Services. Now, 200 to 300 pounds of foodservice waste is collected each day. The composting program reduces landfill costs and the fuel associated with waste removal. It also saves the college more than $1,300 annually on trash bag costs.
Overall, Dickinson College has reduced water consumption by nearly 1.2 million gallons per 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.
Adding to energy and water reduction, the cleaning equipment in the dish room is only run when the dishwasher is full. The dish room has a conveyor style unit that can be started only when trays are ready to be cleaned. Dining Services is also very active with recycling. Recycling bins are placed in all Dining Services facilities. All pre-consumer recyclables is collected and taken to a recycling center. Students and faculty are able to purchase a reusable canvas bag to reduce waste from paper bags.
Restaurant Oil Powers Vehicles
The college also implemented a bio-diesel production project that uses restaurant oil as feedstock for producing a renewable form of fuel. Currently, 50 to 100 gallons of fryer oil is being converted into fuel each week. This fuel powers college vehicles such as garbage trucks, lawn mowers, farm equipment and even the president’s car.
“We are delighted to have been recognized by the HCFS for our sustainability efforts,” says 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.”
Hobart launched the HCFS to provide thought leadership and counsel on sustainable design efforts and innovation for the foodservice industry. Designed as a resource hub, the HCFS offers forums allowing foodservice and food retail operations, architects, designers and consultants to collaborate with Hobart in developing new sustainable design ideas and solutions while building economic value for the end-user.
More information about the HCFS, its mission and leadership can be found by visiting www.hobartcorp.com/sustainabledesign.
