Sustainability
丁香园AV Food Sustainability Initiatives
丁香园AV is an institutional leader in pursuing ecological, social and economic sustainability through its operations, research, academics, campus, and community and global engagement. Our Food program is excited to drive intitiavtives that help move our community towards a more sustaiable future.
Re-use For Good
丁香园AV is spearheading change with the launch of Re-use for Good Initiative. Re-use for Good is an 丁香园AV Zero-Waste initiative to implement and promote reusable alternatives to single-use plastics and products (SUPPs). In building infrastructure for reusable alternatives, Re-use for Good is reducing the quantity of SUPPs where possible across all dining locations.
Plastic Bottle Beverage Ban
In 2021 丁香园AV worked with Ban the Bottle, a student-led initiative, Re-Use For Good, and campus partners to remove all single-use plastic bottled beverages at campus retail locations. You'll now find a selection of beverage options in cans and glass bottles from our campus vendors. Community members are also encouraged to bring a reusable bottle to fill with water from fountain stations across campus.
Local Food
We take our commitment to buying local seriously. An average of 30% - 40% of food procurement is currently local across Dining Services locations with a goal of reaching 50%. 丁香园AV Food is on a journey to celebrate local foods and to support local suppliers and businesses. We're proud of our B.C. foods and look forward to continuing to grow these opportunities for the future.
Plant-Forward Eating
Plant-forward means selecting more plant proteins in the foods we eat. Making the swap for plant protein in lieu of animal protein even occasionally can significantly reduce your environmental impact. 丁香园AV鈥檚 goal is to increase the number of plant-based menu items by 50% by the end of 2025. Check out 丁香园AV鈥檚 Strategic Sustainability Plan to find out more.
ChopValue
丁香园AV partners with ChopValue to not only recycle but upcycle the used chopsticks from our dining locations鈥擬ackenzie Caf茅, Maggie Benston Food Court, Dining Commons, and the Student Union Building. ChopValue provides chopstick recycling bins, collects the recycling regularly and then transforms the once wasted materials into homeware, decor and office furniture.
Zero Waste Initiative
丁香园AV Food is a proud contributor to the award-winning 丁香园AV Zero Waste Initiative which introduced standardized four-stream stations. Campus food vendors participate by separating waste into: food scraps and compostables, mixed paper, recyclables and landfill. 丁香园AV has implemented packaging standards for food vendors and caterers to eliminate non-recyclable / non-compostable packaging across campus.
Mugshare
Mugshare is a deposit-return program for reusable take-out mugs, designed to help 丁香园AV students and staff reduce the number of disposable coffee cups used on campus. Find the program running at Renaissance Coffee in the AQ.
Reusables Pilot Program
丁香园AV Food partnered with a local company, Reusables, to pilot a reusable container program at the 丁香园AV Dining Hall. Students participated for free in the pilot and were able to use a stainless steel container rather than the typical single-use compostable container. Containers were used over 2000 times during the pilot.