Lipscomb Dining Sustainability Efforts

Our Pledge

At Sodexo, we pursue the use of:

• Locally grown and sustainable food products.
• Environmentally friendly food service products, such as plates, cups, utensils and cleaning supplies.
• Biodegradable disposable products, such as plates and bowls produced from 100 percent post-industrial reclaimed fiber.
• Suppliers who adhere to our Code of Conduct, which contains principles relating to child and forced labor, wages and benefits, working hours, health, safety and environmental guidelines.

LU DINING SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES

SPRING SEMESTER 2009

1. ERASE THE WASTE- Bison Cafe- Take the Pledge to take only what food you can consume and not feed the trashcans.
2. 65% Local Produce Purchased by Dining Services with the switch recently to T&T Produce.  T&T purchases for local farms Mayfield Farms (Athens, TN) and Rainbow Hills Farm. We will be visiting the farms soon.  Also, T&T has a large selection of organic vegetables in season that we will be purchasing as needed.
3. Sustainability Booth for student information in the Bennett Campus Center in February (date soon).
4. GREEN BUSINESS & LIVING SUMMIT & EXPO at LU on April 2 &3.  LU Dining has a gold sponsorship booth for this event.
5. STEAZ Healthy & Organic Beverages will be sold at Uncle Dave's, ARLOs, and Common Grounds.  Support a brand that have a world view and use quality organic or fair trade ingredients.  Steaz's environmental and social betterment activities are outstanding. www.steaz.com
6. LU Dining Office Recyclying Program
7. Coffee Ground Reuse Program
8. Evolution Bag Available at Uncle Dave's 100% Reusable & Recycleable Bag for $1.00 (Read Below)
9. Collecting Used Cooking Oil for Conversion to Bio-Diesel Fuel.Partnership with 2nd Harvest of Nashville and Feed Franklin First for food donations.
10. Organic Grocery and Snack Options at Uncle Dave's Convenience Store.
11. Using Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies.

Sodexo's 100% Reusable & Recyclable Bag

Purchase in Uncle Dave's for only $1.00

Reducing Our Environmental Impact!

Click for Full Newsletter From the

Tennessee Environmental Council

April 2- 4, 2009

Lipscomb University invites you to the Tennessee region's premiere green event, the 2nd annual Green Business and Living Summit and Expo on the Lipscomb University campus, April 2-4, 2009. This event promotes a sustainability focus on building, energy, transportation, home, office, electronics, waste elimination, and the environment.

Green Business Summit
The Green Business Summit will provide business leaders at all levels with insight in developing and enhancing profitable and sustainable business enterprises and practices. Successful peers and experts in the field will speak on the many current and future opportunities for businesses to go green while improving their bottom line.

Green Expo
The Green Expo will showcase the newest and most diverse green products and services available in the marketplace to support sustainable initiatives, consumer stewardship and economic growth. The Expo is open to the public and will feature experts offering exhibits, product demonstrations and information on how to live a greener life as well as products and services to support green business practices.

This second annual green event is the creation of Lipscomb University’s Institute of Sustainable Practice and the College of Business.  The Green Business and Living Summit and Expo will be conducted in alliance with state and local leaders. The purpose of this event is to promote Tennessee as the international destination for economic growth in green practices, businesses, products, services, tourism and lifestyles.

Sodexo is a Gold Sponsor and invites you by our booth.

APRIL 22nd is EARTH DAY

Simple Ways Everyone Can Go Green:

Recycle Smart-        Visit http://www.freecycle.org/ or http://www.earth911.org/ for a list of recycling alternatives

Recycle Your Batteries - Visit http://www.rbrc.org/for a list of stores in your area where you can drop off your old batteries from cell phones,

               digital cameras and camcorders.

Buy Water-Efficient Showerheads.  Buy low-flow models. A house of 4 people can cut their usage by as much as 280 gallons a month.

Adjust Your Fridge and Freezer Temps.  Refrigerators and freezers commonly use the most electricity in a household. Try keeping your Fridge at 37F and

              your freezer at 0F.

Use Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL’s).  They cost a little more but you’ll use less power and save money in the long run, since they last up to 10

              times longer than regular bulbs.

Choose Energy Efficient Appliances.  Look for appliances with the energy star label.

Use an Old School Style Lawn Mower.  The new gasoline free reel lawn mowers are easier to push than the older models. Plus, with sky-high gas prices

             you’ll save money and get plenty of exercise. For those of you that need a powered lawn mower, try a quiet battery powered one from

             Black & Decker.

Solar Energy-  Try solar energy powered products for your house or patio. Visit http://www.intermatic.com/ for more information

Plant a garden-  Use plants and shrubs that are best suited for your climate. Not only is it a fun hobby but also you’ll use less fertilizer and pesticides.

Get Off of Junk Mail lists-  Visit www.dmaconsumers.org for information on removing yourself from those unwanted mailing lists.

Buy a Laptop- They use less energy than those bulky desktop models.

Skip the Drive Through-  You save gas and put out less exhaust, especially if there is a long wait.

Wear Cotton Undies-      You’ll reduce your exposure to harmful chemical pesticides in those sensitive areas.

Try Earth Friendly Body Products-  Products from companies like Aveda use natural substances and recycled packaging.  Become Educated About

            Your Produce-  Learn which produce has the most and least amount of pesticides in them by visiting www.ewg.org, as well as simply

            buying fruit that’s locally grown, in season, and buy certified organic when you can.

            Support Your Local Farmers

 We here at Lipscomb University support local farmers.

www.eatwellguide.org 

Buy Organic-   USDA Certified Organic foods are produced without antibiotics, genetic engineering or most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

            You can also grow some of your own vegetables.

Make Compost Pile-    A compost pile will help reduce the amount of trash you produce a month. It is also makes good mulch if you have a garden,

            instead of buying expensive harmful compounds from the garden store.

Grill Your Corn in the Husk-  Instead of stripping the greens, soak the ear and place it on the grill. If you must use aluminum foil, just remember to recycle it.

Use reusable coffee filters-   Coffee is a staple of any college student. If you can’t find reusable filters, chose unbleached ones. Don’t forget the

           grounds make an excellent additional to your compost pile.

Do Your Grocery Shopping With reusable Tote Bags-  Some stores now offer tote bags that you can purchase with their store name on them.

Try Vegetarian Meals-    Not is it healthier, but raising produce uses considerably less energy than it does to raise animals. Start out slow by

           swapping out one meal per week.

Teach Your Friends and Family to Go Green

What we have accomplished so far.....

Sodexo Cares is a meeting place for employees, customers, and community members to learn and share their experiences about Sodexho's new initiatives, community involvement, and great stories about our people. Sodexho is working to STOP hunger, promote sustainable business practices, be a responsible corporate citizen and a great place to work. [ more ]

Burton Elementary was certified as a State of Tennessee Green School Partner.  We have stopped the use of individual ketchup packs and straws by student request. The Middle School/ High School Cafe recently started offering washable plates as a student option vs. the disposable plate.

Visit Uncle Dave's Convenience Store for a large selection of all natural or organic food and beverage choices.

Starbucks "GROUNDS FOR THE GARDEN"- Pick up used bagged grounds free for your garden at home! Starbucks Offering Grounds for Your Garden . Starbucks Coffee developed "Grounds for Your Garden," an initiative to reuse coffee grounds, the largest portion of its waste. It's a year-round program that offers complimentary bags of spent coffee grounds to customers, parks, schools and nurseries for composting. The waste reduction has become a popular way for North American gardeners to enrich their soil. Coffee grounds act as a green material with a carbon-nitrogen (C-N) ratio of 20-1. The grounds are packaged in bags and made available on a first-come, first-served basis to customers.  The program was started nine years ago by a team of store employees who were inspired by the numerous requests for the store's organic waste. Coffee grounds make up the heaviest portion of the waste in Starbucks stores making the "Grounds for Your Garden" program a significant waste-reduction effort.

Food Court offering a packaged organic salad dressing.

Re-cycled Napkins in all Dining Locations. Just our use of recycled napkins: 391 # of Recycled Waste Paper Used 1,054 Gallons of Water Saved 0.45 Cubic Yards of Landfill Space Saved 602 Kilowatts of Energy Saved 57.19 Gallons of Oil Saved 9.03 # of Air Pollutants Saved 2.56 Number of Trees Saved

Re-cycled cooking oil and shortening.

Re-cycled mug program in Food Court, Common Grounds and Starbucks.

Majority of Produce Purchased Locally (250 mile radius).

Caring Cans ...   Cans Across America! Every November- Watch for Details.

2nd Harvest Food Bank donations from Spring Semester Flex Drive and the November Caring Cans Across America promotion.

Meals donated to local Safe Haven for their monthly meeting.

Donations to "Feed Franklin First" (Franklin, TN). (Read Below)

Balance, Mind, Body & Soul Program in Bison Buffet.

Kashi Oatmeal option for breakfast in Food Court.

United Way Free Breakfast Donation Annually

United Way Employee Donations Through Payroll Deduction: Start Making a Difference! $1 a week can provide summer meals for 4 children through the Feeding Our Future program $2 a week can provide 148 meals to be distributed at a local food bank $5 a week can help 2 people complete a culinary job training program

"Stop Hunger" Candy Bars offered at Common Grounds.

"Fair Trade" Coffees offered at Starbucks, Common Grounds, and Catering.

"Living Wage" & Benefits for dining associates.

Kitchen equipment replacement with new units that provide energy reducing efficiencies.

Purchase "COOKIES FOR THE CURE" for the research of breast cancer.

Recycle "It's Nashville's Nature" Program at Middle School High School Cafe through the Metro Government of Waste Management.

Coming Soon - Blue Coast Burrito Recycled Products!

Read More on Our Green Initiatives

Green is Good Newsletters

Green is Good - March 2009

Green is Good February 09

GREEN IS GOOD JANUARY 2009

December 2008 GO GREEN Newsletter

November 2008 GO GREEN Information & Newsletter

OCTOBER GREEN INFORMATION & NEWSLETTER

November 2008 GO GREEN Information & Newsletter

OCTOBER GREEN INFORMATION & NEWSLETTER

GREEN IS GOOD OCTOBER 2008

GREEN IS GOOD SEPTEMBER 2008

Green is Good February 2008

Green is Good January 2008

Green is Good December 2007

Green is Good November 2007  

Other Sustainability Information

Tennessee Produce Availability Calendar    

Naturally Fresh & Earth Wise

Sustainable Brochure    

Food Waste    

Mean to be Green?    

Sodexho Commmitment    

Green News   

Glossary Green    

Packaging    

Sustainability and Health   

Local Foods    

What is Organic?    

Sustainable Websites

Lime.com (Easy Ways to Implement Favorable Actions for the Environment)