Hospitality Services at Rensselaer, provided by Sodexo Education, plays a large role in sustainability on this campus as well as at our 900+ higher education accounts in the U.S. Our mission statement speaks volumes about our commitment to a more sustainable society: “Through simple acts, we improve the quality of daily life everywhere, with respect for people and the environment.” Sustainability is critically linked to food, which can be seen in a few simple facts about the food sector:
–1.3 billion people work in the food sector, the world’s largest employment group.
– One quarter of all arable land is dedicated to food production.
– One crop–coffee–is the second most valuable commodity in world trade after oil.
– Food production accounts for 34 percent of water use in the U.S. and about 40 percent globally.
– Food production accounts for more than 10 percent of energy use in the U.S. and 10–15 percent globally.
Our industry has a profound effect on the environment on a global scale. Efforts to promote sustainability are juxtaposed with our ability to feed ourselves. Further complicating the issue, climate change is forecast to be the leading cause of hunger in the coming decades by increasing uncertainty in agricultural production. This leads to uncertainty in food price, supply, and safety, which challenges the decisions we make on a daily basis and ultimately connects people to sustainability through their food choices. Food is the new environmental awareness product of our time, like newspapers and aerosol deodorant have been in the past, and the responsibility to make the right choices increasingly falls to food service professionals.
One simple way to think about being sustainable is in terms of a triple bottom line: environmental, economic, and social sustainability. The ultimate goal behind the triple bottom line is to preserve, or even enhance, resources for future generations. This has become a goal of Hospitality Services at Rensselaer. We have taken strides to become partners with RPI in the sustainable efforts here on this on campus, and some of our accomplishments thus far are as follows:
– Terra Café, partner with Ecologic
– Trayless Tuesdays efforts
– Sustainable ware-washing equipment installed
– Face The Waste 2008 and 2009 Support
– Recycle Cup Program
– Reusable bags from Father’s
– Organic and local meals served in board and catering
– Fair trade coffee at all venues
– Post consumer recycled napkins at all venues
– Elimination of disposable condiment bottles and salt/pepper shakers on tables
– Student Sustainability Task Force involvement and support
– Recycling of cans, glass, plastic, and cardboard
– Growing organic greens on campus for use in Terra Café
We will continue to improve our sustainability efforts by increasing our awareness through education, making sustainability real and practical, and meeting environmental goals on campus and in our community. We will take this challenge seriously and ask that you join us in this effort.
