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SUSTAINABILITYUniversity Dining Services as managed by Sodexo, mission is to improve the quality of daily life
for people whenever and wherever they come together. Central to achieving this mission is
recognition that we have a duty to protect our environment. Sodexo Campus Services at the
University of Vermont supports this tenet through the following initiatives:
LOCAL & ORGANIC FOODS
Keep Local Farms (KLF) is part of a broad effort to stabilize and enhance milk prices paid to dairy farmers in the Northeast -while also helping to secure the farms of today for future generations. KLF has identified The University of Vermont and Sodexo as key partners in this effort due to their commitment to environmental stewardship and their recognition as leaders in sustainability and social responsibility. Starting Monday, November 16, 2009, 10 cents from the sell price of each single serve Hood milk will be collected and transferred to the Keep Local Farms program for disbursement to KLF participating farms. Additional News Links
University Dining Services (UDS) is a committed partner in the development of a local food presence on the University of Vermont Campus as an integral part of our dining services programs. Over the past four years, UDS has worked hard to increase the number of local vendors who provide services to the campus, as well as, integrate core Vermont products into our menu mix. In the past, UVM students have enjoyed a productive relationship with the UVM Dairy, Horticultural farms and many native farmers who supplied local products to campus dining halls. Unfortunately, across the country these connections have been disappearing as industrial agriculture grows and dislocates farmers from consumers. UDS has recently commenced working to rebuild and expand upon these relationships and offer as much local fare as possible to UVM students. In 2008 and 2009 UDS worked with student farmers from UVM's Common Ground Farm. The farm is an organic, student run, educational farm that provides hands on learning and experience in the production, marketing and distribution of produce while fostering sustainable land practices. Dining Services purchased five CSA (community supported agriculture) shares and is looking to create a model that will continue this collaboration in the future. UDS supports UVM students that are working toward changing the local food system as well as alumni who are local farmers and producers. For more information on UDS’s local works, please contact us. Why local?
Sodexo at UVM proudly serve food from the following Vermont Farms and Businesses:
The Process Current Status Through Black River, UDS also began purchasing produce from Arethusa Collective Farm at the Intervale. This represented the first commercial partnership between Intervale Farms and UDS. Through this partnership campus diners have access to fresh, organic carrots and mesclun that travels less than a mile to reach campus. UDS has met with the Intervale Foundation and is exploring ways to expand this partnership. Challenges
This means that many of the local farmers we support go unrecognized in our native foods totals. For this reason, the native foods benchmark is merely one tool by which we can gauge the success of our programs. Aside from the constraints of a small state, UDS’s local foods efforts are limited by the fact that Vermont ’s primary agricultural output comes during the summer when classes are not in session. Without access to large processing and storage infrastructure, the availability of native foods dwindle in the winter and spring months. Especially after the 2006 spring flooding and thanks to the burgeoning grassroots local foods movement many suppliers simply do not have the surplus to sell. Since UDS began tracking local foods programs, native purchasing has more than doubled and continues to grow. Future UDS is also working to promote local vendor relationships and utilize local products when ever possible in the Dudley H. Davis Center. The Sodexo Sustainablity Gallery, located in the Davis Center, will be the hub for information on tracking the building's energy usage, as well as statistics such as local purchases, tons of compost; along with other environmental impact statistics.
April 18th, 2007, Sodexo Campus Services at the University of Vermont hosted a Farm to College Forum, a follow up to "Sodexo and Vermont Foods Work Day" held in April 2005. The purpose of the Forum was to bring together local farms, processors/packagers, distributors and purchasers to understand the means necessary for increasing Vermont product utilization at Sodexo locations. Forum attendees included representatives from the Vermont Department of Agriculture, The Vermont Fresh Network, Black River Produce and members of the local/regional Sodexo leadership team along with existing and potential farm partners. Agenda included a review of Sodexo's local food initiatives for campus as well as a progress review, current challenges and future goals. Reports on local product usage, tracking and benchmarking, campus marketing efforts and product specs, labeling, packaging and distribution were presented by various participants. Success stories were shared by local partners including Bill Shur, UVM alumnus and owner of Champlain Orchards and Thomas Case of Arethusa Farm. For additional information regarding the Farm to College Forum, please contact us.
University Dining Services (UDS) is a proud member of the Vermont Fresh Network. To be a members of the Vermont Fresh Network an organization must purchase from at least three Vermont Fresh Network member farmers and/or food producers and agree to source from them on a regular basis. UDS purchases products from Champlain Orchards, Misty Knoll Farm, and Chittenden Cider Mill as well as over 40 other farms through our local food distributor, Black River Produce. In addition, Sodexo has been a key sponsor and participant in the Vermont Fresh Network forum held in August each year. Throughout all of the dining halls the Vermont Fresh Network logo indicates our membership and dedication to working with Vermont farmers. Looking for local off-campus dining options? The Vermont Fresh Network offers a complete membership listing of participating restaurants.
In the fall semester 2006, over $50,000 in exclusively Vermont-grown produce was purchased through BRP by University Dining Services. All bulk liquid milk served on campus--- roughly $30,000 per semester -- comes exclusively from Vermont farms through Booth Brother’s Dairy (a Hood subsidiary). Substantial and increasing quantities of other Vermont products including raw honey, maple syrup, chicken, cheese and more are available in campus dining halls.
Each semester University Dining Services (UDS) chefs and creative resident dining hall staff host memorable evenings by showcasing cuisine and decorating their units to depict different North American Regions. One evening in autumn is always dedicated to celebrating local Vermont products prepared with Vermont recipes; with the Taste of Vermont Dinner. In addition to the Taste of Vermont Dinner, UDS hosts week long, and campus-wide Fests, celebrating some of Vermont ’s most beloved products. In October we celebrate Applefest. The apples used during the Applefest and throughout the year come from Champlain Orchards in Shoreham, Vermont. Bill Suhr, owner of Champlain Orchards is a graduate of the University of Vermont. Farmfest, established in 2006, is celebrated in September. The Fest includes recipes with Vermont produce and pays tribute to the farmers who grow it. Farmfest events have included guest appearances from Arethusa Farm, Lewis Creek, Champlain Orchards, Vermont Soy, Norris Farms, UVM's Common Ground Farm and Black River Produce. Arethusa Farms, Norris Farms and Lewis Creek are growers who supply produce, to the UVM community through University Dining Services local produce purveyor, Black River Produce. April plays host to our second newest Fest, Vermont Artisan Cheesefest; a week long, campus-wide event showcasing Vermont produced cheese. The Fest features cheese based recipes in all our campus dining locations and guest appearances from several Vermont cheese producers such as: Grafton Village Cheese, Vermont Butter & Cheese, Cabot Creamery and Woodstock Water Buffalo; even a member of the Vermont Cheese Council, Chef Jeff Egan. Springtime in Vermont means maple syrup, a time honor tradition. In April enjoy recipes made with the sweet taste of Vermont maple syrup during our Maplefest celebration held at all the campus dining locations.
In celebration of our 50 year partnership, Sodexo donated funds to support the development of the Sustainability Gallery, located at the first floor tunnel entrance of the Davis Center. The Gallery hosts a real time display and interactive kiosk that provides water, electricity, and heating and cooling consumption statistics of the building. This web-based technology provides an ongoing educational arena for students and visitors interested in the environmental impact of the building' s efficiencies. Additional materials displayed in the gallery also market the resources at Sodexo within dining services at UVM as well as nationally.
Spring 2008 University Dining Services partnered with UVM's Common Ground Student Run Farm by purchasing five Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. The shares provided produce used during the seven orientation sessions in June and at the Waterman Manor for the duration of the growing season. In addition Common Ground Farm highlighted their produce at an evening meal at Harris/Mill Dining Hall during Farmfest week, fall 2008. This collaboration is an important step in creating a sustainable food system as it works with future farmers and gives students hands on learning experience in production, marketing and distribution of produce while fostering sustainable land practices. Common Ground Farm operates as a Student Government Association (SGA) club throughout the academic year and is managed by four students throughout the summer. The farm, located only a few miles from campus, grows three acres of organic produce and has almost forty CSA shareholders. Interested in learning more about Common Ground Farm please contact us.
University Dining Services (UDS) established an internship position for a University of Vermont (UVM) student to assist in the transition to a more sustainable food purchasing model. In spring of 2006, the first local food assessment was made, allowing the intern to benchmark UDS local purchases; identify local opportunities, research comparable institutions and provide recommendations for future actions. All findings were compiled in a formal report and presented to The Dining Advisory Committee and The Environmental Council in May 2006. Based on the initial local food assessment results, dining services set realistic goals for increasing the percentage of future native food purchases and worked on ways to improve advertisement of native product use in our dining facilities. In an effort to meet our goals, the sustainability internship, now in its' third year, is improving accuracy of the tracking of local, organic and fair trade purchases; as well as exploring new Vermont product opportunities. Our 2008/09 intern, Kate Turcotte, is a senior at UVM. In addition to her internship work for UDS, Kate is also a member of The Dining Advisory Committee and The Meal Plan Task Force. She works with a number of on-campus student groups, including, Eco-Reps, The University Heights Greenhouse, Slade Hall and UVM Common Ground Farm. In the summer of 2008, Kate's connection with Common Ground Farm led to the UDS purchase of five community supported agriculture shares which provided fresh produce to the seven June Orientation sessions as well as the summer menu at Waterman. Kate also joined the Orientation team, answering questions about the farm and promoting local foods at the dining services orientation table. Her latest project involves establishing a Campus Kitchen Project at UVM, a student initiative that provides an additional food source of nourishing meals for members of our community in need. For more information on UDS’s local works please contact us.
University Dining Services is proud to announce the opening of a Campus Kitchens Project at Simpson Dining Hall in January 2009. The Project, a collaboration between students, faulty, off-campus organizations, and University Dining Services (UDS), provides service learning opportunities for students and nourishing meals for people within the Burlington community. The Campus Kitchens Project is a community service and anti-hunger program that takes unused food in the campus dining halls and turns that food into nourishing meals for people in need. Currently there are twelve Campus Kitchens located at universities across the country; soon UVM will be added to the list. The mission of The Campus Kitchens Project is to use service as a tool to:
The Campus Kitchens Project at the University of Vermont will prove to be one of the emerging leaders in the fight against hunger in the Burlington community. UVM will be a part of a national growing network of other universities that have Campus Kitchens in their dining halls. The students will plan the menu, get the food, cook, and delivery the meals. In addition students will teach nutrition courses, organize the garden plot, and teach culinary skills to students and unemployed adults. ...On top of all that, students will learn how to operate a nonprofit organization and keep track of paperwork, fundraise, develop service learning curriculums, and partner with other nonprofits in the local community. Interested in being a part of this new and exciting service learning organization? E-mail or visit UVM's Campus Kitchens Project or the National Campus Kitchens Project. |
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