SUSTAINABILITY
University 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:
The College Sustainability Report Card identified the University of Vermont as one of the top 15 colleges
in the country for being a sustainability leader. Click here to view the green report card.
In the September/October 2008 issue of the Sierra Magazine the University of Vermont was listed #3 on the Cool Schools: 10 That Get It.
LOCAL & ORGANIC FOODS
Keep Local Farms
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
Local Foods History
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?
UDS has chosen to expand its local foods offerings for
many reasons. The UDS team, students, faculty, staff, farmers and distributors
have expressed interest in a revival of a UVM local foods network
– there are many benefits:
- Local products spend less time
in transit and therefore arrive faster & fresher
- Chefs can offer different varieties
of vegetables grown locally for flavor and character – rather
than vegetables grown for interstate durability
- Local eating connects students
to the environment by respecting seasonality and the unique features
of our bioregion
- Local purchasing eliminates the
need for long-distance hauling and substantially reduces greenhouse
gas emissions from trucking – limiting our dining footprint
- Local purchasing supports the viability
of local farms and protects land by supporting sustainable agricultural
use
Sodexo at UVM proudly serve food from the following Vermont Farms and Businesses:
- Arethusa Farms
- Black River Produce
- Bythedale Farm
- Boucher Family Farm
- Boyden Farm
- Boyden Valley Winery
- Cabot Creamery
- Champlain Orchards
- Drew's Dressing
- Fox Meadow Farm
- Grafton Village Cheese
- Jasper Hill Farm
- Lake Champlain Chocolates
- Lewis Creek
- Long Wind Farm
- Misty Knoll Farm
- Norris Berry Farm
- Nutty Steph's Granola
|
- Boyden Valley Winery
- Peaslee Potato Farm
- Pete's Greens
- Pomykala Farm
- PT Farm
- Red Hen Baking Co.
- Jasper Hill Farm
- Sam Mazza Farm
- Shelburne Farms
- Singing Cedar Farmstead
- Taylor Farm
- Vermont Butter & Cheese
- Vermont Cranberry Company
- Vermont Roots
- Vermont Smoke & Cure
- Vermont Soy
- More coming soon!
|
The Process
University Dining Services began coordinating its local
foods initiatives in April 2005 with the first Farm
to College event. Since then, local producers have been steadily
gaining ground in campus eateries. In July 2005 Champlain
Orchards of Shoreham , Vermont gained approval to begin supplying
apples and cider year-round. Two months later, Black
River Produce was certified as a supplier of produce, thus creating
a conduit for local producers to gain easy access to UVM markets.
Current Status
Fall semester 2006 has seen important progress on the Local Foods front. It was the first semester
University Dining Services (UDS) had access to Black River Produce's network of local farms. In the first two
months of the semester UDS bought over $50,000 in produce grown wholly in the state of Vermont. In addition,
native dairy, meat and beverage purchases more than doubled native totals from 2005.
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
University Dining Services has also exercised a long-standing
commitment to supporting
Vermont companies. Though many of these companies use locally
sourced ingredients, we do not include them in our native foods
totals because they do not meet the stringent labeling
standards mandated by the Vermont Department of Agriculture.
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
As a result of the 2007 Farm to College Forum, University Dining Services (UDS)
will be conducting follow-up meetings with interested Vermont suppliers and working to secure
native sources for products including bottled milk (bulk milk is already sourced native), bulk
ice cream and bulk maple syrup, which are high volume items on UVM's campus.
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.
Farm to College Forum
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.
Vermont Fresh Network
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.
Black
River Produce
In September 2005 Black
River Produce (BRP), a North Springfield based distributor specializing
in Vermont products, was a certified by Sodexo as a supplier of
produce. BRP puts Sodexo in contact with an ever-increasing network
of local farms (currently around 40) some less than a mile from
campus!
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.
Champlain Orchards
One of University Dining Services (UDS) most successful stories in our
journey to increase native food purchasing has been the direct vendor relationship
with Champlain Orchards. After the 2005 Farm to College Forum, supplier/producer Bill Suhr, owner of Champlain Orchards and a graduate of UVM started delivering apples and apple cider from his orchard located in Shoreham, Vermont. In 2008 Champlain Orchards become the primary supplier of apples to campus. In addition to apples, Champlain Orchards supplies UDS with apple pies, pints of apple cider, apple sauce and peeled apples. During the 2008/2009 academic year 57,880lbs of Champlain Orchards apples were delivered to campusthat translates to approximately 115,756 apples.
Fest and Tours
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.
Sodexo Sustainability Gallery
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.
Common Ground Farm
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.
Sustainability Internship
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.
Campus Kitchens Project
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:
- Strengthen Bodies by using existing resources to meet hunger and nutritional needs in our community;
- Empower Minds by providing leadership and service learning opportunities to students, and educational
benefits to adults, seniors, children, and families in need; and
- Build Communities by fostering a new generation of community-minded adults through resourceful and
mutually beneficial partnerships among students, social service agencies, businesses and schools.
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.
|