Sustainability

We strive to create a more environmentally responsible, equitable, and resilient food system.

Sustainability is an important part of our mission at Ranger Dining.  We actively work to consider it in each step of service. We work each day to improve our processes to promote sustainability. From menu planning to production our staff is committed to reducing our carbon footprint. Below are just a few of the processes we’ve implemented in an effort to improve our carbon footprint.

• We know that consuming plant protein significantly reduces our carbon footprint. This is why when creating the menu our executive chef makes sure there are plant-based options at most meals. He features a coolfood entree each Wednesday at lunch. You can learn more about the coolfood program here.

• In the kitchen our team of chefs are mindful about reducing food waste. Chef Jason regularly educates our employees on ways to utilize more of the vegetables and fruits you see in service by altering the way we trim them.
• When purchasing food, we are committed to a minimum of 20% of our products being purchased locally and continue to find more local collaborations to increase that percentage.
• We choose brands that are committed to sustainability. One of our favorite new products is Matriark broth. This female-founded company utilizes misshapen vegetables that would normally be thrown out to produce a delicious broth that you’ll find as the base for many of our soups and sauces.

• During meal service our supervisors guide chefs on how much food to produce in an effort to reduce waste.
• When students drop off their plates after a meal, our dish staff sorts the waste into a compost bin, recycling or trash. Originally this task fell on students but in an effort to prevent accidental disposal of dishes, cups or silverware our dish staff has taken over.
• The dish staff also washes reuse boxes. These are the green boxes you’ll find at the check-in counter, and they help to eliminate the use of single-use containers in the student center.
• After production our team weighs food waste using a system called Lean Path. Lean Path helps us track our daily food waste. With this information, we can modify how much we produce for service, which recipes are not well-received by students, and where we may can reduce mistakes in the kitchen to reduce food waste.
• When it comes to retail, we are working each day to make positive changes alongside our student board of directors. For example, we are looking at changing from plastic bottles in our vending to aluminum to reduce plastic waste. We’re also working with companies who are providing biodegradable “plastics” to replace any items we use with an Earth-friendly option.
• Last but definitely not least our guest experience manager has collaborated with students on campus to educate students on food waste. In February of 2024 we hosted our first Weigh your Waste event. We weighed the food waste of students and talked about ways we can all do our part to reduce food waste.

To learn more read our most recent news article on sustainability.