WVU Dining Services is committed to striking the balance between sustainable, healthy, and value based campus dining. To that end, here is a growing list of steps we've taken to shrink our negative environmental footprint and model sustainable corporate dining:
  • Tray-less Dining- the benefits of tray-less dining have been proven multiple times over. After experimenting with tray-less dining in 2013-14, all five of WVU's Dining Halls have removed trays from their main serving lines. The result has been an estimated one-third reduction in food waste, cleaning chemicals, and water use.
  • 100 Mile Dinners- in fall of 2014, WVU Dining began experimenting with locally sourcing ingredients for large scale dining efforts. Partnering with the WVU Extension Office's Small Farm Support Center, our chefs were introduced to dozens of local farming operations they could use to source ingredients from. The result was a dinner which featured ingredients from a 100 mile range of Morgantown, WV.
  • Recycled Packaging- all our to-go operations use recycled packaging whenever possible, giving students the opportunity to recycle and reduce landfill waste. Dining Center napkins are also made from 100% reusable material.
  • Organic Farm Partnership- starting in the Fall of 2015, WVU Dining will be entering into partnership with WVU's Organic Agriculture Research Farm to provide students with fresh, organic, sustainably grown produce.
  • Recycled Waste- all cardboard and metal waste is diverted from landfill disposal through the campus's single-stream recycling program.
  • Downtown Campus Farmers Market- WVU Dining partners with other campus groups to host a weekly Farmer's Market on WVU's downtown campus during the fall semester.
  • Food Recovery- Partnerships with local food pantries and job training centers allow WVU Dining to divert thousands of pounds of uneaten cooked food away from landfills to local hungry families.
  • Alumni Center Garden- A small produce garden tended by our Alumni Center chefs give our catering customers the option of enjoying fresh-off-the-vine produce during harvest season.
  • Cooking Oil Recovery- Used cooking oil is recycled and converted to environmentally responsible biodiesel fuel, which can power any diesel motor.
  • Energy Star Equipment- Most kitchen equipment purchased by WVU Dining is certified for energy efficiency.
  • WVU Fairtrade 2.0 Partnership- A partnership with WVU student organization Fairtrade 2.0 allows WVU Dining to source ingredients through a growing network of direct trade partners. WVU's own Firsthand Coffee brand is a product of this partnership, bringing to campus a direct-trade, shade grown, contract based coffee to campus coffee shop guests. 

Keep an eye out for more news as WVU Dining continues to explore new ways to create a premiere sustainable campus dining program.