Dine Sustainably

overall photograph of dining hall with food trays on right hand side and line of students getting food on left

Did you know that, according to Project Drawdown, our global food system accounts for about 25% of total emissions – more than all of the planes, trains, and automobiles on the planet?

Read on to learn more about how you can make a direct impact with your sustainable dining choices.

Reduce Food Waste

Project Drawdown has identified food waste reduction, which accounts for 8% of global emissions, as an “emergency brake” climate change solution and it’s one that you can implement into your life right here, right now, on campus and beyond!

Food waste is a significant problem at Middlebury, with many FULL plates put back onto the dish line! Middlebury composts almost 400 tons of food waste each year! That’s the equivalent of the weight of about 4 adult Blue Whales or about half the weight of the Golden Gate Bridge.

You can do your part to be more conscious about how much food you are putting on your plate, getting to know how much you really eat, and doing your best to incrementally reduce the food that you dispose of.

Divert Food Waste

Did you know that food waste does not break down in landfills in the same way that it breaks down when composted? When put into a landfill, food waste breaks down anaerobically and releases methane (which has more than 80 times the warming potential of CO2). When composted, it breaks down aerobically into beautiful soil-amendment.

Separating your food waste and consciously utilizing the compost areas across campus is an important impact that you can directly make. Plus, the compost that is created at Middlebury stays at Middlebury, being used in landscaping across campus!

A scale in the shape of a U that represents the best and worst options for wasted food ranging from preventing food waste to throwing it out — (Credit: US EPA Composting Website )

Embrace a Plant-Rich Diet

This doesn’t mean you have to go fully vegetarian or vegan (unless you want to!) increasing plants and decreasing meat consumption incrementally in your diet can have a significant impact on reducing your personal carbon emissions (think: “Meatless Mondays” or try out “Veganuary”) This is particularly true for Americans who are one of the highest per capita meat eaters in the world!

In addition to reducing emissions, plant-based and/or plant-rich diets can have great health benefits. A win-win for people and planet!

Utilize and Return Reusable Containers

Middlebury has a reusable to-go container program that students, faculty, and staff who frequent the dining halls can take advantage of. These containers are the easiest and best way to take food with you if you want to have lunch on-the-go or a snack for later, just make sure you return them to the dining halls and don’t throw them away so that they can be cleaned and reused!

Learn More

Learn more about how Middlebury sources local foods and is working to make dining sustainable from the ground up.

How does this work connect to the bigger picture?

Explore the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)