Sustainability

Campus Initiatives

We know today's college students want to do the right thing for the planet and we also understand you lead busy lives, that's why our chefs and managers do a lot of the work for you behind the scenes! From purchasing local seasonal produce whenever possible to reducing inorganic and organic waste, your campus team is dedicated to providing you with an exceptional dining experience that is good for you and good for the planet. Our team also counts on student engagement and enthusiasm to spread the word about what you're doing together on your campus. We encourage you to work with UWEC's Student Dining Committee to continue to innovate and improve sustainability efforts on campus. If you have additional comments or questions, please contact us. We would love to hear from you.

Composting

Food waste in landfills creates methane, a greenhouse gas which is 21x more potent than CO2. (www.epa.gov). Our first priority is to reduce food waste. We compost food waste that is unavoidable which reduce greenhouse gas emissions and can also be used to amend soil thereby increasing drought tolerance, improving soil structure and health and reducing need for water and fertilizers.

Free Food Alert Program

We support The Free Food Alert Program which allows faculty and students who host catered events to send out notifications when there is food leftover. This allows others access to the remaining food for free and it’s another way we strive to reduce food waste on campus!

Trayless

After a Trayless Tuesdays program during 2008–09, Blugold Dining went completely trayless in 2009. Going trayless has reduced food waste by more than 50 percent, and has saved on natural resources needed to wash the more than 6,000 trays a day that had been customarily used. Customers without trays typically waste less food and beverages. It is also a healthier approach to eating, as we all know that at times our eyes are bigger than our stomach. Trayless dining also reduces the amount of water and detergents needed to wash trays, and it saves energy too!

Local Suppliers

Menus feature locally grown food whenever possible and financially feasible. Nearly 20 percent of what Blugold Dining spends in a year on food is used to purchased food products produced and distributed within 150 miles of Eau Claire. An innovative partnership with a western Wisconsin business is the newest way that Blugold Dining is contributing to the local economy while also supporting the university's commitment to sustainability. Ninety percent of dairy offered through Blugold Dining, including sour cream, many cheese and nearly 600 gallons per week of milk consumed by the campus community, comes from local vendors.

Food Recovery Program

UWEC started a Food Recovery Program in the fall of 2024. This program is a collaborative effort among the Campus Harvest Food Pantry, Blugold Dining, University Centers, the Administrative Office of Sustainability, and the Student Office of Sustainability. This program has helped provide many repackaged meals to the Campus Harvest Food Pantry, where the meals are frozen and available at no cost to students.

Going Compostable

We’re happy to support a healthier planet by providing compostable plates, utensils, napkins, & to-go boxes at our dining locations around campus.

Bulk Condiments

Individual packets of condiments are useful in some instance, but they result in extra waste. If you are dining on site you can add the sauce to your item before you leave, please use the bulk dispensers to reduce our waste.

Apex

Our Ecolab Apex dishwashing system, combines technology and products designed to save water and energy, minimizes the impact of waste products on the environment, and has a built-in method of measuring results.