Lehigh’s Rathbone Dining Hall received four-star certification from the Green Restaurant Association this summer, becoming one of 14 campuses in the country, and only one in Pennsylvania, to earn this high a mark.
Every year, the association inspects restaurants and dining facilities and evaluates their environmental sustainability. They offer four levels of certification based on eight categories, including energy and water use, chemicals and pollution, and waste generation.
When Rathbone was last inspected in 2016, it received a level two certificate. Resident restaurant director Joseph Kornafel said the goal was to work with high-quality certification, but the pandemic halted this process.
Jamie Gallant, the university’s sustainability coordinator, joined the dining services team in January 2024 and immediately implemented plans to increase the dining hall’s sustainability rating.
He said his work included making the overhead lights more energy efficient and reducing water consumption through flow controls in the pipes.
He said Lehigh’s dining services aim to improve their sustainability each year, and their initial goal was three stars. However, with recent changes – especially those made during the summer – they received a four-star certificate.
The emphasis on sustainability comes from the university and Sodexo, the company the university contracts with for food services.
In 2020, Lehigh implemented its own 2030 Sustainable Strategic Plan to “stimulate ecologically sound, socially just and fiscally prudent action that improves the well-being of people and the environment.”
Sodexo also offers a sustainability report every year.
Kornafel said this common goal has made it easier for the two organizations to work together.
“One thing I love about this partnership between Lehigh and Sodexo is, separately or together, they both have sustainability at the forefront of goals and objectives,” Kornafel said. “We hold and put our resources from both sides to collaborate on what steps are being taken on this campus.”
Although there are several categories in the Green Restaurant Association’s criteria, food itself has always been the main focus at Rathbone.
Erin Foertsch, marketing manager for Lehigh Dining, said Rathbone and Brodhead Dining Hall source as much food as they can from local vendors, especially seasonal produce and fresh ingredients.
This reduces the restaurant’s carbon footprint by reducing fuel consumption through shorter transportation distances and making it easier to ensure the retailer uses sustainable processes during production.
Maggie Sobaszek joined Lehigh’s Sustainability Office as an analyst in March. Since then he has partnered with Gallant to ensure the food purchased for Rathbone is sustainable and healthy.
Sobaszek also works with students to collect invoices from the dining hall and evaluate whether vendors are environmentally friendly, use fair labor, are women or BIPOC-owned, and use humane care for animals.
“To have a university that cares so much about sustainability in their dining operations is amazing,” Sobaszek said. “To be able to work with students to help them understand more generally about food and the food we buy is great.”
In addition to ensuring sustainable sources of food, dining hall staff try to minimize waste once the food arrives.
Rathbone uses a data tracking system called WasteWatch to track where waste occurs during the food preparation process. Student dining manager Scott Glenn said the system has significantly reduced customer turnover since its implementation.
“It’s not about catching anybody doing anything wrong,” Glenn said. “It’s about knowing where we’re lacking and trying to tighten up what we’re doing a little bit.”
Students can also reduce waste by focusing on their eating habits and making sustainable choices.
ReusePass, an updated version of the old program to golaunched at the beginning of the fall semester. It allows students to borrow reusable containers to bring home food from both dining halls.
Foertsch said the containers are designed to replace single-use plastic or styrofoam and reduce the amount of material sent to landfills.
Gallant also encourages diners to remember that they can enjoy as much food as they want during their visit to the dining hall. Instead of piling a plate full of food, he said students should take a small portion of what they want and come back for more later to reduce wastage.
“Take it a little at a time,” Gallant said. “It’s everything you care to eat, not everything you care to throw away.”
Sobaszek said small actions students take, such as using a reusable water bottle instead of a plastic one, shopping locally and recycling, can add up.
Kornafel also said students should remember that just because these steps are small, it doesn’t mean they aren’t important.
“I don’t think anyone should think that what they do doesn’t matter,” Kornafel said. “A little bit is important because it all adds up in the long run. This college is big in size, big in faculty, big in things. If everyone pulls together, even a little makes a big impact.”
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