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ARAMARK Delivers Sustainable Practices on Campuses.


Campus Sustainability Day Celebrates Environmental Stewardship The integration and application of environmental values into the military mission in order to sustain readiness, improve quality of life, strengthen civil relations, and preserve valuable natural resources.  

PHILADELPHIA -- In honor of Campus Sustainability Day, October 24, 2007, ARAMARK Higher Education higher education

Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art.
, a world leader in providing professional services (job) professional services - A department of a supplier providing consultancy and programming manpower for the supplier's products.  to more than 600 colleges and universities in North America Universities in North America have an extensive history of being some of the leading educational institutions in the world. North American universities were originally modelled after universities in Europe but have developed different systems of their own. , is supporting new programs and initiatives focused on ecology, conservation and environmental stewardship to teach students the value of protecting the earth. Through ARAMARK's environmental stewardship program, Green Thread, ARAMARK Higher Education is committed to responsible dining and facility management practices that integrate with an overall campus plan for sustainability.

Campus Sustainability Day, sponsored by the Society of College and University Planners (SCUP), celebrates sustainability in higher education and is devoted specifically to the achievements of the tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff working to instill in·still
v.
To pour in drop by drop.



instil·lation n.
 sustainability principles in higher education institutions and their surrounding communities. ARAMARK Higher Education is a co-sponsor of the Campus Sustainability Day Web cast, "Building a Durable Future: Community, the Campus, and Deep Economy," which will be held on October 24 from 12:00 - 1:30 pm Eastern. Register at www.scup.org/csd/5/index.html.

"Campus Sustainability Day is the perfect opportunity to engage the campus community in activities that encourage energy conservation, sustainable food programs and recycling," said Chris Stemen, Senior Director of Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship, ARAMARK Higher Education. "Our goal is to support our university partners in their environmental mission, show students how they can positively impact their campus and beyond, and demonstrate ARAMARK's commitment to conduct business as a socially responsible organization."

Using a holistic approach holistic approach A term used in alternative health for a philosophical approach to health care, in which the entire Pt is evaluated and treated. See Alternative medicine, Holistic medicine. , ARAMARK integrates with the overall campus plan for sustainability, leveraging its resources across the organization, including supply chain, culinary development, energy management, and corporate social responsibility.

Colleges and universities across the nation are implementing sustainability plans that include making their campus carbon neutral; constructing green, energy-efficient buildings; and offering more courses and projects devoted to environmental issues. Some examples of ARAMARK's programs include:

Farm-to-Table Program

ARAMARK's locally grown preferential purchasing system increases support of local farmers and the community. ARAMARK partners with area growers to purchase produce including apples, pears, peaches, and potatoes that are then incorporated into menus on campuses across the country. This "Farm-to-Table" program buys locally, thereby conserving energy and creating less pollution when foods travel fewer miles to reach the campus.

In September, well-known chef and food activist Michel Nischan helped to launch Green Wave Farm-to-College, a health conscious, environmentally mindful culinary program, at Vassar College Vassar College (văs`ər), at Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; coeducational; chartered 1861 by Matthew Vassar, opened 1865 as Vassar Female College, renamed 1867. . Vassar students are dining on sauces, salsas Salsas is a Portuguese parish in the district of Bragança. The population in 2001 is 424, its density is 16.5/km² and the area is 25.76 km². , and sides, made from Hudson Valley
''For the magazine, see Hudson Valley (magazine).


The Hudson Valley refers to the canyon of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, generally from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.
 vegetables and fruit, using recipes from Chef Nischan and Vassar Head Chef Mike Conlin. All of the produce is minimally processed and frozen for use throughout the year. Since 2002, Vassar and ARAMARK have forged relationships with farms, orchards and dairies throughout the Hudson Valley. The college's efforts have been recognized by New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
 Senator Hillary Clinton and her Farm-to-Fork initiative.

To support students' efforts toward sustainable living Sustainable living might be defined as a lifestyle that could, hypothetically, be sustained without exhausting any natural resources. The term can be applied to individuals or societies. , the University of Pennsylvania (body, education) University of Pennsylvania - The home of ENIAC and Machiavelli.

http://upenn.edu/.

Address: Philadelphia, PA, USA.
 and ARAMARK worked together to bring a popular local Farmer's Market to campus. Students can use Dining Dollars from their meal plan to purchase locally grown or prepared products, such as produce, cider, home-style baked goods, jams, preserves and pickled vegetables.

Sustainable Dining

ARAMARK has seen a growing interest in sustainable dining practices from college and university clients and students over the past several years.

Along with locally grown produce and locally sourced seafood, Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University, mainly at Baltimore, Md. Johns Hopkins in 1867 had a group of his associates incorporated as the trustees of a university and a hospital, endowing each with $3.5 million. Daniel C.  uses cage-free eggs and hormone-free milk in its dining locations. To-go food is packed in biodegradable containers. Residential dining hall tables are made out of bamboo and the campus sells organic, shade grown, fair trade coffee.

New York University's newly remodeled Hayden Dining Hall emphasizes sustainable dining and healthy eating by offering freshly baked breads and handmade cheeses produced without accelerators; deli meats produced with no cereal fillers; and meats raised without hormones or antibiotics. A new circular food bar features a wide variety of Vegan foods Vegan foods are generally all types of food that are free of animal products, like meat, milk or eggs.

Food groups
Main article: Food groups

  • Algae - seaweeds such as nori or kombu
  • Cereal or grains
  • Fruits
 grown within a 200-mile radius of the University. Hayden also features eco-friendly practices, such as biodegradable take-out containers and utensils made from potatoes instead of plastic.

Student Advocacy

To increase sustainability efforts on campus, ARAMARK enlisted the help of University of Minnesota (body, education) University of Minnesota - The home of Gopher.

http://umn.edu/.

Address: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
 students enrolled in the Environmental Studies program to participate in the first ever "Green Team" Internship Program. Members of the "Green Team" help research, develop and market sustainability efforts on campus.

In September, ARAMARK and the University hosted the first Eat Well, Live Well event on campus to showcase sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives at the University's 30 dining locations. Over 40 University dining partners participated in the event which was attended by over 3,500 students, staff and faculty.

Renewable Energy Renewable energy utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, and hydroelectricity to biomass and biofuels for transportation.  Sources

As colleges and universities seek to cut energy consumption and look for more environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1]  options, ARAMARK has been working with its higher education clients to leverage renewable energy methods.

ARAMARK recently helped Baylor University negotiate a complex, ground-breaking power deal which received a 2007 Innovation Award from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO NACUBO National Association of College and University Business Officers ). The industry-leading 10-year power deal, structured by ARAMARK, will save more than $2 million annually on electricity for the 735-acre campus, or $20 million over 10 years. Through this new contract, Baylor is helping to finance the creation of environmentally friendly wind-generated electricity to be brought to the Texas power grid. Additionally, the deal provides Baylor with a predictable cost structure to support its budget planning model.

Campus dining halls, kitchens and servery A room used for the preparation and serving of food other than a kitchen. This is the room where servers complete the final touches of food preparation remote from a kitchen.  areas are often significant users of energy, particularly in terms of HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) In the home or small office with a handful of computers, HVAC is more for human comfort than the machines. In large datacenters, a humidity-free room with a steady, cool temperature is essential for the trouble-free  and refrigeration refrigeration, process for drawing heat from substances to lower their temperature, often for purposes of preservation. Refrigeration in its modern, portable form also depends on insulating materials that are thin yet effective.  systems. ARAMARK is helping to educate its clients about the importance of energy efficiency in the dining hall. At the University of Florida University of Florida is the third-largest university in the United States, with 50,912 students (as of Fall 2006) and has the eighth-largest budget (nearly $1.9 billion per year). UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. , ARAMARK has made operational changes, trained employees to reduce energy use, and incorporated an Energy Star[R] procurement policy on all new dining appliances where Energy Star options exist.

Green Building

ARAMARK is the leading green commissioning partner in higher education and has helped achieve energy efficiency and LEED([R]) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for many of the most sophisticated and technologically advanced campus facilities in the nation. Most recently the new science building of Muhlenberg College was awarded a Silver Rating; the green features of the building allow the college to reduce operating costs and improve energy efficiency while providing an enhanced learning environment.

Saint Xavier University's Arthur Rubloff Hall recently received LEED Gold certification and was commissioned by ARAMARK. The 88-bed residence hall includes carpeting made of recycled plastics, a roof with 1,000 square feet of low-maintenance plants for heating and cooling retention, and dual-flush toilets. Ninety percent of the building's lighting comes from natural sources; and the heating units are 90 percent more efficient and 50 percent smaller than more traditional units. In addition, 100 percent of the building's power consumption is generated from renewable energy sources. Saint Xavier University is the first college or university in Illinois to receive the LEED Gold designation for one of its buildings.

Organic Composting

At Brandeis University, the campus community wanted to reduce its ecological footprint and showed significant interest in composting, a process that allows food waste, table scraps and yard waste to decompose de·com·pose  
v. de·com·posed, de·com·pos·ing, de·com·pos·es

v.tr.
1. To separate into components or basic elements.

2. To cause to rot.

v.intr.
1.
 naturally. Compost is used in gardening and agriculture, and when mixed with topsoil, improves soil structure, increases the amount of organic matter, and provides nutrients.

In response to student feedback, ARAMARK began composting all materials from the dining halls which totals about 405 tons of waste per year.

Recycling

ARAMARK helps campuses conduct aggressive recycling and waste minimization, and also encourages clients to participate in Recyclemania, a competition challenging colleges and universities to collect recyclables over 10 weeks to raise awareness of environmental and conservation issues. With ARAMARK's assistance, more than 55 campuses recycled 8.75 million pounds of waste in this year's competition. The 201 participating campuses recycled a total of 41.3 million pounds of waste.

Recyclemania, which began in 2001, is endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WasteWise program, the National Recycling Coalition's College and University Recycling Council, and the National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology Program.

About ARAMARK Higher Education

ARAMARK Higher Education is dedicated to excellence in dining, facility, conference center, and stadium and arena services. ARAMARK enhances the living and learning experience and environment for more than 600 colleges and universities throughout North America. For more information and a list of our services, visit www.aramarkhighered.com.

About ARAMARK

ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services food services Hospital services A 24/7 department in a hospital that provides for the nutritional needs of inpatients–eg, those needing special diets, preparing meals and transporting them to the floor and, through the cafeteria, the hospital staff and , facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. In FORTUNE magazine's list of "America's Most Admired Companies A yearly publication by Fortune Magazine, America's Most Admired Companies consists of corporations that are highly esteemed by the likes of Business Executives, Directors, and Analysts. A survey is taken of close to 3300 professionals who give their opinions on the companies. ," ARAMARK has consistently ranked as one of the top three most admired companies in its industry as evaluated by peers and industry analysts since 1998. The company was also ranked first in its industry in the 2007 FORTUNE 500 survey. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 240,000 employees serving clients in 18 countries. Learn more at the company's Web site at www.aramark.com.
COPYRIGHT 2007 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2007, Gale Group. All rights reserved.

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Date:Oct 23, 2007
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