Local Farms

We work hard to get as many ingredients locally as possible. Our professionally-trained chefs write our menus to take advantage of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are naturally in season. King’s dining services purchases produce from Kegel’s a Lancaster county purveyor.

Reusable Products

By using reusable products and containers you can reduce waste. This helps to minimize the cost of managing solid waste and aids to conserve materials and resources. Ask a Marketplace cashier about our Ecotainer program.

Biodiesel

We have negotiated a waste management contract with Smarter Fuel. King’s Dining Services donates 100% of our fryer grease to create bio-diesel fuel. For more information visit  www.smarterfuel.com.

No Artificial Bovine Growth Hormone Milk

All of our fresh dairy products are supplied by Balford Farms, a distributor based in the Lehigh Valley

APEX™ Dishwashing System

As part of its commitment to increase the sustainability of its operations, Dining Services uses Ecolab’s Apex™ dishwashing system. Apex combines technology and products designed to save water and energy, minimize the impact of products on the environment, and has a built-in method of measuring results. Apex uses a unique combination of detergents, rinse additives, equipment and consultative services to address the operational challenges in foodservice operations. The Apex management approach uses a tablet PC and wireless technology to communicate with the system’s controller to download, process and analyze data to establish each foodservice operation’s “rack-to-guest ratio.” By monitoring and improving this ratio, the system helps reduce the amount of water and energy used at each facility, and improves total operational efficiency.

All locations will receive the benefits of using less water, energy and labor, thus minimizing their operations’ overall impact on the environment. In addition, the Apex system further supports Dining Services’ sustainability initiatives with non-caustic chemistry and 95% less packaging material than current methods. Apex products come in a compact solid form that significantly reduces transportation shipments compared to bulkier liquid detergents.

Xpress Nap Holders

XPressnap dispensers are another solution to reducing energy and waste. They save 30% in paper over traditional napkin dispensing mechanisms. The great thing about these dispensers is that they help the environment while helping to keep costs down.  The napkins are made of 100% recycled paper and the dispenser will encourage customers to take (and waste) less napkins. Energy is saved because less power is used to recycle paper products than to create them from virgin material.  According to Xpressnap, enough is saved through utilizing recycle napkins to power 600 American homes for an entire year! More than half a million gallons of oil was saved – 38 tanker trucks worth – and 41 tons of pollutants were kept out of the environment. 4,131 cubic yards of paper were diverted from landfill space. This is enough to cover an entire football field with a two and a half foot deep stack of paper.

Tray-Free Dining

Trayless dining is one significant initiative that helps to minimize waste as well as water and energy usage while creating a more sustainable food service operation. There are many benefits to going trayless in our dining operations, including:

• Electricity, water and chemical usage are reduced because there are far
  fewer dishes and trays to wash. This effect alone can save thousands of
  gallons of water every day and generate hundreds of dollars in detergent and
  electricity savings.
  
• Less detergents, solid waste and grease down the drain also improves our
  local community’s water supply. Food materials discharged to local waste
  water treatment plants contribute to increased levels of BOD (biological
  oxygen demand), COD (chemical oxygen demand), TSS (total suspended
  solids), and O/G (oil and grease). Also, food materials discarded into the solid
  waste stream contribute to odor and methane generation at disposal facilities
  and to increased BOD and COD levels in local landfills.
  
• Trayless dining substantially diminishes food waste by encouraging guests to
  take only the amount of food they can carry.
  
• Trayless service also provides an overall positive impact on student health. It discourages overeating and requires guests to get up and walk to get more.

Fair Trade

We are proudly serving Fair Trade coffee offerings from Starbuck's and Seattle's Best in Connerton’s, Leo’s, and Susquehanna room. Offerings are compliant with the Fair Trade Organization, which guarantees that our coffee beverages are purchased from farms with decent working conditions and the farmers are paid a fair wage for their product.