Sustainability in higher education is no longer aspirational, but operational. What was once considered a “nice to have” is now a baseline expectation shaped by student priorities and evaluated by campus leadership.
For our campus partners, the path forward isn’t always straightforward. Rising costs, infrastructure limitations, and evolving guest expectations all intersect with ambitious environmental goals. Dining programs sit at the center of that complexity, uniquely positioned to influence daily behavior while balancing access, flexibility, and financial performance.
There’s no universal playbook for how to do this well. And that’s exactly the point.
At Parkhurst, we’ve seen meaningful progress happen when sustainability is embedded into the rhythm of daily operations. It’s driven by teams who understand their communities and are empowered to make informed decisions that turn small, intentional actions into measurable impact over time.
Where Sustainability Actually Takes Root
We approach sustainability as a lived, daily practice shaped by local teams, not as a corporate checklist.
Our dining teams work within a shared set of values, including care for people, respect for the planet, and pride in partnership, but how those values come to life differs from campus to campus. That flexibility is intentional. Each campus has its own priorities, challenges, and opportunities, and our approach is designed to meet those nuances with thoughtful, personalized programs.
This approach is what makes strong, sustainable campus dining programs possible. They are rooted in trust, supported by partnerships, and responsive to the communities they serve.
Turning Awareness into Shared Responsibility
On many campuses, sustainability isn’t just about systems. It’s about building habits.
At Kalamazoo College, a robust composting program demonstrates how operational choices can influence long-term habits. The majority of disposable materials used on-site are compostable, supported by a partnership with My Green Michigan to manage post-consumer waste in the dining hall. That effort has expanded beyond residential dining, with composting and recycling streams now integrated into many catering locations, creating consistency across campus.
Hamilton College promotes sustainability through engagement. The dining team collaborates with the campus sustainability club to host pop-up activations for students to return reusable Green-to-Go containers. These occasions spark dialogue rather than enforce compliance, encouraging student curiosity and reinforcing small decisions that build momentum over time.
That same intentionality extends behind the scenes. At Hamilton, food recovery initiatives focus on packaging surplus meals and redistributing them with the help of their local food bank. The team at Kalamazoo College also minimizes as much of their food waste as possible, ensureing usable leftovers are salvaged and repurposed through a partnership with Food Recovery.
Meanwhile, at Bard College, a student-driven recovery program developed in collaboration with Parkhurst recovers excess food twice weekly and redirects it to the Darmstadt Shelter. Since its launch in March 2026, the program has redistributed more than 500 pounds of food, strengthening local food access while creating a model that other campuses are exploring. These efforts aren’t flashy, but they’re deeply human, driven by a culture of care built through collaborative partnership.
Helping Guests Understand Their Food—and Its Impact
Sustainability is most impactful when it’s experienced, not just communicated. Our teams bring that to life by integrating our Know Your Source partners directly into their dining locations, connecting our guests with the farmers and makers behind their meals. These interactions make sourcing tangible, rooting it in real relationships.
At Hamilton College, Green Week programming creates opportunities for students to engage with partners, pairing menu features with storytelling that highlights both product and purpose. At Lafayette College, the annual EarthFest – developed in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability – has become a cornerstone event, bringing together a growing network of local partners and highly engaged students. At Kalamazoo College, Earth Day activations feature hands-on activities, from planting herbs to reimagining surplus ingredients in creative, approachable ways.
These experiences educate and build connections, helping guests understand where their food comes from and the broader impact of sourcing decisions, from supporting regional economies to advancing environmental stewardship. Just as importantly, they reinforce a shift we’re seeing across campuses: a growing expectation for dining programs to operate with transparency, purpose, and intention.
Making Waste Visible and Change Possible
Food waste is one of the biggest sustainability challenges campuses face, and one of the most difficult to address meaningfully. At Lafayette College, our team uses initiatives like Weigh the Waste to make waste visible and measurable with real-time tracking and dining hall demonstrations. When guests see that data, it builds awareness, encourages reflection, and gradually shifts behavior.
This is how meaningful progress takes shape: not through one-time solutions, but through systems that engage guests consistently and evolve with each campus.
Why This Approach Matters
For our partners, the question isn’t whether sustainability matters, it’s how to advance it in practical and authentic ways. Parkhurst’s approach is rooted in trusting people, empowering teams, and building partnerships that reflect the needs of each campus.
Sustainability is a shared responsibility, and it shows up in the small choices we make every day. Explore more stories of sustainability-centered partnership from our teams on our Instagram.
