Everyday is Earthday Beyond using recyclable pizza boxes and beyond implementing the Compass Group sustainability initiatives such as Project Clean Plate, Zero Trans Fats, Cage Free Eggs, Ocean Friendly Seafood, Antibiotic Free Chicken, Antibiotic Free Pork and Balanced Choices. Chartwells Florida Atlantic University under the banner of FAU Dining Services has certainly gone above and beyond by not only initiating creative sustainable ideas, but improving on and merging Compass Group programs. The corporate policies and practices of Florida Atlantic University’s food service provider Chartwells, plays an important role in our campus initiatives. Compass Group (Chartwells is a subsidiary of) is the world’s largest food service provider and the decisions that they make not only have an impact here at FAU but on the nation and the world. The following practices include those that have been implemented at FAU. Some of these practices focus on social responsibility and while they have not cost benefit on campus there is a much greater benefit realized worldwide.

Compass Group is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact – the world’s largest, global corporate citizenship initiative. This is a network-based initiative, a framework for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. The Environmental initiative includes:

- Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges. - Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility - Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies

In October 2007, members of the Environmental Club of the FAU Jupiter Campus approached Chartwells regarding starting an “Eat Local” program, they were also interested in creating a composting station from the dining food waste that could generate fertilizer to be used to feed the campus butterfly garden. The decision was made to merge their ideas with Compass Corporate Social Responsibility’s Recycling Program, and the Chartwells paper saving Project Green Thumb program.

Composting bins at the CMP Jupiter. Composting info above the bins at CMP Jupiter Product identifiers used throughout the Center Marketplace at FAU Honors College in Jupiter to educate students on which items were compostable.

Project Green Thumb sign used in Outtakes to promote the mugs. Promotional Poster for the series of events. The project was implemented a few weeks later, “green thumb” mugs were sold in Outtakes that and tray-less Wednesdays began to reduce food waste. The “lend a hand save the land” project also began and is on going on that campus. To date, composting is ongoing and Tray-less Wednesdays are monthly and we feature Eat Local menu items weekly.

On March 20, 2008 Chartwells participated in FAU’s Earth Day Exposition, which was held in the Breezeway of the Boca Raton Campus. Our goal was to sensitize the campus community to the upcoming and already implemented sustainability programs by dining services. We also intended to engage and educate those visiting our booth through interactive media, primarily an Earth Day Trivia Game.

September 2008 and at the beginning of each semester, Project Clean Plate was implemented. This waste reduction program is designed to sensitize our students in the resident dining hall to the quantity of food they have wasted then encourage and reward behavior change. After a 3 week period, the waste reduction equivalent is donated to local shelters and crisis centers. This program results in food donations of approximately $3600.00 per year.

Chartwells FAU Client; Director of Business Services, Stacy Volnick (2nd from left) and FAU President Frank T. Brogan (3rd from Left), after viewing our sustainability booth.

FAU Chartwells sustainability booth, featuring 2 multi media presentations on Seafood Watch & Cage Free Eggs. Earth Day Trivia was also held to test student’s knowledge of issues & facts regarding the environment.

Our booth featured the Compass 360 Social Responsibility Guide, DVDs, brochures and bumper stickers contributed by the Humane Society on Batter Cage Egg Farms and Monterey Bay Seafood Watch guides.

Another Earth Day Trivia participant and other earth day booths at the event.

September 2008, Starbucks FAU launched “Grounds for your Garden” with the release of 1000 business cards to faculty & staff mailboxes as well as at the store’s POS areas. Research has shown that Starbucks alone produces enough coffee waste to equal 4,747's per year in weight. That material should all be going back into the earth where it belongs, rather than into landfills. Coffee grounds work wonders in the garden, therefore the goal is to maximize uses of recycled coffee grounds throughout the campus community by inviting everyone to come to the store to pick up free coffee grounds to use in their garden.

Front and Back of the “Grounds for your Garden” cards distributed throughout the campus.

On September 3, 2008, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Chartwells FAU & FAU’s College of Engineering & Computer Science documenting the partnership to provide our used cooking oil to the college for research purposes. The use of this oil will greatly contribute to many sustainable projects and research activities in the area of bio-diesel and combustion. Dr. Chaouki Ghenai from the FAU Mechanical Engineering Department (which has implemented the facilities to accept the oil) has been selected as the college representative responsible for acceptance and use of the used cooking oil.

September 2008. Chick N Grill was selected as the food service brand for FAU’s new Platinum Level LEEDS Certified College of Engineering “Green” Building due to their sustainable initiatives and LIVE-N-GREEN campaign http://www.live-n-green.com/. Only a year earlier, Chartwells FAU opened the 1st on-campus Chick N Grill location in the country. "The tasty way to stay healthy" Chick-N-Grill features meals prepared hot & fresh on the grill right before your eyes. Menu options include marinated grilled chicken breasts, famous bourbon chicken, churrasco steak, pita sandwiches, stuffed potatoes and homemade sauces. Exceeding just great taste and healthy dining options, Chick-N-Grill’s sustainability partnership with Chartwells FAU will continue to lighten our footprint on the environment.

LEFT: The existing Chick-N-Grill location in the Breezeway Food Court, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, opened August 2007. BELOW: Rendering of the FAU’s new Platinum Level LEEDS Certified College of engineering. Opening Fall 2009. This location will house the completely “green” Chick-N-Grill location.

In the 3rd week of the 2008 fall semester, after a 7 day countdown which included banners online and in the Center Marketplace, as well as a gradual reduction in the availability of trays, the Center Marketplace resident dining hall on the Boca Raton Campus of FAU officially went tray-less. During the countdown period, signs placed in the tray pick up area informed students of the impact using trays had on the environment through the use of water and wastage of food. The articles linked below by Scott Travis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel & Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer further document student’s responses to the tray-less transition. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/south/epaper/2008/09/23/a1b_fau_food_0924.html#

The last in the series of online banners used at www.dineoncampus.com/fau to promote the tray-less initiative. October 22, 2008. With the active involvement of Chartwells representatives and the Director of Business Services, FAU Campus Sustainability Committee hosted the annual “Sustainability Day.” University departments, local food suppliers and “green” industry suppliers were asked to engage the campus community and sensitize to our sustainable programs. The event which took place at the Breezeway and traditions plaza was tremendously successful in educating the campus community in the numerous Compass programs currently being implemented.

Chartwells Sustainability Day Booth. Compass Group 360 Sustainability Guide with other programs and initiatives were displayed.

Starbucks Coffee “Grounds for your Garden” samples that were displayed and distributed.

January 2009: Throughout the Spring Semester of 2009, FAU Catering Servies embarked on a green transformation starting with the offering our customers the option of using eco friendly water vs. bottled. They also changed from plastic to use bi degradable disposable ware. To further catering department’s participation in Compass Group Corporate Social Responsibility practices by increasing the use of recycled paper. FAU Catering switch from lunch bags and boxes made of paper pulp made from wood, to 100% recycled paper lunch bags. Paper production accounts for about 35% of felled trees. FAU Catering Services previously used a minimum of 5000 un-recycled lunch bags and boxes per year.

August 2009, FAU Dining launched the Reusable Eco Clamshell program in an effort to begin the process of phasing out Styrofoam to-go containers at the Center Marketplace. Resident students and other CMP patrons were encouraged to purchase a reusable to-go container and continually return with that container for to-go meals. This program has been tremendously successful at the dining hall of the Jupiter campus, however relatively successful on the Boca Raton Campus.

All of the above listed sustainable programs developed and implemented over the last two years are currently running and have been embraced in varying degrees by the campus community. Chartwells FAU continues to seek out opportunities to operate sustainably.