Bates' dining believes that the environment must be taken into consideration when purchasing, creating, delivering, and serving food products. Because of this, our dining program has integrated environmental stewardship into every decision and become a national model for sustainability.

• Twenty-eight percent of the dining program's purchases are locally grown and/or natural products (the goal is to increase it to 35% within the next two years).
• The dining program diverts over 80% of it's solid waste from the local landfill through a comprehensive management system that includes:

Traditional recycling of cardboard, glass, tin, plastic, and mixed paper

Relationships with vendors such as Stoneyfield Farm who collect and recycle their yogurt cups

Pre-consumer food waste composting program established with a farm in Lisbon, ME

Post-consumer food waste program established with a pig farmer in Poland, ME

Community outreach program which allows extra food portions prepared to be shared with
local homeless shelters and soup kitchens

• The dining program reduces paper usage by placing napkins directly on the tables, minimizing the use of disposables in operations, and providing reusable ware at outdoor events. Paper goods include recycled goods such as brown rolls, paper napkins, and cups.
• Take-A-Mug-Leave-A-Mug program: Bates is the first college in the nation to institute this type of program, which provides students with reusable lidded coffee mugs instead of paper cups for take out drinks. When they're done, they simmply return the mugs to dining for washing and pick up a clean one.
• The dining program is a member of the Green Restaurant Association, a group that provides specifications for green purchasing.
• They consistently encourage their prime vendor, NorthCenter, to carry items they wouldn't normally carry (bulk items such as cereal for instance).
• Chemicals and soaps that are less toxic are purchased from Eco Lab.
• Environmental stewardship is an integral part of the overall Dining Services operation and students respond extremely positively to the meal choices, and separating recyclables at the end of their meal.

• A yearlong initiative exploring why a strong and healthy food culture is so important to our educational mission, Nourishing Body and Mind: Bates Contemplates Food  has been inspired by the opening of the new dining Commons and a major gift supporting the use of organic, natural and farm-fresh foods.
  The initiative's wide-ranging programs will explore and enrich Bates' long commitment to a thoughtful, sustainable and nourishing approach to food on campus.