Sustainability

Check out our latest video on Sustainability in Dining Services.

Muhlenberg Dining is committed to teaching today's students how to have an impact on tomorrow. With its dedicated team, Muhlenberg Dining has developed several innovative, on-campus programs and partners with Muhlenberg to foster the College's vision to create ways to positively impact our environment. In 2019, Muhlenberg Dining was recognized as #10 in the country for our Food & Dining program according to The Sierra Club's "Coolest Schools" ranking.

Sustainability Internship

Each year, Muhlenberg Dining offers internship experience for students interested in a future career in sustainability and marketing food and beverage. Our three sustainability interns support the Muhlenberg Dining team in the process of developing and implementing sustainable dining promotions such as Weigh the Waste, The Farmers Market, and local purchasing tracking. Our interns also attend sustainability conferences, trips to Butter Valley Harvest and other educational events. We use their input at every stage of the process to inform and inspire creative ideas, and guide the implementation of the resulting promotion campaigns.

Greening Committee Berg Sustain

Muhlenberg Dining is proud to be an integral part of the President’s Greening Committee. The Greening Committee aims to provide leadership to the Muhlenberg community in support of the College’s strategic goals of sustainability and good environmental citizenship. It was created in 2003 by President Helm to examine, propose, and monitor sustainability efforts, reduce resource use and promote dialogue on and off campus. The Greening Committee is composed of faculty, staff, and student representatives. In 2019, Muhlenberg College was awarded Gold status by AASHE.

Hydroponic Herb Garden

Hydroponics is the cultivation of plants using water and nutrient solutions without soil. It is sustainable for a number of reasons; it’s water efficient, eliminates soil erosion problems, and there is no need for herbicides or soil fertilizers that traditional soil methods require. The hydroponic herb garden will grow various herbs and lettuces that will be utilized in the Dining Commons. All herbs will be dedicated for garnishes and ingredients for fresh-made salads. They will also be used to make our fresh herb-infused vinegars (these sun-brewed vinegars will be used to make our “Solar Vinaigrettes”). Also involved with the project is Ryan Ehst, owner/farmer of Butter Valley Harvest in Bally, PA, located just 15 miles from Muhlenberg College. BVH hydroponically grows herbs, greens and tomatoes. Muhlenberg Dining has been involved with Butter Valley Harvest since 2010 and Ryan Ehst donated the planter trays for Muhlenberg’s hydroponic herb garden. Recently, Our interns have experimented with different flow rates and nutrient concentrations to increase Ehst's yield. We've seen success so far in their findings!

‘Berg To Go

'Berg To Go is a program in which you can use a reusable to-go container in The Wood Dining Commons. How it works:

•    sign up for the program with the Wood Dining Commons cashier
•    receive a clean reusable to-go container
•    when you're finished with your meal, return your container back to the cashier to get cleaned
•    if you'd like your meal to-go again, you'll receive another clean to-go container 
•    if you're just returning your container, but would like to dine-in, you'll receive a 'berg to go PASS. 
•    keep this pass with you the next time you'd like your meal to go.

Not sure if you're participating in the program correctly? You should always either have one container OR a to-go pass in your possession.

Think Before You Tray

When the Wood Dining Commons opened in Fall 2010, Muhlenberg Dining introduced an initiative to steadily decrease the usage of trays in an effort to reduce water usage. Rather than not offering trays, we ask guests to make the conscious decision as to whether or not a tray is necessary. Since its inception, Think Before You Tray has resulted in decreasing the amount of trays available in the Food Gallery from 800 to 300.

The Food Recovery Network

In the spring of 2019, we partnered with the Food Recovery Network on campus to donate leftover food to local shelters in the Lehigh Valley. This is an important initiative that helps reduce food waste on campus as well as fights food insecurity in our area.

Weigh the Waste

The Weigh the Waste (WTW) program is an educational opportunity to raise awareness of food waste over a specific course of time by weighing post-consumer food waste. Muhlenberg Dining staff is responsible for tracking and documenting uneaten food in the Wood Dining Commons during a specific time frame and shares the information with its guests in an effort to reduce waste and improve portion control. View some of our results here!