Sustainability

Sustainable dining at Johns Hopkins University means that we think beyond the plate, taking a holistic, responsible approach to the way we feed our students, staff, faculty, visitors and the wider community. We know the decisions we make as a community about the types of food we eat and how it’s grown, served and disposed of can have a tremendous impact on the environment. We vow to:

• Reduce our waste and enhance responsible consumption practices
• Leverage our food and dining programs to enhance health and well-being, sustainable food production and local economies
• Follow sustainable and holistic procurement policies and systems
• Educate our community on the value of sustainable food systems
• Be transparent about our progress and engage with the wider sustainability community to further our positive impacts

In partnership with the Office of Sustainability, the Center for a Livable Future, Campus Facilities and many more, the dining program will help JHU achieve its sustainability plan and create a more responsible, environmentally conscious, transparent and equitable food system for the university and the greater community.

Our Process

• Choose our vendors and suppliers wisely and with a sustainability-focused eye;
• Prepare our food efficiently and with energy- and water-saving practices;
• Serve our food in minimally-impactful packaging (with the goal of eliminating single-use plastics in the near future)
• Reduce our waste and treat the waste we do produce in the most sustainable way possible
• Educate our community on the value of sustainable food systems
• Be transparent about our progress and engage with the wider sustainability community to further our positive impacts

For more information, check out Hopkins Dining’s Sustainable Dining Guide.